Saturday, Nov. 14, brought forth a day of celebration many people had been anticipating for weeks and months. A crowd of close to 300 people gathered together at Stutzman’s Crossing, the new covered bridge located in Walnut Creek, to celebrate the dedication of the county’s newest tourism attraction, which should be equally attractive to locals.
Commissioner Joe Miller, who played a key role in bringing the bridge to life, served as the emcee for the event, which included speeches from local officials, as well as a visit from Jonas “Weiss” Stutzman, for whom the bridge was ultimately named, following the commissioners request to the public for names. “White Jonas” as he was known, was Holmes County’s first official white settler, and his fame grew from many of the idiosyncrasies which accompanied his life.

Larry Miller, a local actor who is well-known for portraying Stutzman, spoke to the crowd about what life was like back in Stutzman’s day, and how the simple life of a farmer trying to make his way in the new world was quite different than it is today. “My new life here in Holmes County was so rewarding that I wanted to share my experience with my friends back in Somerset, Pa.,” said Miller, as Stutzman. “They found that the bounty of this place was the answer to their prayers. In a true blessing, two centuries later, we are still sharing. We’re sharing the beautiful countryside, a slower pace of life, the feeling of contentment, the mood of welcome that keeps people coming back, and two centuries of history.”
Miller said that Stutzman wasn’t thinking about making history when he built the first saw mill, the first school house, penned the first Amish-written book in the county or any of the other accomplishments he achieved as the earliest settler here. He said Stutzman was only doing what was necessary to grow, educate and prosper in a new land.

“This new bridge is a monument to the hard work and dedication of generations of Amish and English alike, who lived the history and built the foundation of how we live today. The bridge is a symbol of the history of this region we call Amish Country, and we should celebrate it. I want to thank you all in sharing in this celebration, and for helping to make my (Stutzman’s) dream come true.”

Miller added that all of that history will come to life in the new German Culture Museum, which will occupy the lower level of the Walnut Creek Community Building. Shasta Mast, Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism executive director, has anxiously awaited the grand opening of the bridge. While she gives credit to Young and to the county commissioners for making Stutzman’s Crossing a reality, she is looking forward to the newest tourism draw in the county bringing in people from all over, since so many people enjoy traveling to visit covered bridges.

“I think the beauty transcends time, and takes us back to simpler times,” said Mast, of the bridge’s ability to draw people to it. “We’ve been getting calls four or five times a week since construction began, asking when it will be finished. In some ways, the process really flew by, and in other ways, it seemed like it took forever. I guess that’s what happens when you’re excited about a large project like this.”

Stutzman’s Crossing is located at the bottom of Olde Pump St., just east of Walnut Creek, and spans nearly 60 feet, with a 15-foot clearance and a width of 24 feet. It also includes a five-foot enclosed walkway for people to enjoy the scenery from inside as well as from outside. The massive support beams inside the bridge are built out of red and white oak, with additional wood being Southern Pine and Douglas Fir. It adds up to a grandiose covered bridge, which looks even more impressive the closer you get to it.

The new covered bridge is state-of-the-art, designed to blend into the rural countryside with a simplistic and rustic design. The design came from the mind of Chris Young, Holmes County engineer. State Rep. Dave Hall praised Young, saying, “this is the guy who had the initial vision to bring this bridge to life in Holmes County.” Young was an integral part of construction of the bridge from start to finish.

“I’m thankful, grateful and relieved that this day has finally come,” said Young. “It was a long, major undertaking, but one which has been a lot of fun to deal with. It’s a beautiful bridge. It has turned out exactly how we had envisioned it. I’m thrilled with the turnout today, and we got perfect weather for this. This is a very special day for our county.”
One man who caught Young’s vision was Don Timmer, an engineer from Richland Engineering, who was in charge of the layout and design of the bridge. The veteran bridge builder was equally impressed with the way the bridge proceeded from start to finish.
“We followed Chris’ vision as much as we could,” said Timmer. He has designed 20 new or reconstructed covered bridges in his career, including the beauty at Mohican Falls, which he designed in 1968. Timmer said that for years, the state has required that covered bridges come in at no more than 15 percent of the cost of a regular bridge. He said that this particular bridge was well under those specifications, costing around seven percent. He also said that covered bridges not only bring a serene, beautiful view to the landscape, but they also will withstand nature’s brutal changing seasons over time.

“These things last 100 to 150 years, and they’ll be here long after we’re all gone,” said Timmer. “Holmes County is fortunate to have something of this quality and beauty, and it’s functional. It’s a great addition to the county. There’s just not a lot that can go wrong in covered bridges.”

Having 20 bridges to his credit, Timmer has been involved with about 20 grand openings, and the Stutzman’s Crossing dedication was quite impressive to the seasoned bridge builder. He noted that the turnout of close to 300 people far exceeded any dedication service he has ever been to for one of his bridges.

“In all my years, that’s about three times as many people as I’ve ever seen at a dedication,” said Timmer. “That says a lot about the people of your county.”
Miller said that what Jonas Stutzman began in Holmes County two centuries ago lives on today, from the simplistic lifestyle to the hard working people of the community. He said that Stutzman’s Crossing will serve as a reminder of the county’s faith, dedication to family and to hard work, and strength in its character.

“This is going to be something special for this county,” said Miller. “We’re thrilled with the way it turned out, and with what we hope will be a real benefit for Holmes County.
Following the dedication service, Walnut Creek Foods provided cake, cheese and refreshments for all of those in attendance. Local photographer Doyle Yoder even had large prints made for those wishing to purchase a piece of this historic event.

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Printed in the HOlmes Bargain Hunter, November 23, 2009

THINGS TO DO IN WALNUT CREEK

Carlisle Inn

Carlisle Gifts

Coblentz Chocolates

Der Dutchman Restaurant

P. Graham Dunn

The Farm at Walnut Creek

Walnut Creek Amish Flea Market

Walnut Creek Cheese

Walnut Creek Furniture