Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 61

HUGH MORTON
JUNE GLENN JR.
The bridge-America's highest suspension footbridge-was made of
wood in its first iteration. Seventy years later, it's steel and going strong.
By MARLA HARDEE MILLING | Photos courtesy GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN
O
LEFT: Hugh Morton envisioned creating a
bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Seventy years
after he had it erected, it still amazes visitors.
ABOVE: The mountain before the bridge:
Cherokee called it " Tanawha " meaning " a
fabulous hawk or eagle. " Pioneers called it
" Grandfather " for its resemblance to an old face.
ABOVE RIGHT: Merle Umstead and her
father, William B. Umstead, were the first to
walk across the Mile-High Swinging Bridge.
n September 2, 1952, a 10-year-old girl claimed a spot in North
Carolina history by becoming the first person to cross the MileHigh
Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain in Linville, North
Carolina. Merle Umstead crossed ahead of her father, William B.
Umstead, who was at the time a gubernatorial candidate. He dedicated
the bridge and became Governor of North Carolina in 1953.
The bridge gets its " Mile-High " name from its elevation of 5,305
feet-this number is embossed midway across the bridge. It's America's highest
suspension footbridge.
Now, 70 years later, more than 230,000 people cross every year. Jesse Pope,
president and executive director of the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship
Foundation, opens a calculator app on his smart phone to do some quick math.
" Close to 10 million people have crossed the bridge in 70 years, " he says,
" that would be my guess. "
Former owner Hugh Morton envisioned creating a bridge that would link
to Linville Peak and provide access to additional awe-inspiring
views. He hired Charles Hartman to design a 228-foot wooden
suspension bridge. Crews fabricated the bridge in Greensboro
and then reassembled it at Grandfather Mountain.
The ambitious project certainly raised a lot of eyebrows at
the time and Pope says even Morton's own family thought he
was crazy to put a bridge there.
The original wooden structure had more sway in it than the
current rendition, making it truly a swinging bridge, or a " singing "
bridge as it was sometimes called as the wind blowing
through it created musical tones somewhat like a harmonica.
In 1999, the wooden structure was replaced with galvanized
steel, but an original wooden sign remains today that claims,
" LOAD LIMIT 40 PERSONS ON BRIDGE AT ONE TIME. " It's not
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 61
Bridge
J. SCOTT GRAHAM

Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022

Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 3
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 4
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - 5
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Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country September/October 2022 - Cover4
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