Woodbine

WOODBINE	Pop. 1,600 Alt. 1,092	Control, Standard Oil Filling Station.
Carroll 55.1	Omaha 43.6	One hotel, 5 garages. Local speed limit 10 miles per hour, enforced. Two railroad crossings at grade, protected by bells. Two banks, C&NW, IC Railroads, 57 general business places, express company, telephone company, 1 newspaper. Commercial Club. Free Camp Grounds.
Graded Dirt		L.H. Local Consul Haas

- A Complete Official Road Guide of The LINCOLN HIGHWAY Fifth Edition (1924)

Boyer River at Woodbine - 1995.
According to Greg Franzwa in his book, The Lincoln Highway: Iowa, "Examination of this particular bridge's substructure will show that it has been nearly doubled in length. The Boyer has been dredged to minimize flooding; the bridge probably was lengthened at that time." It was rickety, but served as a link to the Lincoln Highway of the 20th century and the Western Stage Company stagecoach route of the 19th.

Woodbine - 1998.
Harrison County LHA member Elaine Ehlert reports that after a thunderstorm, a large branch floating downstream snagged the old bridge and pulled it down. Unfortunately there are no plans to rebuild it, severing the Lincoln Highway as well as Woodbine's access to the east side of the Boyer River.

Woodbine.
A terrific sign on the main street of Woodbine, though not the Lincoln Highway. This street is best known for its wonderful old brick streets, which are on the National Register of Historic Places and are due to be renovated soon. Even the sidewalks are brick.

South of Woodbine.
In the Lincoln Highway vernacular, a long series of right-angle turns result in what's commonly referred to as a "stair step" alignment. In 1922, Harrison County tried to smooth the first such turn of its stairstep by replacing it with a graduated curve. Today the long-abandoned development is nothing more than an elevated grade running the length of a farm field. Over time, Iowa LHA member Don Wells discovered five culverts in the gentle curve that was a major improvement only nine years after the road was first designated. This is the first of the five culverts. Unfortunately the new land-owner pulled the culvert out in 2001.

South of Woodbine.
This is culvert #4, and is usually surrounded by cows. The grade is most apparent in the left frame.

South of Woodbine.
Continuing along the famous Harrison County stairstep, this is the obviously abandoned east abutment of the Six-Mile Creek bridge, which can be spotted from the Iowa Highway 44 embankment. The road surface long gone, the 1913 Lincoln Highway lies under the newer, elevated highway.

South of Woodbine.
The quintessential Lincoln Highway, don't you think? The Harrison County stairstep continues, crossing back and forth across U.S. Highway 30 almost playfully, trying to distract the highway from its single-minded beeline, encouraging it to slow down and enjoy zig-zagging along the old section lines.

"The contract for paving some of the brick streets was let in late January, 1920 - $200,000 for the brick work, plus another $40,000 to $50,000 for curb and gutter construction. The work was completed in June of the following year. The [Woodbine] Twiner for June 2, 1921, reported that 'About all of the cement work is done on the Lincoln Way and a great deal of the brick is laid. It should not be many moons until this street is open up to traffic.' The same issue carried a classified ad for the Lincoln Way Garage, which offered a 'like new' Ford touring car for $450; a 1918 Maxwell touring car with an enclosed top for $250; and a 1917 Ford for $125.

HARRISON COUNTY

Woodbine