Westphalia resident Lois Sandbothe remembers her parents chatting about the Pentecostal Bridge, but she didn't fully understand the significance until she began attending Fatima High School. At that point, she learned the Pentecostal Bridge was more than just a bridge - it was a community centerpiece.
"Once you got to high school, the bridge was everything - you meet your friends there, you would go fishing there, you would take pictures there," she said. "It was the bridge. You would say 'the bridge' and everybody knew."
The Pentecostal Bridge has been a staple in the Westphalia community for more than 125 years, and residents were heartbroken to see that piece of history crumble earlier this week.
The bridge, which takes County Road 611 across the Maries River in Westphalia, collapsed Monday after a semi-trailer attempted to cross it.
The semi was carrying at least 20 tons in cargo - not including the weight of the truck and trailer - when it attempted to cross the bridge, which has a 5-ton weight limit, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop F report. The driver of the semi did not sustain injuries.
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On Monday and Tuesday evenings, dozens of community members walked down to the area to see the mangled bridge and wrecked semi.
After receiving a text from her sister Monday about the accident, Nicki Bax drove to the bridge before local authorities roped off the scene.
When she got to the bridge, she said it was a "heartbreaking" view.
Built in 1893, the bridge was a common spot for drivers, joggers, dog walkers and even people taking wedding or senior photos. Community members also regularly joked about the old bridge, which was starting to show its age through worn asphalt and creaking iron.
That bridge had a multi-generational impact. While Sandbothe remembers hanging out with friends at the bridge, her daughter and son-in-law had wedding photos taken at the bridge and her 4-year-old granddaughter enjoyed walking to it.
"It's the staple, and now that staple is gone," she said.
Having grown up in Westphalia, Bax understood not only the emotional ties the community had to the bridge, but also the functionality. The bridge connected the two parts of Westphalia, becoming a "well-traveled, well-loved backroad," she said.
"It feels like just a disconnect from the community when you don't have that way to connect the two sides of the river," Bax said. "It's not impossible because you can just go around, but it's just kind of the heart."
With the bridge gone, residents on County Road 611 can get to town by driving southeast on the road until it meets U.S. 63.
Westphalia resident Connie Reichart recalled the heart-stopping moments when her family navigated the bridge during winter weather. However, probably some of her fondest memories of the bridge were when she walked across the Pentecostal Bridge to go to school.
"When we were kids, we walked across it and there were holes in the bridge the whole time, and we weren't bothered by it because we were used to it, but you had to watch where you walked," she said with a laugh.
She, along with Westphalia residents David and Vicky Patterson, also remember when the Pentecostals used to have their revivals near the bridge, giving the Pentecostal Bridge its name.
Having driven and walked across that bridge for several years, Reichart said she struggled to understand why a semi attempted to cross the bridge.
"I was just shocked that anybody would even try to cross that bridge with a truck that size. A school bus when we were kids was one thing, but now," she said.
Osage County Second District Commissioner Larry Kliethermes, who spoke with the driver shortly after the wreck, said the driver was going to the Westphalia mill, behind the Dollar General on U.S. 63, but his GPS led him down County Road 611.
The Missouri Highway Patrol is still investigating the incident, Osage County Sheriff Mike Bonham said.
When Kliethermes learned a semi had collapsed the Pentecostal Bridge, he said he was "horrified."
"I know we're not a big city but for what we are, it's a significant landmark to Westphalia and Osage County," he said.
When the Pentecostal Bridge was closed for several months earlier this year for repairs, Kliethermes said, concerned residents called him regularly about the bridge.
Now residents want to know - will the county replace the bridge?
Kliethermes said the county hopes to replace the bridge. While county officials had previously discussed not replacing the bridge if it became unsafe, Kliethermes said, the bridge was deemed safe after it had passed its inspection Friday.
There were also signs posted on and near the bridge, warning drivers of the weight limit, he added.
"We feel that someone owes us a bridge," Kliethermes said. "That is our intent due to the fact that this was of no fault of ours. It was just operator error."
Due to anticipated litigation regarding fault and cost, Kliethermes added, it may take a while before county officials know whether they can replace the bridge.
Until then, Bonham said, the road will be closed.
While many Westphalia residents said they hope the county rebuilds the bridge, it won't replace the emotional ties the community had to the 127-year-old bridge.
"Even if they rebuild it, it's not going to be the same," Sandbothe said. "It's not going to be iron and rickety and 'Oh my gosh, do I really want to walk across this thing?'"
Before the county can begin working toward a new bridge, crews had to clean up the wreckage.
The semi, owned by Iowa-based Eldon C. Stutsman, Inc., split in two when the bridge collapsed, causing the cab and part of the trailer to fall into the river.
Crews attempted to lift the truck out of the river Monday but were unsuccessful, Bonham said. On Tuesday afternoon, a large crane lifted the cab of the semi-truck out of the water.