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RAILROAD Click
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Nestled in
the East Tennessee foothills, Bluff
City reveals little of its wartime past. The green water tank center-right
in the photo marks the northern boundary of the farm where the reenactment
takes place. |
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On
Sep. 24, 1780 several hundred “Overmountain
Men” crossed the ford and mustered at Sycamore Shoals (Elizabethton) before
helping defeat the British at King’s Mountain. |
The design of this bridge is little
changed from those of the Civil War.
This bridge was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times during the war on
the original stone foundations. Photo circa
1890 to 1896. |
Located beside the original covered
bridge site. The stone foundation of the previous
bridge is visible only a few feet downstream from this bridge. This and the previous photo were taken from
the rail bed in the next two photos. |
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5-Original
Railroad Bridge Site This bridge was destroyed and rebuilt
numerous times during the war on the original stone foundations. Looking south toward |
The familiar stone foundations appear
virtually unchanged. The more modern
concrete structures date from approximately 1915 to 1920 |
7-Colorized Railroad
Bridge Site This photo reveals greater detail such as
the steel trusses which dates the bridge around the turn of the century. Note the water tank near the tracks and the
“pump house” near the river. A locomotive is blowing steam on the left “Y” tracks. |
These stone foundations and the cut
through the hill are all that remain of the bridge in the previous
photo. Photo taken from the opposite
direction of the previous photo. |
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Looking north |
Looking south towards Bluff City |
Looking south. |
The foliage in the Bluff City area is
much thicker today than during the Civil War. |
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Looking south towards |
Looking south towards |
The most obvious difference is the
addition of side rails. |
This view is from on top of the abutment
shown in picture 50. |
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Visible on the left is the pump house
that supplied water to the storage tank visible in picture 7. The pump house is also visible in picture
7. |
The pump house has been replaced by a
city park. The stone foundation of the
original bridge is visible on the right in both photos. |
While the foundations look small in many
of the photos, our 6 foot plus Lieutenant is dwarfed by the stonework. Note the size of the lower stones. Quite heavy! |
Looking north to the far span and the cut
beyond. |
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Even after all of the years that have
passed, still solid, quality workmanship. |
Built to last, these massive base stones
have seen unimaginable gallons of water pass by with little effect. |
The stone of this bridge survived a war
of men but will be torn apart by nature unless the structure is cleared of
the several trees that have taken root. |
This close-up reveals how these heavy
stones were moved. Each of the large
stones has shallow drill holes that allowed steel tongs to grip the stone. |
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Approximate location of the depot. The western leg of the “Y” mentioned in
photo 7 is visible on the left. The
bridge is 90 degrees to the left of the current tracks. |
The original rail bed curved back to the
north as can be seen here. The hill
with the rail cut is visible through the trees. |
This is the location of the train
releasing steam in photo 7. The
abutment in photo 50 is a few yards
behind the house in the center of the photo.
The house sits on the rail bed. |
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Sometime before 1900 a second bridge was
built upstream of the original. See photo 51 for a map showing both
routes. |
The heavier tree cover since the 1912
photo makes this view more difficult. |
31-The “New” Bridge Looking
South The original bridge is several hundred
yards downstream. Compare the open
ground in this photo to the tree cover in the next photo. |
The reflection of the bridge in the calm
water mirrors the peaceful tranquility of this small community. |
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While both bridges were utilized as late
as 1920, eventually it was this span that was modernized and used to this
day. |
With at least three generations of
foundations visible and the old open steel trusses replaced, this old bridge
soldiers on for the |
A bygone era when passenger service was
still offered on Southern Railways. Photo 48 reveals that in 1870,
passenger service was scheduled for twice a day in |
A long span of bridge and time connects |
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37-Representation
Of The “Bristol” |
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This bridge most likely is the
replacement for the covered bridge in photo 3. |
This is the location of the steel bridge
in photo 41 and most likely the covered bridge in photo 3. The far foundation is visible center right
of the photo. |
At least part of the steel bridge was
destroyed when a truck loaded with steel hit the superstructure causing it to
collapse. |
Note the angle of the stone in this and
the preceding photo. This bridge was
only a few yards from today’s bridge. |
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From the far side of the bridge looking
north. A rock quarry is on the
immediate right out of view. |
Looking south towards the bridge and |
This quarry is about 100 yards from the
highway bridge. It and another quarry
that is between the highway and old rail bridge no doubt provided the stone
for the foundations. |
Trains ran twice a day in “ |
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A red container flashes by as a train
makes its way through |
One last train forever crossing the old
rail bridge. |
This 1900 map shows both tracks in use
leading out of |
Used for hundreds of years as a
ford. This crossing lies forgotten but
beautiful. |
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Revised 2-15-06 |
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THANK YOU
to all of our servicemen and women in |