"The Bridge Builder of Union County"

Mural by Curtis W. M. Goldsein, born 1966, Columbus, Ohio
Rueben L. Partridge (1823- 1900) designed and constructed hundreds of bridges in Central Ohio, many of which are in Union County. Mr. Partridge received a United States Patent for the "Partridge Truss" which was a unique covered bridge engineering feature. Four of his original covered bridges, constructed in the 1870s and 1880s still remain in Union County: Bigelow (1873), Culbertson (1872), Pottersburg (1872), and Spain Creek (1883).
Mr. Partridge also served as vice president of the Columbus Bridge Company and was responsible for the constructing the Bergstresser/Dirtz Covered Bridge in 1887, located in southeast Franklin County. At age 77, Mr. Partridge was overseeing the removal of an old wooden bridge across Blues Creek in Taylor Township when a girder broke loose and Partridge stepped back out of the way, falling between the joists of the structure. As a result of hs injuries he died on July 17, 1900.
The mural before you shows a portrait of Mr. Partridge in the middle of the wall, with his signature, tools, and blueprints to the left of a covered bridge that is reminiscent of the Partridge designed Reed Covered Bridge built in 1884 that collapsed in 1993. The mural also depicts an O. M. Scott buggy exiting the bridge. The O. M. Scott Company
originally built buggies before it began selling grass seed by mail in the early 1900s.To the bridge's right, a Holstein dairy cow and sprawling rural landscape represents Union County's proud agricultural heritage.
The mural was dedicated September 8, 2010 in honor of Reuben L. Partridge, "The Bridge Builder of Union County."

The mural was made possible by through the generous donations of the Dayton Power and Light Foundation, Hatfield Chiropractic Clinic, McAuliffe's Ace Hardware, Sherwin Williams Paint Company, Scott and Holly Underwood, and the Union County Chamber of Commerce. Assistance was provided by the Union County pARTnership, Marysville Uptown Renewal Team, City of Marysville, and the Union County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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