Beloved bridge built in 1935 removed in NC’s Pisgah National Forest. Here’s why

An historic mountain footbridge dating to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration has been removed from Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Video shared Thursday, Dec. 4, on social media shows a crane was able to pluck the English Chapel Bridge off its foundations in a single piece.

“Tuesday, we said goodbye and thank you to the English Chapel Bridge, a quiet landmark that has connected the two sides of the Davidson River on the Pisgah Ranger District since 1935,” the U.S. Forest Service wrote.

“Originally built as a 90-foot single-span steel Warren Pony truss bridge, it served generations of visitors who crossed it to take in the beauty of Pisgah National Forest.”

The bridge had to be removed due to damage caused by Hurricane Helene in September 2024, federal officials say.

Helene dumped 30 inches of rain in Transylvania County, where the bridge is located, creating torrents of debris that slammed bridges for days. Nearly 50 bridges were damaged or destroyed on National Forest Service land in North Carolina, federal officials say.

The U.S. Forest Service plans to replace the bridge with something stronger. It will be put in place after new abutments are built, USFS officials say.

The old bridge was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New Deal Program that sought to put men ages 18 to 25 back to work during the Great Depression.

Tributes to their handiwork are being shared on social media, with many calling the old bridge a landmark that can’t easily be replaced.

“Hopefully y’all replace it with something that has just as much charm and not some modern piece of junk,” Logan Deitz wrote on Facebook.

“I, like others, loved standing on that bridge enjoying the scenery and spotting an occasional trout,” Jim Cannon wrote.

“RIP old friend,” Steven Wagner said.

The English Chapel Bridge site is about a 125-mile drive west from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published December 4, 2025 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Beloved bridge built in 1935 removed in NC’s Pisgah National Forest. Here’s why."