Southern Appalachian Digital Collections

Western Carolina University (21) View all

Automobile crossing Truss Bridge #79 in Bethel

  • wcu_picturing-1636.jpg
  • This undated photograph shows an early automobile and three people crossing truss bridge #79, formally known as West Fork Pigeon River Pratt Truss Bridge, in Bethel. Engineered by Dean and Westbrook and fabricated in Pennsylvania in 1891, the bridge was assembled on site in Bethel about one mile downstream from its current location. It is the only remaining decorative metal truss bridge in North Carolina with starbursts and finials. In about 1925, the bridge was dismantled and relocated by horse and wagon to connect Love Joy Road and Lake Logan Road. Although its structural integrity is intact, today the bridge is used for pedestrian and cycling traffic only. In 2019 the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This photograph is from the Plott collection held by the Bethel Rural Community Organization.