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| Community rescued historic swinging bridge |
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| Question: What's with the old bridge out on Cottonwood Road? Why is it just a footbridge and not made for automobiles? |
 Answer: In 1938, the Public Works Administration, better known as WPA, started work on the bridge that was later called Haggard Ford Swinging Bridge. Located about 8 miles out on Cottonwood Road, the bridge was finished in 1941. The structure is now on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of historically significant properties.
Workers were paid $1 a day to help build the original bridge. Men from around the area were well aware that Bear Creek could get very high and that a lot of care would have to be taken in the building of the bridge to prevent "washouts." Until rip-rap was put in 1945, it was a common occurrence for high water to wash out the fill around the ends of the bridge. |
| WPA turned over the bridge to the county road crew, following many years of upkeep by people who lived in the immediate area. As the bridge grew older and had been patched so many times that patching would not do the trick, it was deemed hazardous and not safe to use. A slab type bridge crossing was built, and the old swinging bridge just sat there and continued to deteriorate. But when it was decided that it should be torn down, that's when community interest came to the forefront in a big way. |
| A committee was organized, calling themselves the Bridge Restoration Committee, and they set to work to save what they considered a piece of community history. On July 30, 1977, a plank sale and rally was held, with people paying $10 to have their name placed on a new plank for the bridge. It was very successful and was well attended with the press, television and local dignitaries present. County Judge Clifford Tomlinson, State Rep. Hugh Ashley and Dr. G. Allen Robinson were speakers with Upton Horn as master of ceremonies. |
| The concrete abutments, cables and suspension towers are the original ones placed there in 1941, but all the wood was replaced. The job was completed for a total of $3,280.58 - a bargain compared to today's costs. |
| Grand opening of the bridge, named for Mrs. Haggard, a widow who lived nearby in 1899, was held on September 3, 1977. Kristy Webb cut the ribbon, and children in the area were the first to walk across the new Haggard Ford Swinging Bridge. Many people have complained that it should have been built for more than foot traffic. It would be nice to be able to cross Bear Creek on the swinging bridge in an automobile, but for all practical purposes, maybe the wide slab bridge is the best and safest after all. |
| For those interested in swinging bridges, Boone County has another one. A beautiful little bridge crosses Sugar Orchard Creek in the community of Zinc. According to local resident Vicky Newman, it "could" be used in case of high water after heavy rains. It is strictly a narrow footbridge and looks very dangerous, unless you are the adventurous type. |
| Not as much history is known about the swinging bridge in Zinc. Perhaps if more was known, it too could qualify for registration on the National Register of Historic Places, and thereby qualifying it for restoration funding. If you know more about this old Sugar Orchard Creek swinging bridge, contact the Boone County Historical & Railroad Society. |
| Our county is full of interesting and historical sites, including the Heritage Museum, located on the corner of South Cherry Street and Central Avenue. Housed in the old 1912 Harrison High School building, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Come spend an afternoon at the museum. |
| This column appears Fridays in the Harrison Daily Times. Mail questions to Boone County Heritage Museum, P. O. Box 1094, Harrison, AR 72601. Marilyn Smith can be contacted at bchm@alltel.net |
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