Victory Bridge construction began 100 years ago

Landmark bridge was the first to span the Apalachicola River.

by Dale Cox

Victory Bridge at Chattahoochee, Florida.

The 100th anniversary of construction for beautiful old Victory Bridge is now underway. The 2,100-foot long structure once spanned Florida's Apalachicola River between Chattahoochee and Sneads.

The bridge gained its name from the Allied victory in World War I, the first "war to end all wars." The cost was paid by Jackson and Gadsden Counties, with assistance from the Federal government.

Sections of the structure still survive, although the central part was removed after the State of Florida built the new U.S. 90 bridge in the 1950s. The longest section stretches out over the river from the high bluffs on the Chattahoochee side. It is easy to see at River Landing Park.

A smaller section survives on the Jackson County side but is more difficult to reach.

The Old Spanish Trail stretched from San Diego on the West Coast to
Jacksonville and St. Augustine on the Atlantic Ocean.

The bridge was part of the original Old Spanish Trail Highway, a coast-to-coast tourist route that carried drivers from San Diego, California, to San Diego, California. The highway commemorated but did not always follow the original trails used by Spanish explorers and missionaries.

The graceful arches and ornate rails were visualized by the bridge's designer, James Austin Mortland of the Florida State Roads Department (today's FDOT). It took crews from Masters & Mullen Construction Company of Cleveland, Ohio, three years to finish the project, which opened to traffic in 1922.

A new interpretive panel will be installed this year at River Landing Park in Chattahoochee to tell the story of Victory Bridge and provide visitors with more information.

Read more about the building of the bridge from the August 24, 1922, issue of Manufacturers Record:

Scott 1817 Education Day bringing nearly 1,000 students to Chattahoochee!

Unforgettable experiences await at Living History event!

by Rachael Conrad

Students learn about the lives of Creek Indian women.

An incredible array of elementary, middle, high, and home school groups will flood the banks of the Apalachicola River on Friday, December 6, for Education Day at the Scott 1817 Seminole War Battle Reenactment.

The annual event commemorates the First Seminole War of 1817-1818 and takes place this year at historic River Landing Park in Chattahoochee, Florida. The park is the site of the first U.S. defeat of the Seminole Wars and is a stop on Florida's official Seminole Wars Trail.

Education Day provides a remarkable opportunity for students to learn about life in the region during the days when the border dividing Florida, Georgia, and Alabama was still a battleground of empires. What is now Florida was then a colony of Spain. Southwest Georgia and Southeast Alabama were claimed by the United States. Still, the claims of both nations intruded on those of the Creek (Muscogee), Miccosukee, Seminole, and other Native American nations.

The Creek Indian warrior Blue Heron instructs a group of
students in the traditional Native American stickball game.

Students will learn about these turbulent days by meeting an array of individuals who "come through time" to speak to them and demonstrate weapons, crafts, food, games, and more.

They will visit the camps of Creek and Seminole Indians, meet Black Seminole warriors, play the authentic Creek/Seminole stickball game, and even try their hand at carefully-instructed tomahawk throwing. Frontier hunters and their families will discuss their lives and survival, demonstrate the firing of their muskets and long rifles, and show the items they used each day. 

The Creek Prophet Josiah Francis will tell the students about the Scott battle and what took place when the fighting raged. A U.S. Army major from 1817 will describe the scene from his perspective. Then there will be an opportunity to step aboard the authentic 38-foot keelboat Aux Arc (Ozark) to see how people once traveled on the Apalachicola River. In a highlight of the day for many guests, the boat will fire off its cannon in fiery displays of sight and sound.

The 38-foot keelboat Aux Arc (pronounced "Ozark) will
be in the Apalachicola River to show students how people
and cargo traveled up and down from the Gulf 200 years ago.

A variety of exhibits on history, archaeology, nature, outdoor activities, animals, and more will also be available for them to explore. Students will even get a lesson in candle-making before they leave!

Historian and author Dale Cox conceived the annual Seminole War Battle reenactment as a way to bring a forgotten part of area history back to life. His dream included a day to help schools immerse students in the lives of historical figures in a way far more real than books or lectures. That dream will be realized on December 6. 

"I am thrilled that so many schools and classes have committed to come and be part of this fantastic free event," he said. "These students are going to learn things about our ancestors in a few short hours that they will never forget."

The Maroon or Black Seminole leader Abraham will come
back to life after 200 years to teach students about his role
in the Seminole War battle fought at River Landing Park.

Cox said that he really likes the fact that the Scott 1817 event lets students learn about people from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds. "There were Creek, Miccosukee, and Seminole Indians fighting to preserve their homes and lands," he continued. "You had Maroons - escaped slaves that many of the students have never heard of - taking up arms alongside the Native Americans and fighting for their own freedom. United States soldiers, frontier people, Spanish soldiers and settlers, people from so many different backgrounds, all coming together at once in this small corner of the world."

More than 500 students from Jackson County alone will be coming across the river to enjoy the event, and there will be many from other locations as well.

Education Day will be followed by the main public days on Saturday and Sunday (December 7 & 8). Everyone is encouraged to come out and enjoy days of living history encampments, demonstrations, pageantry, exhibits, musket and cannon firings, food, vendors, and battle reenactments. The hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Central). 

Please visit scott1817.com or www.facebook.com/scott1817 for more information.

If your home school or school group would like to attend Education Day, please email us by clicking here.