JOHN COFFELTEditor

Historic bridge dates to 1907

Roughly one month after a community meeting aimed at saving the historic Old Stone Fort Bridge, the group that now numbers over 2,000 members is ramping up its efforts by appealing to local government bodies for their support.

Group spokesperson Deb Morgan appeared before the Manchester Tourism and Community Committee meeting Monday, Aug. 15, where she presented an emotional call to save the bridge for its historic significance. Morgan then proposed several tourism-related draws like weddings, patriotic ceremonies and other events that could be held on the 1906 Pratt truss bridge spanning the Little Duck River within the park.

Morgan said after the meeting that the group wants to gain the support of the Tourism Committee in writing by resolution.

“The more support we have, when we get our meeting (with the state) the more we can convince the decision makers, as they like to call themselves, that we’re serious,” she said.

“This is going to affect the community,” Morgan added. “This isn’t going to affect them. They go home at night to Franklin or wherever and they don’t have to think about what their decisions have done to the community.”

At the meeting Manchester City Alderman Julie Anderson said she intends to introduce a resolution at the next Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting supporting the bridge’s preservation.

“It is a landmark, Anderson said. “We’re not building beautiful things anymore. I think we’re lucky to have this as a community.”

County Mayor Judd Matheny said following the meeting that while he cannot introduce a resolution before the County Commission, they would welcome an option that would allow the bridge “to remain in operation where it is a public attraction.”

Morgan told the Tourism Committee, “If we get rid of living history, we haven’t contributed to our future generations…”

She said the preservation of the bridge could provide revenue and would raise the image of the community as a preservation-minded community.

Morgan called the state’s plan to move the bridge to a flat section of the park and replace the bridge with a new one-lane concrete span a fiscal waste of money and morally irresponsible.

Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Deputy Communications Director Kim Schofinski said following the meeting that “Tennessee State Parks is actively discussing the future of the bridge with stakeholders to better understand their preferences for this project.”

“The current plan is to construct a new vehicular/pedestrian bridge to serve as access to the recreational vehicle campground,” Schofinski said.

Concerning the historic bridge, she said that “due to the historical and aesthetic value of the current bridge to the community, the plan is also to preserve a portion of the current bridge to serve as an outlook for the Duck River near where it currently stands.”

The bridge was built by the Joliet Bridge and Iron Company of Illinois. It was moved to its current location in 1970 from where it spanned Elk River in Franklin County at Dabbs Ford.

The bridge also stands out because of its ornamental portal bracing. These were cut before cutting torches. They were made, instead, by a series of holes being drilled to remove the metal of the cutout.

According to Historic Bridges, aside from some alterations on the truss such as eyebar heads and one weld to replace a pin nut, the historic integrity of the bridge is intact.

The bridge is a Six panel pin-connected Prat Through Truss, with fixed and approach spans and a multi-beam, metal stringer. The main span is 101 feet, with four approach spans. The roadway is 11.8 feet wide and the entire structure length is 260.5 feet.

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John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.