Bell Ford covered bridge: We deserve explanation about losing our heritage

Life is so interesting when we look about us each day and see and hear about what is going on. Some of these activities make some of us very happy and some of them make some of us very sad.

For me it is always the confusion I have a hard time sorting out.

I remember reading in the The Tribune on Aug. 3, 1970, Col. 5-8; p. 1, that Gov. Edgar Whitcomb announced that day the plans to preserve the 101-year-old Bell Ford covered bridge. If you don't believe me, look it up - it is there. I guess he meant well.

Now I read that our current county commissioners have given away, in my opinion, the most important historical artifact we have ever had or will ever have again. Perhaps they came to believe that this was the best alternative, and, sincerely, I do hope they are right.

But what really confuses me is that we all, and that is very many people in this county, have worked toward doing everything possible to do what Gov. Whitcomb promised. A lot of money, and I assume someone surely knows how much and where all that money has gone to or where it is now, was set aside for this bridge. I know, for I personally did a lot of research, that a lot of it went to pull the bridge out of the water more than once. Preservation was evidently forgotten and salvage efforts were all we ever cared about. What if all of that money had been used to preserve?

But now it's too late. It is now crying time. Someone will greatly benefit even though it will cost them to bring a great historical item back to life. I'm sure they would allow us all to come and visit once in a while and look on and brag that she once belonged to us.

And perhaps that is where my real confusion is really at. Evidently, I was mistaken about a lot of us Jackson County folks really caring about that old wooden bridge, which had no further use for anyone.

One thing we all evidently didn't know or didn't care about was that old wooden bridge was one of the main tourist attractions which brought a lot of tourist money into our county. And, if you don't believe this, call your county visitor center.

So now that she will be gone leaves me with a couple of questions. One, is there still some promises which have not been fulfilled, and second, where is all the money that was supposedly available for preservation?

I do believe everyone deserves a total explanation as we bid one of our greatest assets goodbye.
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Richard Rumph is a Seymour resident.