Deweyville Swing Bridge Dedication
On Feb. 3, 2012 NCHC hosted the dedication of the Deweyville Swing Bridge as an Official National Register of Historic Places. The bridge replaced a ferry landing which had operated for over 150 years bringing people from the United States to this territory that we know today as Texas.
The swing bridge was built to keep the river and vehicle traffic flowing between Louisiana and Texas. Construction began in 1936 and was completed in Feb. 1938. The last recorded opening was in 1995 when a large boat built upstream needed to be moved to the Gulf of Mexico. Because the bridge had not been opened since 1968, it took three days to prepare the bridge to swing. After that the Coast Guard designated the Sabine River as a non-navigable waterway.
A special Thank You goes to the following participants in the dedication ceremony which are listed according to appearance during the program: Mary E. Fortenberry - NCHC Historical Marker Com. Chair; Dalton Estes - Student Pastor for the First Baptist Church of Deweyville; Leonard Powell-Precinct 4 Commissioner; Deweyville High School Band and its Director Traci Anderson; Pam Wright-NCHC Chair; Truman Dougharty- County Judge of Newton Co.; Bro. Darrell Orange - Pastor of United Pentecostal Church of Deweyville. Also very much appreciated were refreshemnts provided by the Newton Co. Chamber of Commerce and Deweyville Conoco Station as well as our thanks to Julie Harrison, Vicki Gallagher, Ivy Lee Hamilton and Irene Duckworth - Daughters of the American Revolution who graciously served the refreshments.
The swing bridge was built to keep the river and vehicle traffic flowing between Louisiana and Texas. Construction began in 1936 and was completed in Feb. 1938. The last recorded opening was in 1995 when a large boat built upstream needed to be moved to the Gulf of Mexico. Because the bridge had not been opened since 1968, it took three days to prepare the bridge to swing. After that the Coast Guard designated the Sabine River as a non-navigable waterway.
A special Thank You goes to the following participants in the dedication ceremony which are listed according to appearance during the program: Mary E. Fortenberry - NCHC Historical Marker Com. Chair; Dalton Estes - Student Pastor for the First Baptist Church of Deweyville; Leonard Powell-Precinct 4 Commissioner; Deweyville High School Band and its Director Traci Anderson; Pam Wright-NCHC Chair; Truman Dougharty- County Judge of Newton Co.; Bro. Darrell Orange - Pastor of United Pentecostal Church of Deweyville. Also very much appreciated were refreshemnts provided by the Newton Co. Chamber of Commerce and Deweyville Conoco Station as well as our thanks to Julie Harrison, Vicki Gallagher, Ivy Lee Hamilton and Irene Duckworth - Daughters of the American Revolution who graciously served the refreshments.
Ed Gallagher - Named NCHC's 2011 Volunteer of the Year
NCHC Board Member, Ed Gallagher took on the challenge to apply for the Deweyville Swing Bridge to be designated as a National Historic Site. After seven long years of research and assistance from NCHC Historical Marker Committee Chair, Mary E. Fortenberry, the Historical Bridge Foundation and Stark Historical Society - Ed's achieved this goal on Feb. 3, 2012!
Ed is also a member of NCHC's Cemetery Committee which is dedicated to visiting Newton County's cemeteries throughout the year checking for any needed repairs, photographing added graves and updating all the cemetery inventory records as needed. The Cemetery Committee is greatly responsible for NCHC being able to publish a 2012 edition of Cemeteries of Newton County as well as a resource book listing all veterans buried in Newton County. Ed downloaded most of the data and photographs gathered by the Cemetery Committee so the History Center would have easy access to such important research information.
Ed is also a member of NCHC's Cemetery Committee which is dedicated to visiting Newton County's cemeteries throughout the year checking for any needed repairs, photographing added graves and updating all the cemetery inventory records as needed. The Cemetery Committee is greatly responsible for NCHC being able to publish a 2012 edition of Cemeteries of Newton County as well as a resource book listing all veterans buried in Newton County. Ed downloaded most of the data and photographs gathered by the Cemetery Committee so the History Center would have easy access to such important research information.
MUSEUM DISPLAY
"COMMEMORATING THE CIVIL WAR"
SUSAN Y'BARBO, PAM WRIGHT AND KATHY HILLMAN GAME PLANNING THE FOUR-YEAR DISPLAY TO SHOWCASE LIFE IN NEWTON COUNTY DURING THE CIVIL WAR TIME PERIOD.
"MEET THE AUTHOR"
NCHC HOSTED "MEET THE AUTHOR" RECEPTION ON JULY 11, 2011. PICTURED ARE AUTHORS JAMES BRUSETH AND TONI TURNER EXPLAINING TO A VERY CURIOUS GUEST HOW THE FAMOUS SHIPWRECK, LE BELLE, WAS EXCAVATED.