As a child, I spent many summer weekends at Greers Ferry Lake. Family and friends had cabins in Higden, but my parents and I camped at Devil’s Fork Park near the town of Greers Ferry. I can remember going to what was known as the swinging bridge, which spanned the Little Red River just a few miles down from Greers Ferry Dam in Heber Springs. And my persistent fear of heights never allowed more than a few steps onto the wooden bridge.
The story of the swinging bridge starts in 1912, when Cleburne County leaders recognized a dire need for a bridge at Turney’s Ferry (also known as Winkley's Ford) on the Little Red River to connect the eastern section of the county to Heber Springs, the county seat and center of local government.
County leaders issued a request for steel bridge designs but received no bids. Deciding that a suspension wire bridge would do just as well, they issued a request for three suspension wire bridges — one each at Tumbling Shoals, Miller's Point and Turney's Ferry — and this time received several bids.
Contractor Harry Churchill of Pangburn submitted the winning bid, totaling $26,000. But the commissioners felt the price was too high and negotiated with Churchill to lower the cost by $2,000.
The bridge at Turney’s Ferry was finished in early November 1912. The design was a streamlined suspension bridge. The bridges at Tumbling Shoals and Turney's Ferry were completed that same year. The Turney's Ferry bridge ran over budget and was finished for $6,500.
In 1968, a group of Cleburne County citizens petitioned the state Highway Department to replace the aging Turney's Ferry bridge. The group didn’t advocate for the demolition of the old bridge, but rather wanted to make the bridge a local tourist attraction. Highway leaders debated the proposal for months but eventually approved it, deciding that the swinging bridge would be replaced but remain standing.
In 1972, a new bridge was built a few hundred feet downstream from the old Turney's Ferry's bridge, which was closed to vehicular traffic but remained open for pedestrian use. In 1972, the Heber Springs Business and Professional Women's Club raised $450 to buy commemorative plaques and build fieldstone pedestals. The group placed them at both ends of the bridge. In 1985, the Turney's Ferry bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Throughout its lifespan, a significant sway could be both seen and felt on the bridge, earning it the “swinging bridge” nickname and keeping me from ever crossing it. For years, it was popular for tourists to walk out onto the bridge, feel the sway even try to make it swing more than usual. On Oct. 28, 1989, a group of about 40 people on a youth retreat from the Free Holiness Church in the Prim community (Cleburne County) ran onto the bridge and began to rock it from side to side. The bridge couldn’t take the raucous back-and-forth action and collapsed. The senseless tragedy killed five people, hospitalized 18 tourists and fishermen and destroyed an iconic historic structure in Cleburne County.
Victims and families of the victims of the bridge collapse sued Cleburne County arguing that the victims of the bridge collapse were denied their due process rights. In this case, they claimed they were denied their safety. In August 1996, the Circuit Court ruled in favor of the defendants on the grounds that the Cleburne County government did not need to warn citizens about possible dangers regarding the swinging bridge.
What’s left of the bridge and the commemorative markers placed in 1972, can be viewed at 76 Swinging Bridge Drive outside Heber Springs.
Comments
Post a Comment