PROJECT HISTORY: BRIDGE AT MILLER CROSSING

Miller Springs Nature Center is a 260 acre scenic natural area located between the Leon River and 40 foot high bluffs, immediately east of the Lake Belton Dam. The natural preserve is open to the self-guided public, at no charge, each day of the year, from dawn to dusk. It is an undeveloped area administered by the Miller Springs Alliance, Inc., a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation whose purpose is to promote conservation and management of natural and cultural resources and to provide an educational and recreational nature area for "children" of all ages. During the most recent school year, more than 10,000 students studied and grew within the "Classroom Without Walls."

George W. Tyler, from The History of Bell County, page 158, "In 1851 a large party of immigrants from Tennessee located in and about Belton...Several of them jointly purchased from Col. Hermon Aiken a large body of wild land on the north bank of the Leon River, some three or four miles above Belton, subdivided it among themselves, built houses and opened farms on their several holdings. This community soon took the name of "Tennessee Valley," which it bears to this day." This agricultural community was active until well into the 1930s. As the nation became increasingly urbanized, Tennessee Valley farmers commuted to the local cities to sell their products. The settlers developed a road to market known as the Tennessee Valley Road. The remaining portion of the road, approximately 2 miles, spans the length of the Nature Center and has been integrated into the walking trail system.

PRIORITY NEED

George W. Tyler from The History of Bell County, page 106, " In July 1889, the Milwaukee Bridge Company was awarded the contract on competitive bidding, for the erection of eight iron bridges at a total cost of $58,000. ..one was on the Leon at Miller crossing." This bridge's successor, rebuilt in 1930 by the Austin Brothers Company, is protected within the confines of Miller Springs Nature Center, but restoration or maintenance has not been done on the pony truss bridge since initial installation. As a result, the bridge is currently unsafe for transporting school buses and nursing home vehicles into the last remaining portions of Tennessee Valley.

The Alliance will restore this bridge to its former structural strengths which will provide access into the basin area east of Lake Belton Dam. This fifty acres in the basin area is currently being restored to native tall-grass prairie through a massive composting project. Extensive documentation has been developed on probable habitat prior to the arrival of the Tennessee Valley settlers. Work has begun to document and publish the strong role this bridge has played in developing Central Texas. Research has begun to submit the Bridge at Miller Crossing for the Texas State and National Registries.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND PLANNING

The US Army Corps of Engineers has generously provided the financial matching support for the engineering test and design phases of the restoration. Central Texas Council of Governments and Bell County assisted in the sponsorship of Miller Springs Alliance to attain funding from Texas Department of Transportation in the amount of $24,000. Volunteers from the Bell County Historical Society and the State Historical Commission have been invaluable resources in providing documentation and history on the Bridge at Miller Crossing.

Additional funding would allow the restoration on the bridge to proceed. Additionally, this funding would supplement an award from the Trull Foundation to provide the essential signage for Texas State and National Registry monuments. Publication of the history and significance of the bridge would empower the next generations with the need for heritage and reflection on positive change.

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Last updated: April 17, 2000