On November 1, 1922, Mrs. Ellen Howard Miller went to the county commissioners to talk about constructing a Memory Arch across the Tulsa Highway, near the Seventh Street Bridge at the end of the Victory Row. Victory Row was a line of elm trees along the highway, as it approached the bridge, honoring every Washington County man who had served in World War I. An alternate plan was proposed, to construct four concrete pylons, one at each corner of a new bridge at Seventh Street (now Adams Blvd.). Unfortunately, the change to existing plans would cost an additional $3,500. Disappointed but not discouraged, Mrs. Miller approached Frank Phillips with her problem, and Mr. Phillips agreed to provide the $3,500 plus bronze plaques if Mrs. Miller would include the names of all men from Washington County who served in any branch of the armed service. On December 11, 1924, work began to place the bronze plaques on the new bridge. On May 24, 1925, the official dedication of the Seventh Street Memorial Bridge was held. In 2006, the Memorial Bridge received a facelift, which has renewed the bridge to its original façade. The bridge was built in 1923 by the Kansas City Bridge Company and is striking in appearance because of its open spandrel arch and stylized railing over the Caney River. The bridge remains a premier example of concrete bridge construction from an era noted for its craftsmanship.
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Seventh Street Memorial Bridge
Adams Blvd. & Comanche Ave.
72
