Pulaski County GaArchives History .....Bridge Construction 1935
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 July 28, 2004, 10:05 pm

p. 89

CHAPTER III

PROGRESS OF COUNTY

PROGRAM OF PULASKI COUNTY'S PERMANENT BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

   At the meeting of the grand jury, May term, 1879, of the Pulaski County
Superior Court, in its presentments, it recommended that the County Judge, Hon.
H. H. Whitfield, who at that time was in charge of the county affairs, as now
invested in his son, J. J. Whitfield, Commissioner of Roads and Revenues, "take
prompt and efficient steps to erect a bridge over the Ocmulgee River." This was
to be the first bridge placed across the Ocmulgee south of Macon. The same grand
jury appointed the following committee of well-known citizens of the county "to
act in cooperation" with the County Judge: J. H. Pate, R. T. Bembry, and Jas. J.
Kinchen.

   A tax levy was authorized of not exceeding three thousand dollars for a
period of five years to meet the cost of the proposed bridge. The building of
the bridge came under the review again at the November session of the grand
jury, and it said in its presentments: "We endorse Judge Whitfield's actions in
the way he is carrying on the work on the river bridge, and that he continue to
use his discretion as to how this work shall be completed."

   It will be recalled that this bridge, which was evidently opened for traffic
in 1880, had this long span across the mid-stream with wooden approaches, and
fills or abutments of dirt as at present. During the freshet of 1886, Judge
Whitfield, still in charge of county affairs, had to make a determined fight
with the chain-gang, working day and night and Sundays to save the fills. His
son, the present Commissioner, had a similar experience in 1925 and 1927.

   Later, when Macon was made head of navigation on the Ocmulgee, it became
necessary to put in a draw, and the original span was moved out to serve in
place of wooden structures, and steel stringers were installed to replace wooden
structures, but the floors made of lumber proved an expensive upkeep,
particularly in view of great increase of traffic, which in addition added to
the danger to the foundations.

   Despite the fact that the county lost half its territory in the formation of
Bleckley County, the county voted, on May 9, 1919, to issue $200,000.00 of bonds
to match a like sum to be given by the Federal government under the supervision
of the State Highway Board of

  
p. 91

Georgia. The election was called by the Board of County Commissioners composed
of R. 0. Pate, Chairman; D. L. Ridley, and B. J. Harrell, with Marion Turner as
County Attorney. A bond commission was provided for in the call for the vote on
the bond issue, and after its ratification at the polls, the following was
appointed on this commission : E. J. Henry, Z. V. Peacock, and N. A. Jelks.

   On August 19, 1919, a contract was made with Garrett & Slack, of Montgomery,
Ala., as consulting engineers, to draw plans for the bridges and to supervise
construction.

   In the program, the following bridges were to be included: Over the Ocmulgee
River, one known as Pate's bridge over Big Creek, and another over same creek on
the Dixie Highway, and the fourth one over Limestone Creek at Bembry's Mill.

   The General Assembly of Georgia, held in August, 1919, abolished the Board of
Commissioners, and substituted a Commissioner of Roads and Revenues, to which
place Hon. Morgan Thompson was elected, and in November assuming his duties, he
took over the task of disposing of the bonds and contracting for the erection of
concrete bridges as outlined in the program.

   The contract for the concrete part of the bridge over the Ocmulgee was
awarded to C. T. Dawkins Construction Company and the three creek bridges to the
Atkinson Construction Company.

   These several bridges were ready for traffic about the same time, when an
elaborate and outstanding celebration was held by the City of Hawkinsville and
Pulaski County, on formally opening up the river bridge on Friday, September 23,
1921. A big barbecue was provided and the crowd attending estimated at 10,000,
who joined in the festivities of the occasion. General Walter Harris of Macon
was the orator of the day, and addresses were also made by Governor T. W.
Hardwick and State Highway Engineer W. R. Neel. Mr. Frank Waterman was master of
ceremonies. The completion of the bridge was the crowning effort of Mr. Morgan
Thompson's administration as County Commissioner, and stands a monument to the
county's enterprise and sound judgment in providing this permanent structure. It
is about 1,900 feet long, and counting the abutments, cost, complete, around
$250,000.00.

   Later, the State Highway Department indicated a desire to have concrete
bridges over Bluff and Stanley Creeks, but its policy was to require counties to
match State funds with 25 per cent of the cost of all bridge and highway
improvements. Mr. Thompson, as Commissioner, was able to secure a contract
whereby the State and Federal governments would erect these bridges and the
county forces place the abutments as its part of the construction. A like
proposal was carried out on Town Creek north of Hawkinsville. This was


p. 93

an ambitious program that placed permanent concrete bridges over these important
streams that stood unafraid of the many high and destructive freshets of years
succeeding their erection.

   Later during the highway improvement program inaugurated in 1926 by county
road forces, under contracts with the State Highway Board, concrete bridges over
"Buck" Creek north towards Perry, and over Hendley Branch and Mosquito Creek on
the Eastman highway and over Mile Branch on the Abbeville highway were
constructed, to give the county a worthwhile permanent bridge program in every
respect worthy of a more populous and wealthy county.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from 


"HISTORY OF PULASKI COUNTY GEORGIA"

OFFICIAL HISTORY

COMPILED BY THE HAWKINSVILLE CHAPTER
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
PRESS OF WALTER W. BROWN PUBLISHING COMPANY
ATLANTA, GEORGIA

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