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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Old Alton Bridge

I finally got to go see Old Alton Bridge earlier this week.
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This bridge has quite a history, the most well known part of it is the Legend of the Goatman. But something I didn't know about Old Alton Bridge is that it once connected a town called Alton to Lewisville. This town, Alton, was named the County Seat of Denton County in 1848, but it wasn't long before residents of Denton County wanted a county seat that was much more centrally located. (Old) Alton Bridge was constructed in 1884 and crosses Hickory Creek.
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 This single lane bridge was in constant public use until right around 2001 when a new concrete-and-steel bridge was used to to straighten out an awkward turn in (Old) Alton Road.
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This bridge was under constant public use for right around 117 years; during the Great Depression, both World Wars, and the Gulf War.  The old through truss architecture is amazing and the red color of the bridge is striking.
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Old bridges such as this one are truly remarkable. I am hoping to get a chance to visit some of the other bridges in Denton County that bear resemblance to this bridge.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

this one looks cool