Upland Boro scene of a 1915 move, "On Bitter Creek"

 

    This covered bridge on today's Race St. between Upland and Chester Twp. was blown up for a movie  in 1915. The covered bridge was being replaced by concrete and the Lubin Family making the movie "On Bitter Creek" got permission to blow the bridge up with dynamite.

Note: Siegmund Lubin [1851-1923] began making movies in 1896 and quickly became one of the top movie makers in America. He worked out of Phila. and by 1908 was one of the top producers of movies. He built 18 theatres in 6 states for his company. He built studios in Florida and California and everything was going great till WW1. The war hurt his company and a fire at his Phila studio cost him. By 1916 he was bankrupt. Lubin made other movies in Delco.

CHESTER TIMES  February 4, 1915 

OLD BRIDGE TO BE BLOWN UP 

Wooden structure in Chester Township Made the Scene of a Climax in a Thrilling Moving Picture Play

The old covered bridge, which for years has furnished a crossing over Chester River, between Upland Borough and Chester Township, is to be the settling for a thrilling moving picture photo play.  According to the plans of the Lubin syndicate of Philadelphia, the climax of the story, which has been woven about the scene, requires the actual blowing up of the structure, which will be accomplished, it is expected on Saturday, by the use of dynamite.

Under the supervision of Edgar Jones, leading man and general manager, two camera men were busy yesterday taking preliminary views, and this morning seventy-five people were brought to Chester to take the various parts of the play that it to be enacted.  They went to the bridge shortly after 9 o’clock, directly from the Imperial Hotel, in auto cars.  In the party are actors who have appeared in hundreds of reels on the market today.  Two young women are in the cast.

The Lubin management heard but a few days ago that a new concrete structure is to be erected across Chester River, and at once arranged with Frazer Brothers, contractor for the work, for the privilege of taking views, and gave them the contract to do the dynamiting.  A picture of the old structure was taken and sent to the company’s scenario writer, who in about three hours had woven a pretty little love story around the old crossing.  The author is Emmott Campbell Hall of Glen Echo, Md., and the title is:  “On Bitter Creek.”  The story will involve also the new structure that is to be erected.

UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY – Mr. Jones, the chief in charge, told a Times man this morning that it is not often that an opportunity is offered where the syndicate can come across such an old discarded structure.  “If we wanted such a story, however, we would build a bridge for the purpose and blow it up.

“The work today,” he continued, “will involve some of the love scenes, but a real Kentucky feudal battle will take place on the bridge this afternoon.  We shall be here Friday and Saturday, making scenes, but I do not think the bridge will be blown until Saturday as that is the climax of the story.”

Before leaving the hotel those who were to take the parts in the plan, “made up” in their costumes at the hotel.  They attracted widespread attention, and scores of people were attracted to the old covered bridge that is seldom used in winter except by the farmers and those having necessary business through that section.

STORY OF THE PICTURE – “On Bitter Creek,” opens with the somewhat well-to-do Youse family and the less fortunate Kirby clan residing on either side of the river.  The Youse’s built the bridge and opened it free to the public.  A sister of the head of the former household falls in love with one of the Kirbys; they meet at the bridge, in a dignified manner of the olden time and exchange notes, by placing them in the love box hidden in the bridge.  The two become engaged.  Youse demands a kiss to seal the bargain, when the girl discovers her brother has heard the entire conversation.  He demands an explanation.  A feud ensues shots are exchanged, men and women are wounded.  After the Youse’s erect a toll gate and declare that the toll thereafter shall be a kiss from any of the Kirbys who desire to pass over the structure.  The grand finale comes when some of the opponents of the Youses are crossing and the bridge is destroyed by dynamite.  Twenty years later the two principals meet in college and are married later, and return home to old scenes and find a modern structure erected on the site of the wooden viaduct.

David Wills and A. L. Lewis of Philadelphia are the two official camera men.

 

 CHESTER TIMES – February 8, 1915 

OLD BRIDGE IS DYNAMITED 

 Great Crowd Witnesses Destruction of the Structure for Photo Picture Play

At least 2000 persons witnessed the demolishment of the covered bridge at Upland at 11:27 o’clock this morning as the climax to a Kentucky feud motion picture play which has interested the people for the past four days.

The large crowd observed the great structure slowly rise and then all of a sudden collapse and fall into a thousand pieces to the waters of Chester River.  When the signal was given by Edgar Jones, who was in charge of the players, the spark that caused the destruction of the bridge was set off by A. E. Alcutt who is an expert in the handling of dynamite.  The demolition of the wooden structure that has stood for more than seventy years occurred almost simultaneously with the report made by the exploding powder, which was heard for miles about the county.