Site of Selma-Dallas County's 1st Bridge 1884-1940

Site of Selma-Dallas County's 1st Bridge 1884-1940 (HMP74)

Location: Selma, AL 36703 Dallas County
Buy Alabama State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 32° 24.384', W 87° 1.073'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 564 views
Inscription
Toll Fees
(Until 1900)
5? Pedestrians
10? Peddlers, Horseman
25? 1 Horse Buggy
50? 2 Horse Buggy
75? 4 Horse Buggy

Camelback type
High Truss Bridge


1- 228' Swing Span
2- 200' Fixed Spans
1- 265' Approach

Built by
Milwaukee
Bridge Works
Cost: $55,000 (1885)


The corner stone of the 1st bridge across the Alabama River in Dallas County was laid in Nov. 1884 and the bridge opened in 1885. There were three spans, the north span would turn to allow river traffic to pass. When open the steamers had only a 100 foot clearance between the piers. The turning operation required a bridge tender to manually turn the capstan to open the span. He lived at the existing house, with his family, and was on duty 24 hours a day. Tolls were collected until 1900 when the County purchased the bridge for $65,000 and made it free to cross. On May 25, 1940 the modern Edmund Pettus Bridge opened and the old bridge was removed. Only the curved landing, the cornerstone and the house survive today.

The Selma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society has preserved this site.
Details
HM NumberHMP74
Tags
Placed BySelma-Dallas County Historic Preservation Society
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 3rd, 2014 at 6:46pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 498318 N 3585483
Decimal Degrees32.40640000, -87.01788333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 24.384', W 87° 1.073'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 24' 23.04" N, 87° 1' 4.38" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)334
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 2 Lafayette Park, Selma AL 36703, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?