Inspiration comes
from a lot of different places. Take for example, Bryant Station Curves. The
inspiration for the title and series came from an old bridge that terrified me
as a child.
That’s right!
I said a bridge
that terrified me as a child.
I grew up in Milam
County, Texas. So wooden bridges, including the camelback style bridge (see all
pictures posted of Bryant Station Bridge) were a common part of life,
especially in the rural, gravel road areas. Unfortunately, I have a fear—an
irrational fear—of these bridges.
Do I fear all
bridges? No.
I’ve driven over
the Houston Ship Channel numerous times as well as the bridge going to
Galveston, the bridge over the Sabine River, and have been on various ferries.
I drive over the Guadalupe River all the time and don’t even think twice about
it.
So, I’m not afraid
of all bridges. I’m just terrified of the old wood and steel bridges.
Irrational, right?
Bryant Station used
to be a thriving community, but today, it can’t even really be called a ghost
town because the only things left are the cemetery and the bridge.
Bryant Station got
its start in the 1840’s when Benjamin Franklin Bryant, a hero of the Battle of
San Jacinto (Texas Revolution) was asked by friend and then president of the
Republic of Texas, Sam Houston, to build a fort/trading post on Little River.
He was basically a buffer between the settlers and the Native Americans.
The settlement that
grew up around the fort prospered. Bryant Station’s prosperity was because of
its location on the Marlin to Austin stage line, and over the years, the town
became a commercial center in the area.
The town soon had a school and a post office that was sometimes known as
the Blackland post office.
Bryant Station
continued to prosper until after the Civil War when the Santa Fe Railroad built
about three miles north of the town, and the rail town of Buckholts was
established around 1881.
In 1809, Bryant
Station Bridge was built by C. Q. Horton and the Chicago Bridge and Iron Company
of Chicago, Illinois.
In 2002, the bridge
was bypassed by a modern bridge.
For a time, people
could walk across Bryant Station Bridge, but when I was there last year taking
pictures, a fence was across the entrance to the bridge. Did I really want to
walk across the bridge? NO! But a lot of people have, and you can find videos
of their walks on the Internet.
I grew up knowing
about Bryant Station and other ghost towns in Milam County, though I really
didn’t know their histories. In my research, I’ve found several more ghost
towns, which at their peaks, were thriving communities with various businesses,
post offices, and schools. Even though they no longer exist, in some form or
fashion, many of these communities will find their way into my stories.
As for Bryant
Station Bridge, it will always be a source of terror for me, and will probably
continue to haunt my nightmares for years to come.
But why my
terror…maybe something happened at the bridge in a previous life….
