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.
