Look around. Would this be a good place to cross the river? For hundreds of years, people have crossed the Neuse River in this area on horseback or by stagecoach, wagon or car.
1700s - Smith's Ferry
In the 1700s before bridges were built here, Smith's ferry took people across the river in this area. The ferry was basically a wooden raft with two low sides. Using long poles, men would push the ferry and its passengers, including carts, wagons and horses, across the river.
1800s - Hinton's Bridge
In the early 1800s, Hinton's Bridge was built over the Neuse River in this area. This wooden bridge provided a crossing for Tarborough Road, a dirt road that traveled from Hillsborough to Raleigh to points east towards Tarboro.
1900s - Iron Bridge
In the early 1900s, the original wooden bridge was replaced with an iron bridge. "There a modern iron bridge spans the Neuse, and the quiet is broken by... the occasional passing of an automobile (Hinton 1903)." Two piers that once supported the iron bridge are still standing at the river's edge not far from here. (photo right)
River Crossing Today
The main river crossing in this area today is the US 64 bridge about one-half mile downstream. Pedestrians and bicyclists can use the greenway trail bridge less than 1,000 feet downstream.
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MacRae-Brazier 1833
Piers from 1900s iron bridge still standing by the river today. Approximately ten feet high by three feet wide, the piers were constructed of uncut stone and concrete mortar.
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