Girders from the former bridge that spanned the Buffalo National River on state Highway 7 at Pruitt were donated by Crouse Construction Co. to the city of Jasper and to the the Newton County Historical Society to create a memorial to Newton County's historical past. After raising the needed funds, an engineer was hired to design the monument to the old bridge that will be safe for public interaction. The steel pieces that were hauled by truck to Bradley Park in 2021 where they were laid on the ground and covered with a tarp for two years were finally re-erected in in the park last week by workers. Mayor Michael Thomas said the display will eventually be landscaped. Thomas said the bridge played a big part of the area's history and involved many families whose members either built the bridge, maintained it over the decades or helped to remove it and build the new bridge.
A lot of people were sad to see it go, but this monument will help keep those memories alive, Thomas said.
