The Blue Sulphur Bridge is an abandoned Pratt through truss over the Mud River in Ona, West Virginia.
The Blue Sulphur Bridge was constructed in 1888 by the Groton Bridge Company of Groton, New York, to carry Blue Sulphur Road over the Mud River in Blue Sulphur Springs. 2 The bridge was reinforced in 1954 and renovated in 1980 to allow for a posted load limit of 15 tons. 3 It was bypassed in 2000 1 and subsequently closed to traffic in 2001.
The new bridge was named after George Adam Floding, who established an inn in 1883 to house visitors to Blue Sulphur Springs, a naturally occurring mineral spring. 1 Originally named the Floding Springs Hotel, it underwent a renovation in July 1885 and was subsequently renamed the Blue Sulphur Springs Hotel. The business flourished, prompting Floding to add a third floor to the establishment, thereby increasing the number of rooms to 35. A rerouting of the adjoining railroad tracks of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway and a decline in springs tourism eventually led to the hotel’s closure. The property remained vacant for several years until it was purchased by Don Chafin, a sheriff from Logan County. Chafin, in turn, refurbished the hotel and entrusted its operations to his brother-in-law, Walter Frazier of Barboursville. However, the hotel faced continued financial troubles, and it was closed for good.
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Sources
- Casto, James E. “Lost Huntington: Blue Sulphur Hotel.” Herald-Dispatch, 1 Mar. 2022.
- “Blue Sulphur Bridge.” West Virginia Historic Property Inventory Form, 17 May 1999.
- “Bridge Replacement Study, Blue Sulphur Bridge.” West Virginia Department of Highways, 19 Jun. 1999.
