One of Chattanooga's most visited attractions, the Walnut Street Bridge (formerly known as the Hamilton County Bridge as described on this vintage post card) is one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world at 2,376 feet. Spanning the Tennessee River, the bridge was erected in 1890. The Toledo, Ohio-based Smith Bridge Company built the superstructure, and Neeley, Smith and Company of Chattanooga was responsible for the substructure. Connecting the southside to Hill City, the predominantly African American town on the "North Shore," the Hamilton County Bridge made travel across the river simpler and more convenient. During the twenty five years or so prior to the bridge's completion, ferries had been the only means of transportation across the river because flood waters had washed away a preceding bridge. Originally traversed by horsedrawn vehicles, streetcars and early automobiles, the bridge accommodated motor vehicle traffic until 1978 when it was closed because of its state of disrepair. Upon extensive renovations, the Walnut Street Bridge reopened in May 1993 to pedestrian traffic only. Today, it is considered the oldest truss bridge in the South. Linking the southside's Tennessee Aquarium, Ross's Landing Park & Plaza, Bluff View Art District and other downtown attractions with the Chattanooga Star riverboat, Coolidge Park, Chattanooga Theatre Centre, shops, boutiques and restaurants on the north shore, the bridge has been a centerpiece of sorts in Chattanooga's riverfront renaissance.
Now known as the Walnut Street Bridge, the historic truss bridge seen here provided a much needed link between Chattanooga's south shore and the former suburb of Hill City, an African American community absorbed by Chattanooga in 1912.
Indicative of the times, two black men, Alfred Blount and Ed Johnson, were lynched on the bridge in 1893 and 1906 respectively because they had allegedly looked at white women.