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Gilk51
2
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2005
- Messages
- 17,300
- Reaction score
- 26
- Location
- Arlington, Texas
- First Name
- Charles ("Chuck")
- Last Name
- Gibke
One of my agenda items yesterday was to go looking for this alleged suspension bridge in Parker County. Now, I had heard of a bridge before and had wanted to look for it - I had heard that it was supposedly still around.
Here is what is says in National Register of Historic Places
But another listing at Bridgemeister says this:
USGS entry: Hightower Bridge
USGS also has an entry for Tin Top
TxDOT has this entry: Suspension Bridges
including this note at the bottom:
(the next page in that article mentions the Regency bridge)
Another Hightower Bridge reference...
And a Handbook of Texas entry:
From a 1981 map, you can see Tin Top and FM2580. If you zoom in one level you get a 1979 map and can see the Hightower bridge but no 2580...
A list of Brazos River Bridges
I got some help from Kelly (FWRex) yesterday after leaving Stephenville. Now, Kelly really knows the roads southwest of Ft. Worth. We looked at a standard Texas map (which leaves out a lot of FMs) and figured out how to head that direction. We did 1188 and 1189 thru Lipan, took a bit of 4, and then crossed the Brazos on 1189 again. At a stop, He said "I think I know a shortcut to get there"...
Ho boy, here we go, through Dennis and some other places, but dang if we don't end up southbound on FM1884 - exactly where we should be.
However, I expected to come to a dead end or see a bridge. Instead, we ended up intersecting FM2580 right at Mary's Brazos Cafe, just north of where 2580 crosses the Brazos. We went across the highway and stopped at a gas station. Another rider also was stopping (riding a Suzuki Intruder 1400) and we talked to him a bit. He was from Granbury but considered himself a local & said that the bridge was long gone. Anyway, we talked with him a bit before heading up to I20 and home.
So what is the deal with this bridge? There is conflicting information & it sure seemed longer than 2 miles down FM1884 to any kind of bridge. You would think that Handbook of Texas Online would know whether a bridge was in use or not... (I had a reference that said "In Use" but could not find it again)
Otherwise, it was a good day of riding with Kelly. The wind was really a problem for me with my tall bike, top case, and non-aerodynamic profile. Kelly faired better on his ZRX.
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One last note - while looking for the Tin Top bridge, I found a reference to TenMile bridge in Tarrant County. Looks like something to look for (this may be the one I was originally thinking about)...
-------
Oh yeah - a pox on you guys that have posted bridge finding trips and pictures recently! GRRR - you got me into this... You know who you are!
Here is what is says in National Register of Historic Places
But another listing at Bridgemeister says this:
USGS entry: Hightower Bridge
USGS also has an entry for Tin Top
TxDOT has this entry: Suspension Bridges
including this note at the bottom:
(the next page in that article mentions the Regency bridge)
Another Hightower Bridge reference...
And a Handbook of Texas entry:
From a 1981 map, you can see Tin Top and FM2580. If you zoom in one level you get a 1979 map and can see the Hightower bridge but no 2580...
A list of Brazos River Bridges
I got some help from Kelly (FWRex) yesterday after leaving Stephenville. Now, Kelly really knows the roads southwest of Ft. Worth. We looked at a standard Texas map (which leaves out a lot of FMs) and figured out how to head that direction. We did 1188 and 1189 thru Lipan, took a bit of 4, and then crossed the Brazos on 1189 again. At a stop, He said "I think I know a shortcut to get there"...
Ho boy, here we go, through Dennis and some other places, but dang if we don't end up southbound on FM1884 - exactly where we should be.
However, I expected to come to a dead end or see a bridge. Instead, we ended up intersecting FM2580 right at Mary's Brazos Cafe, just north of where 2580 crosses the Brazos. We went across the highway and stopped at a gas station. Another rider also was stopping (riding a Suzuki Intruder 1400) and we talked to him a bit. He was from Granbury but considered himself a local & said that the bridge was long gone. Anyway, we talked with him a bit before heading up to I20 and home.
So what is the deal with this bridge? There is conflicting information & it sure seemed longer than 2 miles down FM1884 to any kind of bridge. You would think that Handbook of Texas Online would know whether a bridge was in use or not...
(I had a reference that said "In Use" but could not find it again)Otherwise, it was a good day of riding with Kelly. The wind was really a problem for me with my tall bike, top case, and non-aerodynamic profile. Kelly faired better on his ZRX.
-------
One last note - while looking for the Tin Top bridge, I found a reference to TenMile bridge in Tarrant County. Looks like something to look for (this may be the one I was originally thinking about)...
-------
Oh yeah - a pox on you guys that have posted bridge finding trips and pictures recently! GRRR - you got me into this... You know who you are!
Last edited:
The next time you're considering a "find-the-bridge" foray, give me a shout. I think I'm catching the bug, too.
