The Swinging Bridge

Title

The Swinging Bridge

Artist

James Woody

Medium

Photograph - Digital Art

Description

This is a photo of the swinging bridge located in Buchanan, Virginia. The Bridge is 366 feet long, 57.5 feet tall and the only one of its type to cross the James River. Portions of the bridge date back to 1851 and have witnesses Hunter�s Civil War Raid, the rerouting of U.S. Route 11, and numerous floods. In 1999 the Swinging Bridge was recognized as a National Register Historic Landmark.



Portions of the large stone piers rising from the James River were constructed in 1851 as part of the Buchanan Turnpike Company�s Toll Bridge. Toll for every person to pass through this wood covered bridge was five cents with an additional five cents for each horse, mule or oxen and five cents for each wagon. On June 13, 1864 the covered bridge was burned by Confederate General McCausland in an effort to prevent Federal troops from crossing the James River on their way to Lynchburg. The bridge was rebuilt following the war but washed away in a flood of 1877. At this time, the R&A Railroad Company rebuilt a toll free covered bridge. In 1897 this wood covered bridge was replaced with a steel bridge that remained in use until 1938.



In July of 1937 construction of the current concrete James River Bridge was started with an agreement with the Town under Mayor C. W. Blount to maintain pedestrian access to Pattonsburg via the swinging bridge. On July 4, 1938, the new bridges were dedicated by former Governor E. Lee Trinkle as speaker. For more than 150 years, portions of the Buchanan Swinging Bridge have played a critical role in the Town of Buchanan�s history while providing a scenic pedestrian crossing earning it the role as symbol of the Town of Buchanan and is proudly featured on the Town Seal.

Uploaded

March 31st, 2012

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