Wildwood’s historic footbridge getting a facelift

By Kelly Terpstra, kterpstra@charlescitypress.com

The Depression–era limestone footbridges at Wildwood Golf Course in Charles City are historic indeed.

Now they’re both in need of a little makeover.

Steve Lindaman, Charles City’s Park and Recreation director who manages the course, said work on the south footbridge, situated between green No. 5 and the tee–boxes on No. 6, started Wednesday.

“We’re working on getting that one back in shape,” said Lindaman.

Richard Wyborny, a retired mason, is doing the restoration work on the historic 1930s structures. He said a storm caused part of a tree to fall down and hit an area of the bridge and caused some damage.

“It’s getting in bad shape,” said Wyborny.

Wyborny said it might take around a week to place stones in the damaged area, patch it up, and get the bridge back up to par.

“I’ll spread mortar and lay ‘em in there,” Wyborny said.

Wyborny said a portion of the south footbridge is comprised of slag out of the kilns from Oliver Corp.

Lindaman said he did not know when work would start on the north footbridge but rehabilitation on that project could possibly begin in the fall.

The double-arched footbridge was built in 1932 by Howard Smith, Richard Chambers and workers from the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps programs. This was part of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “New Deal” which employed millions to help build public works projects like roads, buildings and bridges.

Wildwood Golf Course celebrated its 100th anniversary last summer and is part of the Wildwood Park Historic District. The park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.