Tuesday, July 10, 2007

View from the Bridge

Hikers on the Pettus Bridge have a good view of the Bridgetender's House on the riverbank. The house, now a bed and breakfast, was once occupied by the bridgetender who operated the old drawbridge across the Alabama River. That bridge was destroyed when the Pettus Bridge opened just downstream in 1940. Notice the kudzu covering the bank.

11 comments:

NorthBayPhoto said...

Great photo and story. Too bad the old bridge was destroyed, it would have looked very pretty with all the trees around.

MumbaiiteAnu said...

A beautiful house and beautiful surroundings.
Great photo.

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

Wow, I like the wooden house, is that 'normal/usuable' for your surrounding? Or do you have more stone houses? Beautiful photo.

JoAnn from Holland

Ele ^_^ said...

Really a nice view! Expecially for that house! ^^

Anonymous said...

This is a nice photo of the old house and the story is interesting too.

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

Janet said...

Thanks for your comments.
The old bridge had to go since it was a type of drawbridge, and it was no longer feasible to have a bridgetender there to open it everytime a boat came along. The Pettus Bridge was built tall enough to allow boats through unimpeded.

Joann, wooden houses are much more the norm here than stone houses. We also have some stucco, and brick is used mostly in modern homes.

Anonymous said...

Oh, very interesting, a drawbridge! Yes, too bad it had to go, but of course, we have to make way for the "unimpeded" mode of transport...

Rising Rainbow said...

Wow, the way that building has been built on the side of a deep slope and managed to stay there all these years.

Here in America houses built even near banks seem to end of falling on down if the rains get heavy.

Chris said...

I love this photo - great story too.
Thanks for visiting my food blog - I'm having a lot of fun doing it & it's good to know other people are enjoying reading it! - chris

sonia a. mascaro said...

A beautiful photo and a nice place, too! Love the house's architecture.

Squirrel said...

Wow...on the beautiful house and the lush bad kudzu, and the view from the bridge as well. I definitely want to walk around Selma.