Faulkner
Member
Thought I'd share a short local historical story for those who may be interested in old bridges. The Springfield Bridge is one of the oldest surviving bridges of it's type in the United States and is the oldest bridge in Arkansas.
The Springfield Bridge was erected in 1874 across North Cadron Creek, three miles east of the small hamlet of Springfield, Arkansas, on the Springfield - Des Arc Road. Between 1850 and 1873 the road connected Des Arc, Arkansas, which was a thriving steamboat port on the White River, with Springfield. At the time Springfield was the county seat for Conway County. Before the bridge was built, C. A. Simmons operated a ferry at the river crossing, charging five cents for a pedestrian, fifteen cents for a person on horseback, or seventy-five cents for a two-horse spring carriage.
On November 8, 1871, Conway County awarded a contract to the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, for the construction of a wrought-iron bridge. The company, which became the largest highway bridgeworks in the country, built this bridge at its ironworks in Iola, Kansas. In 1872, the bridge was shipped to Lewisburg (Conway County), near what is today Morrilton (Conway County). The erection of the bridge was delayed by political factors in 1873 when the Arkansas General Assembly relocated the Conway County seat from Springfield to Lewisburg and created a new county from the part of Conway County east of the Cadron Creek. The bridge was finally put in place in July 1874.
The bridge has been subject to the normal pressures of time and nature. Floods have periodically ravaged the bridge. On May 25, 1882, the Arkansas Gazette reported flooding on Cadron Creek: "At the iron bridge it was more than a mile wide, and deep enough to sweep over the floor of the bridge." During the Flood of 1927, wire cables were attached to the bridge and tied to nearby large trees to keep the bridge from washing away. In December 1982, the bridge was damaged when it was again submerged by floodwaters.
Well before the 1950's, when the picture below was taken (from the local historical society archives), the Springfield - Des Arc Road was no longer a major transportation route in the area. In fact, since Springfield was no longer the county seat it was mostly rural and all crops and merchandise previously transported to the steamboat port in Des Arc could now be transported to the much closer railway head in Conway, Arkansas. Although the Arkansas Highway Department continued to maintain the bridge up through the 1970's, the area was extremely remote and due to the age of the bridge it was relegated to mostly local farmers and the occasional farm tractor that was narrow enough to utilize it.
In 1989 a new concrete span was built a short distance upstream and the road rerouted to it. The old bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 with plans for a park and picnic area at the bridge, but it was so remote that nothing came of it. Sadly, the bridge quickly decayed. Vandals tagged the abutments with spray paint and damaged the bridge with fire. The iron plaques were stolen and the eastern stone abutment began to crack. The Springfield Bridge was about to be lost and it didn't take long before the oldest bridge in Arkansas was grown over and forgotten by all but the long time local residents and farmers of the area.
I first came upon the bridge while on a hunting trip in the area along Cadron Creek in 2010. A buddy who lived in nearby Greenbrier, Arkansas, told me about the old bridge that you could still see when floating Cadron Creek in a johnboat. The foliage along the creek was pretty thick, but he knew it was downstream from the new bridge, so we made our way down along the bank of the creek until we found it. It was certainly in rough shape and shows how quickly a man made structure can deteriorate without any maintenance especially after being ravaged by floods. I took the picture below.
Then, in 2015 a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic iron bridges began discussions with local officials about rescuing the Springfield Bridge. Plans were made to restore the bridge to it's original condition and relocate it about 12 miles away to a new location at Beaverfork Park just outside of Conway, Arkansas. The new location offered police protection from vandals and can be seen and enjoyed by the public.
A new road had to be cut to the old bridge as the old roadbed had long since been grown over. My buddy from Greenbrier called me and told me the bridge was about to be moved and asked me to come down and bring my drone for some pictures before it was moved.
Moving the 146 foot iron bridge required two cranes lifting the bridge from it's original position and then lowering it onto a gravel pad constructed so that the bridge could be dismantled and transported by truck to Little Rock for cleaning and refinishing. The pieces were then trucked to Beaverfork Park where the bridge was reassembled. New caissons were built, stones from the original abutments were incorporated into the approaches, and a railing was added. Finally, a crane lifted the bridge to it's new home over a cove at Beaverfork Lake.
Recently, Daisy and I made the trip to Conway and I went out of the way to go by Beaverfork Park and let Daisy out for a run around the park and we checked out the restored Springfield Bridge at it's new resting spot at Beaverfork Lake. It is a pedestrian bridge only across a cove on the lake and links a public fishing peer to the rest of the park. The bridge restoration was impressive, especially after I had seen the bridge at it's worse when it looked like it might drop into Cadron Creek with the next big rain. I'm glad to see that the oldest bridge in Arkansas got a second chance.
