Commissioned in 1858 and completed in 1861, the Old Stone Bridge was a masterful feat of dry-stacked limestone masonry that spanned the Elk River without the use of mortar. It was an elliptical arch bridge with no keystones at the peak of the arches, one of only a few such bridges in the world. During the Civil War, the bridge was targeted for demolition by General Sherman to cut off supply lines, but Union Major Byrd, an officer under General Sherman, famously defied the order to destroy it, declaring the craftsmanship "too beautiful" to ruin. It survived the conflict and numerous floods. It served the community for over a century before finally collapsing into the river on February 2, 1969. Today, the bridge no longer stands, with only the rugged stone ruins remaining on the riverbanks as a silent memorial to Fayetteville's architectural heritage.
1 Stone Bridge JECashion1
1 Stone Bridge JECashion2
Boaters on Elk at Stone Bridge
Elk Valley Times 1969 Collapse1
Elk Valley Times 1969 Collapse2
Elk Valley Times 1969 Collapse
Flood Stone Bridge 1
Flood Stone Bridge 2.
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Ladies Boating on Elk River
Old Stone Bridge
Stone Bridge & Jail in Flood
Stone Bridge Approach Entrance North Side
Stone Bridge Blue Tint Postcard JF
Stone Bridge Blue Tint Postcard
Stone Bridge Bob Burcheen Collection
Stone Bridge BW Courthouse Photo
Stone Bridge BW from Bob Burcheen
Stone Bridge BW Photo Card PM 1919
Stone Bridge BW Photo Card PM 1952
Stone Bridge BW Postcard 2 JF
Stone Bridge BW Postcard Old Famous JF
Stone Bridge BW Postcard
Stone Bridge by Hayden Warden
Stone Bridge by Wayne Floyd
Stone Bridge Car and Buggy
Stone Bridge Color Photo Postcard 2
Stone Bridge Color Photo Postcard
Stone Bridge Color Postcard 1922
Stone Bridge Color Postcard Men and Mules
Stone Bridge Green Postcard 1905
Stone Bridge Green Postcard 1906
Stone Bridge Hand Colored Postmark 1908
Stone Bridge in 1909 Flood
Stone Bridge in Flood 1949
Stone Bridge in Flood
Stone Bridge in Snow King
Stone Bridge looking South King
Stone Bridge Old Photo Delap
Stone Bridge Photo at Courthouse Registers Office
Stone Bridge Postcard McKinney Bros. Drugs
Stone Bridge Real Photo Postcard Double Exposure Text
Stone Bridge Sept 1928
Stone Bridge TSLA 06 01 1952
Stone Bridge TSLA 06 01 1952
Stone Bridge TSLA Lambertsons
Sandra Lambertson Mason and Sally Lambertson Phillips
pose for a promotiona...
Stone Bridge TSLA
Stone Bridge with Bracing Under the Arch 1
Stone Bridge with Bracing Under the Arch 2
Stone Bridge with Bracing Under the Arch 3
Stone Bridge with old Steel Frame Bridge in background
