"The Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967" by Acadia Publishing

In general, I really like the Arcadia books....  Though I have picked up a few that were more miss than hit.... but their book on the Silver Bridge disaster is very well done.

I am sure I have mentioned the event here before, but if you are not familiar with it, I will give you a little info.  The Silver Bridge was built in 1928 connecting Point Pleasant West Virginia to Gallipolis Ohio.

Around 5pm on December 15th, 1967 the bridge (filled with cars) collapsed.  46 people died.

The book, "The Silver Bridge Disaster of 1967" does a great job of covering the disaster.  The photos are dark, but- along with the captions and paragraphs accompanying them, give a real, 3 dimensional feel.  I have been to Point Pleasant several times, and have had a rough idea of how things happened, but this book truly puts the pieces into place in my mind's eye.

There is a section on those who died in the collapse.  I did appreciate seeing the pictures, and reading their stories.

There is a section on the new bridge built to replace the old one.  Another section covers what exactly caused the bridge to fall.  Pieces of the bridge were examined in a nearby field during that investigation.

I really have to tip my hat to the authors of "The Silver Bridge Disaster" (there are several credited contributors, including the Point Pleasant River Museum).  I think a pre-teen or an avid adult reader  could read this one and appreciate the devastation felt in the area in 1967.  MANY great photos from different angles are included.

The writers stick to the facts and are descriptive.  Also to their credit, they avoid any mention of other events at that time sometimes associated with the bridge collapse (I do love scary Mothman stories, but these authors do not mention the Mothman or Cornstalk legends at all) sticking strictly to the facts.