The Springfield Bridge was erected in 1874 across North Cadron Creek, three miles east of the small hamlet of Springfield, Arkansas, on the Springfield - Des Arc Road. Between 1850 and 1873 the road connected Des Arc, Arkansas, which was a thriving steamboat port on the White River, with Springfield. At the time Springfield was the county seat for Conway County. Before the bridge was built, C. A. Simmons operated a ferry at the river crossing, charging five cents for a pedestrian, fifteen cents for a person on horseback, or seventy-five cents for a two-horse spring carriage.
On November 8, 1871, Conway County awarded a contract to the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio, for the construction of a wrought-iron bridge. The company, which became the largest highway bridgeworks in the country, built this bridge at its ironworks in Iola, Kansas. In 1872, the bridge was shipped to Lewisburg (Conway County), near what is today Morrilton (Conway County). The erection of the bridge was delayed by political factors in 1873 when the Arkansas General Assembly relocated the Conway County seat from Springfield to Lewisburg and created a new county from the part of Conway County east of the Cadron Creek. The bridge was finally put in place in July 1874.
The bridge has been subject to the normal pressures of time and nature. Floods have periodically ravaged the bridge. On May 25, 1882, the Arkansas Gazette reported flooding on Cadron Creek: "At the iron bridge it was more than a mile wide, and deep enough to sweep over the floor of the bridge." During the Flood of 1927, wire cables were attached to the bridge and tied to nearby large trees to keep the bridge from washing away. In December 1982, the bridge was damaged when it was again submerged by floodwaters.
Well before the 1950's, when the picture below was taken (from the local historical society archives), the Springfield - Des Arc Road was no longer a major transportation route in the area. In fact, since Springfield was no longer the county seat it was mostly rural and all crops and merchandise previously transported to the steamboat port in Des Arc could now be transported to the much closer railway head in Conway, Arkansas. Although the Arkansas Highway Department continued to maintain the bridge up through the 1970's, the area was extremely remote and due to the age of the bridge it was relegated to mostly local farmers and the occasional farm tractor that was narrow enough to utilize it.
In 1989 a new concrete span was built a short distance upstream and the road rerouted to it. The old bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 with plans for a park and picnic area at the bridge, but it was so remote that nothing came of it. Sadly, the bridge quickly decayed. Vandals tagged the abutments with spray paint and damaged the bridge with fire. The iron plaques were stolen and the eastern stone abutment began to crack. The Springfield Bridge was about to be lost and it didn't take long before the oldest bridge in Arkansas was grown over and forgotten by all but the long time local residents and farmers of the area.
I first came upon the bridge while on a hunting trip in the area along Cadron Creek in 2010. A buddy who lived in nearby Greenbrier, Arkansas, told me about the old bridge that you could still see when floating Cadron Creek in a johnboat. The foliage along the creek was pretty thick, but he knew it was downstream from the new bridge, so we made our way down along the bank of the creek until we found it. It was certainly in rough shape and shows how quickly a man made structure can deteriorate without any maintenance especially after being ravaged by floods. I took the picture below.
Then, in 2015 a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic iron bridges began discussions with local officials about rescuing the Springfield Bridge. Plans were made to restore the bridge to it's original condition and relocate it about 12 miles away to a new location at Beaverfork Park just outside of Conway, Arkansas. The new location offered police protection from vandals and can be seen and enjoyed by the public.
A new road had to be cut to the old bridge as the old roadbed had long since been grown over. My buddy from Greenbrier called me and told me the bridge was about to be moved and asked me to come down and bring my drone for some pictures before it was moved.
Moving the 146 foot iron bridge required two cranes lifting the bridge from it's original position and then lowering it onto a gravel pad constructed so that the bridge could be dismantled and transported by truck to Little Rock for cleaning and refinishing. The pieces were then trucked to Beaverfork Park where the bridge was reassembled. New caissons were built, stones from the original abutments were incorporated into the approaches, and a railing was added. Finally, a crane lifted the bridge to it's new home over a cove at Beaverfork Lake.
Recently, Daisy and I made the trip to Conway and I went out of the way to go by Beaverfork Park and let Daisy out for a run around the park and we checked out the restored Springfield Bridge at it's new resting spot at Beaverfork Lake. It is a pedestrian bridge only across a cove on the lake and links a public fishing peer to the rest of the park. The bridge restoration was impressive, especially after I had seen the bridge at it's worse when it looked like it might drop into Cadron Creek with the next big rain. I'm glad to see that the oldest bridge in Arkansas got a second chance.
...Ben
