The city of Beaufort has moved forward with plans to ensure that the Woods Memorial Bridge remains a fixture in downtown and to save it for generations to come.
Mayor Billy Keyserling announced a joint City of Beaufort/Historic Beaufort Foundation project to raise funds and secure the listing of our much-loved Woods Memorial Bridge on the National Register of Historic Places.
The announcement came from the mayor and the foundation, who, working together in a joint initiative, are utilizing the City’s new Pride of Place fund to assist in raising the necessary monies to apply for the bridge’s recognition.
“I am asking you to join [with] Beaufort’s Pride of Place and The Historic Beaufort Foundation to help cover the modest cost of $7,000,” Keyserling said. “Pride of Place through solicitations…will raise the $7,000 and then The Historic Beaufort Foundation, which has experience nominating sites, will manage the project. To protect the Woods Memorial Bridge that is an iconic structure that speaks to our past, our physical assets and clearly the character of our water oriented island communities.”
According to a release by the Historic Beaufort Foundation, “the funds will be used to hire a professional preservation consultant who will conduct the historic research and prepare the architectural/engineering documentation necessary to officially nominate the bridge for listing on the National Register.”
“Once completed the nomination will be submitted to the South Carolina Department of Archives & History state National Register Review Board. If approved the nomination will go the Department of the Interior – National Park Service for final approval and listing,” the Foundation added.
“During the last few months of my service as Mayor, I decided to start the process of achieving the Historic Landmark status of the Bridge,” Keyserling said. “To do this we will need your help.”
In a forward-thinking mentality, Keyserling pointed out that action needs to be taken before the Bridge needs repairs and is threatened by necessary replacement options, which past studies have demonstrated are very limited and “challenge the character of our National Historic Landmark District.” The Woods Memorial Bridge is something to save.
Keyserling added that the SC Department of Transportation has said, through State Rep. Shannon Erickson, that the bridge remains in good condition and it’s too early to think about replacing it, if the City were to be able to get it registered as a Historic Landmark it would provide enough time to plan for perpetual maintenance “by stockpiling parts that may need to be replaced in the future and ensuring a high level of maintenance to ensure it lasts forever.”
The current swing bridge was opened on December 17th, 1959 and is named in memory of Richard V. Woods (1935–1969), who was a South Carolina Highway Patrol officer killed in the line of duty.
Different from a draw bridge which opens in the center and pulls upward, she’s one of only a small handful of swing bridges in South Carolina still in use today.
The Woods Memorial Bridge swings on its central axis to open for boat traffic that may be too tall to clear the bridge, and has an operator’s station in the center of the span from which an attendant can operate the bridge.
The Harbor River Bridge is another swing bridge, and it’s due to come down next year after the new fixed-span bridge to Hunting & Fripp Islands is complete.
Simply put, the Woods Memorial Bridge is Beaufort’s most well-recognized icon. We surely hope it receives this historic designation and we encourage your donation to help make it happen.
To donate online, please click this link – Beaufort Pride of Place. Complete the form, scroll to “type” of contribution, scroll to “other”, and type in Woods Bridge.
If you would prefer to donate by mail, please make check payable to City of Beaufort Pride of Place and note in the memo section of your check, “Woods Bridge.” Mail your check to City of Beaufort, Pride of Place, 1911 Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902.
While imperfect and getting a bit long in the tooth, the Woods Memorial Bridge adds so much to Beaufort’s character and charm and is one of the reasons why our town is so special.
Let’s work together to keep it for a very long time to come.
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