© Jerry F. Couch 2025

THE ROSSER BRIDGE

Almost 135 years have passed since the construction of the Rosser Bridge that once spanned the Clinch River near St. Paul’s present day A. R. Matthews Memorial Park. The bridge was named for Gen. Thomas Rosser, formerly of the Confederate States of America. Rosser was responsible for the creation of St. Paul, Virginia and its Russell County twin, Minneapolis, Virginia. The latter is now part of the unincorporated community of Castlewood.

In the photo below, we see the Rosser Bridge, which was damaged during the flood of 1902. In the context of Clinch River floods, the flood of 1902 was about two feet lower than the flood of 1957 and about four feet lower than the flood of 1977.

Pictured at left in the photo above is the home of Joseph David Cleek and his wife, Sarah Virginia Cleek. The livery stable and blacksmith shop operated by family are next door. Though the house had long since burned, some of the brick piers which had supported it were still there in the 1960’s.

In the photo below, younger members of the Cleek and Bolton family are seen standing on the Rosser Bridge. St. Paul is in the background. The boxcars on the railroad siding may have contained stock for Dickenson-McNeer, St. Paul Supply, or Coeburn Grocery Company – St. Paul’s principal businesses in 1920.

Take note of Miss Etta Cleek’s fashionable clothing in the photo above. She operated an upscale apparel shop for ladies in St. Paul. Dressing to impress was good for business.

In the photo below, we see the Riverside Hotel, St. Paul’s first commercial business. Construction began around 1889 with additions during its lifespan. Naturally, the hotel’s placement was convenient to the Rosser Bridge (in the red square) and the N & W Railway. Though John Hillman and John Dingus were the hotel’s “Owners of Record,” its actual owner was Gen. Thomas Rosser, through a private contract.

The Riverside Hotel stood upon the site of what is now the Oxbow Center’s parking lot. A feed store and St. Paul’s original Estanoa Post Ofiice were part of the complex. It burned many years ago.

The one-lane Rosser Bridge remained in use until the late 1930’s when it was replaced by the Bickley Bridge. Today, all that is left of the Rosser Bridge are its supporting piers, seen in the photo below.

In addition to the Rosser Bridge, there was also a “swinging bridge” also known as a suspension bridge spanning the Clinch River at Fink (Boody, in 2025). It is mentioned in the newspaper advertisement below placed by Col. John Dingus announcing building lots for sale. Those lots came into Dingus’ possession following the settlement of a civil suit brought by him against the Minneapolis Improvement Company.

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THE BICKLEY BRIDGE

By the time the two-lane Bickley Bridge was constructed in the late 1930’s, St. Paul’s original one-lane Rosser Bridge had become woefully inadequate. It was failure waiting to happen due to increased vehicular traffic as well as the weight of that traffic – for which the bridge had not been designed.

The newspaper clipping below is from the April 21, 1940 edition of the Bristol Herald-Courier.

In the photo below, we see the Bickley Bridge on a peaceful summer day in 1959. The man in the boat appears to be checking his trotline. He chose a good spot for it – well ABOVE the location where the town’s sewer emptied into the Clinch River.

In the 1960’s photo below, we see the Bickley Bridge in relation to the St. Paul buildings and landmarks that survive today. Most of the buildings in the photo were demolished long ago.

And here’s one of the most-viewed photos of the Bickley Bridge in the Clinch Valley Times archives. It was taken on Nov. 23, 1981 – better known as “The Day the Beer Truck Hit the Bridge.”

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THE H. KYLE FLETCHER MEMORIAL BRIDGE

During the St. Paul Redevelopment Project, the Clinch River was re-channeled, and Hwy 58 was re-routed. A new four-lane bridge spanning the Clinch River was constructed. The three CVT archive photo below were taken during the construction of that bridge in the summer of 1985.

BELOW: When this Clinch Valley Times photo was taken in the summer of 1987, the new Hwy. 58 four-lane bridge had been open to traffic for about 2 weeks. Demolition of the Bickley Bridge was underway.

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ON DECEMBER 23, 2024 THE HWY 58 BRIDGE ACROSS THE CLINCH RIVER IN ST. PAUL WAS FORMALLY DEDICATED AS “THE H. KYLE FLETCHER MEMORIAL BRIDGE.”

The late Kyle Fletcher was St. Paul’s long-term mayor and the town’s unofficial Ambassador of Good Will. Here’s an anecdote I think you’ll appreciate. I think it defined Kyle as a person.

One day while I was at the town hall talking to Kyle, there was a knock at the door of his office. When Kyle opened the door, a visibly upset woman was standing there. In a kind, quiet voice, Kyle asked the woman what was wrong. She told him she had been passing through St. Paul with a friend. They had stopped at a gas station and while she was inside, the “friend” drove off, leaving her stranded without funds in a strange town where she didn’t know anyone. Without hesitation Kyle pulled out his wallet and gave the woman forty dollars. She looked shocked, then recovered herself and thanked Kyle. A friend who was with us questioned Kyle about this incident because the woman didn’t sound sincere. Kyle replied, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t want anyone to come to Saint Paul, have trouble, and be able to say no one here would help them.” That was Kyle. He is greatly missed in this community. So, if someone asks you “Who was Kyle Fletcher?” tell them this story.

Pictured below, Kyle Fletcher (left) and his father Holland Fletcher. The photo was taken at Ellyson Field, Pensacola Florida in 1968

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