Muddy Creek Brudge Dedication For Blute

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 HARWICH– The bridge constructed in 2016 over Muddy Creek at the Harwich/Chatham town line will be dedicated in honor of Private Joseph Conrad Blute, a Harwich resident who was killed during World War II.

The ceremony will take place on Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. at the bridge.

 Blute was a member of the United States Army, 342nd Infantry Regiment, 44 Division, who died on Dec. 17, 1944. He now rests among 10,480 fellow soldiers at the Lorraine American Cemetery in Saint Avold, France. 

“My father was born in New York and lived in Yonkers while he was growing up,” Mr. Blute’s daughter, Teresita Haag, wrote in an email. “Every year my grandmother took Joe and his siblings James, Eleanor and Edward to Cape Cod. My grandfather joined them on weekends. At first Joe's parents rented a home for the summer, but later they built and moved into a home in West Harwich. Joe and his siblings came to love the Cape, and several family members have settled there permanently.” 

 Haag added, “Before he enlisted in the Army, Joe was a student at Boston College where he met his wife, Margaret. I do not know the dates or location of his basic training or when he was assigned to the infantry and was sent to serve in France. It was sometime in 1944 after D-Day. There is a memorial plaque for him in Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich.” 

 Haag was two months old when her father died. Her sister Patricia was 2 years old. 

 The family is grateful to "Bridges For the Fallen" and to the state of Massachusetts for honoring Mr. Blute with the dedication, Haag said.

“The town of Harwich recognizes the deepest enduring connection between the Blute family and our community and wishes to honor the memory of Private Joseph Conrad Blute for his courage, sacrifice and service to our nation,” a proclamation from the select board reads.

At the dedication, Mr. Blute’s nephew John Blute, a Harwich resident, will serve as emcee. Haag said she will speak about her father, and his nephew, Tom Blute, also of Harwich, will also speak.

The bridge, reconstructed in 2016, replaced a narrow culvert, improving tidal flushing in Muddy Creek as a means of reducing nitrogen and improving water quality. The bridge cost $6.47 million, covered mostly by state and federal grants. Harwich and Chatham contributed $1.9 million to the project.