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On December 3rd, 2:00 P.M. in La Vernia, Texas, (intersection of FM 539 & CR 337) a Texas State Historical Marker will be erected for the "Bridge at McAlister Crossing". The bridge is named for John Murphy McAlister who settled in the La Vernia area in the early 1850's. I researched the bridge and the John McAlister family in order to get the marker. I wish I could post the entire story about this bridge and family but due to space, I will post the text that is on the historical marker. The marker is special as it is a "Recorded Texas Historic Landmark" marker. The old "McAlister Bridge" is still there but in dire need of repairs to save it. The John McAlister Family is interred in the Concrete Cemetery, La Vernia, Texas. Some years ago a historian for Wilson County had written that very little was known about the McAlister Family of La Vernia. Due to my research we have learned a lot about this great pioneer family and thier contributions to Wilson County. Following is the text on the marker: Titled:
BRIDGE AT McALISTER CROSSING
( AKA: MUELLER BRIDGE)
"John Murphy McAlister (1807 - 1885)) and his wife, Isabella (McClain) (1817 - 1872) settled in La Vernia with their family in the early 1850"s. In 1857 they purchased several hundred acres of land on the southwest bank of Cibolo Creek. The natural stream crossing adjacent to their property became known as McAlister Crossing and for years served residents on both sides. The McAlister children subdivided the land following their father's death in 1885. About the same time, county commissioners designated the local route, including the crossing, as road no. 62 (present county road 337). In 1906, the Henry Mueller Family purchased land on the east side of the creek; a son would later buy land on the west side, just southwest of McAlister Crossing. In 1908 county commissioners permitted the placement of telephone poles along the road and the creek crossing. In 1915, the commissioners court contracted with the Alamo Construction Company of San Antonio to erect five bridges in the county, including one at McAlister Crossing. The most expensive of the new structures, the bridge at McAlister Crossing, completed in 1915, cost nearly $9,000. Because members of the Mueller Family owned property on either end of the bridge, it was often called Mueller Bridge. The three-span, 252-foot Mueller Bridge at McAlister Crossing features polygonal camel back trusses with multiple panels. For over 70 years it served local residents, surviving Cibolo Creeks's occasional raging waters. Closed to vehicular traffic in 1988, it remains a historic link to engineering designs of the early 20th century."
If you have questions about the bridge or family, please feel free to get in touch. shirleygrammer@aol.com
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