THE BRIDGE AT BALL'S FERRY

The Bridge to Everywhere

It was big, real big! At the time it had more impact on the people of Johnson County, than anything but the War Between the States, the train, the automobile, and electricity. Though it does not lie within the bounds of the county, the bridge over the Oconee River at Ball’s Ferry made a significant and lasting impact on the citizens of Johnson and surrounding counties.

The history of Ball’s Ferry goes back several hundred years. Some historians believe that the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto came through the area in 1540. The site may be the place where the ancient Upper Uchee Trail crossed the Oconee on its way to the Augusta area. The ferry was established prior to 1816 by John Ball, an early resident of Wilkinson County and a soldier of the American Revolution. In the waning days of November 1864, a small group of local militia, prison guards, military cadets, and some regulars mounted a stand on the east banks of the river at the ferry, which lies about a half mile above the bridge. The stalwart defenders gave way to the sixty thousand men of Gen. William T. Sherman’s right wing.

The conception of a bridge began many years ago. The ferry was adequate, but not always reliable. The final push to build the bridge came in 1931. The road to Irwinton, known as the "Bee-Line Highway" was still just a dirt road. Charles Rountree, editor of "The Wrightsville Headlight," had been leading the effort since World War I. Rountree and others sought the support of Congressman Carl Vinson of Milledgeville. Georgia governor Eugene Talmadge thought the bridge was unnecessary and directed his appointed Highway Board members to deny any requests for funding. Consequently, the Federal government refused to fund the project without state support. A standstill arose in Federal funding of Georgia Highways. The U.S. government finally consented and funded all projects in Georgia, except the Ball’s Ferry Bridge. A new governor, E.D. Rivers, was elected in 1936. Rivers was more sympathetic to the concerns of mid-Oconee valley residents. Rivers’ newly appointed Highway Board members moved quickly to authorize funding of the bridge.

The Ball’s Ferry bridge is actually two bridges. The smaller, or relief, bridge is six hundred feet long and was designed to allow flooding waters to pass around the causeway leading to the river. The relief bridge is bounded by thirty foot high fills. Each fill is about eleven hundred feet along and contains one hundred sixty thousand cubic yards of dirt. The Washington County dirt was placed on the site by workers of W.C. Shepherd. The dirt used would cover a football field up to a height of over thirty one feet. In one month, Shepherd and his crews set a record by placing one hundred twenty thousand cubic yards of fill dirt. Wilkinson Countians filled in their dirt on their side of the bridge with county workers.

The main bridge is 1683.5 feet long. The center of the bridge is twelve feet higher than the ends. The increased height was necessary due to the fact that the river was still considered navigable. The bridge stands an average of fifty five feet above the water at the apex. The span was constructed in such a way as to allow enough horizontal room for boats to pass through. The steel girders weighed two million pounds and took six hundred gallons of varnish, twelve hundred gallons of aluminum bronze powder, fourteen hundred fifty gallons of red lead primer paint to cover. Over eighteen thousand rivets were used in the main span.

The twenty four foot wide bridge was supported by three hundred thousand pounds of reinforcing rods. If placed end to end, these rods would stretch from Macon to Wrightsville - a distance of fifty seven miles. To mix the concrete for the bridge, workers combined fifty train car loads of cement, fifty one hundred tons of sand and gravel, and forty thousand gallons of water, formed with one hundred thousand board feet of lumber. The bridge rests on a foundation of shell mart and stratified fuller’s earth down an average depth of thirteen to twenty three feet below ground level. After one and a half years and two hundred thousand man hours of work, the bridge was complete. Wages varied from thirty cents an hour for unskilled workers up to a whopping seventy five cents an hour for skilled laborers.

The big day for the bridge dedication was set for March 31, 1939. Proud citizens invited President Franklin Roosevelt to take a leisurely ride over from Warm Springs for the big occasion. Gov. E. D. Rivers, who had been so instrumental in the construction of the bridge, was slated to give the main address. Every school child and teacher in the area had the day off and a free meal at the site. Floats from five counties were brought in for a short parade, which began on the west side of the bridge. The Laurens County Marching Band, the G.M.C. Band, and the Y.M.C.A. Band from Macon provided the musical entertainment.

The crowd was estimated to number as many as twenty thousand people. Several hundred hogs were sacrificed to satisfy the appetites of the hungry onlookers. Gov. Rivers was late in arriving and his place was taken by Warren Grice of Macon. Also on hand for the festivities was Congressman Vinson, State Highway Chairman Miller, and Labor Commissioner Hulet.

A special edition of the "Wrightsville Headlight" was published to commemorate the event. Merchants and well wishers sponsored several pages of ads to salute the efforts of the community and the workers. Listed by the "Headlight" as the leading Johnson County families who supported the construction were the Rowlands, Brinsons, Andersons, Claxtons, Kents, Moyes, Veals, Faircloths, Brays, Martins, Lovetts, Parkers, Blounts, Vanlandinghams, Cooks, Pournells, Cullens, Kights, Hatchers, Halls, Outlaws, Vickers, McAfees, Robinsons, Clemmons, Daleys, Johnson, Fulfords, Prices, Powells, Townsends, Jenkins, Millers, Smiths, Jones, Browns, Davises, Tanners, Frosts, Mixons, Tarbuttons, Olivers, Riners, Brantleys, Duggans, Mayos, Flanders, Harrisons, and six or seven dozen more - in other words, the entire county.

An event of this type depends on hard working committees. Charles Rountree, H.F. Tarbutton, and Elizabeth Vickers were the officers of the Bridge Committee. Representing Johnson County on the committee were W.C. Brinson, future Georgia Attorney General, Eugene Cook, and Harlie L. Fulford. Other Johnson Countians serving on committees were Mrs. Clifford Martin, Pauline Lovett, Mrs. B.L. Kight, Mrs. Albert Raley, Mrs. H.T. Johnson, Monroe Cook, L.L. Palmer, E.J. Claxton, C.D. Prescott, J. Tom Davis, Byron Price, W.M. Shurling, L.L. Lovett, B.A. Anderson, Mrs. J. Eugene Cook, Mrs. J. Roy Rowland, and Mrs. M. Daley.

The old ferry which had operated for thirteen decades shut down. The boat and equipment were removed to the Flint River. Lester Brown, the last ferry operator, got a job as a chain gang guard. As it enters its seventh decade of service, the bridge at Ball’s Ferry remains a monument to the dedication of thousands of Johnson, Wilkinson, and Washington county residents, whose unceasing efforts bridged the ancient Oconee and brought the rest of the world a little closer to home.