Bridgeport, Alabama
Bridgeport, AL on mile 410 of the Tennessee RiverLine has always embraced the river as a central part of its identity, just as its name suggests. This means it has long served as a great place for travelers to stop, and there is plenty to see and do to experience its small-town southern charm.
Attractions
For people who like to get close to history, Bridgeport is a premier stop along the Tennessee RiverLine.
Evidence suggests there have been people in the area for more than 10,000 years, and you can get up close and personal with artifacts from every major period of southeastern prehistory at Russell Cave National Monument (more on that later). The cave’s conditions were perfect as a living or storage space thousands of years ago, which also made it a fitting preservation chamber for the artifacts left inside. To ensure the history within is protected, people aren’t allowed to enter the cave, but the observation deck just outside offers a great vantage point. It also makes for a nice birding spot, as Montague Mountain is home to 115 species of birds.
The two walking trails that lead to the cave (one strenuous, one more leisurely) are a peaceful way to engage with nature and walk the same grounds that people traversed long before European explorers were searching for a New World.
But search they did, and they–along with American settlers later on–found Bridgeport to be an advantageous crossroads for exchanging goods. Bridgeport became a railroad town in the 1850s, which turned it into a key strategic point during the Civil War.
The town’s allegiance changed hands several times throughout the war, and it was the target of multiple bridge burnings and raids. This history is preserved and celebrated at the Bridgeport Depot Museum and Cultural Center, which is home to artifacts, information and records from throughout Bridgeport’s storied history. Even the building itself is historic, as it is a shining example of Mission Revival era architecture (built in 1917) and earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Not only do the artifacts within show off the railroad history of Bridgeport, but an engine and caboose just outside its doors are sure to be a hit with the entire family.
Bridgeport’s other architectural attraction comes in the form of a row of Queen Anne style homes built in the late 1800s. Nicknamed “Kilpatrick Row” after an entrepreneur who brought new industry to Bridgeport after the Civil War, these elegant homes are a must-see for fans of Victorian architecture.
Bites and Bikes
Just up the road is a good stop for a southern-style meal, Charlie B’s Grill. With daily specials from chicken casserole, to country steak, to smoked pork chops, you are sure to get your money’s worth no matter what’s on the menu for the day. Nearby Old Tymers Bar & Grill is a family-owned spot serving typical American fare–including its popular burgers–that’s best paired with a cold beverage.
If you find yourself in Bridgeport on the third Saturday of September, the town will be much noisier than normal, but with good cause. The Trail of Tears Motorcycle Ride takes off from Bridgeport annually as it heads to Waterloo in northern Alabama to commemorate the people who lost their lives along the trail after being forcibly relocated from their homelands. The ride is officially recognized by the Alabama Indian Affairs Commision and once captured the title of the world’s largest organized motorcycle ride.
Bridgeport’s unique history and its outstanding ability to memorialize and preserve it make it a worthwhile stop on the Tennessee RiverLine. Its proximity to the river and the nature along its banks has been attractive for over 10,000 years, and its appeal has only grown with the development of this southern gem.
Bridgeport’s Past
Bridgeport was originally called Jonesville because of a prominent landowner in the area. Farmers and European American travelers utilized the region as a crossroads in its early days, and it developed over the 1850s with the addition of a gristmill, trading post, post office, and several warehouses and saloons.
Riverboats were difficult to port due to fluctuating water depth, so Jonesville citizens fought for railroad access in the Antebellum Period. Their request was fulfilled in 1854 with a bridge that connected Jonesville to the Nashville-Chattanooga line, and the city was renamed in celebration.
Soon after, the Civil War brought a great deal of activity to Bridgeport because of the strategic advantages of its geography. The bridge was the focal point of several attacks, having twice been destroyed and once unsuccessfully sabotaged by East Tennessee’s Northern-sympathetic bridge-burning conspirators in 1861. The Union made several attempts to take Bridgeport, and it secured control in April of 1862 with the Siege of Bridgeport. The Confederacy set the city ablaze the following summer, but it was reoccupied by the United States and became an important shipyard.
Bridgeport became the starting point of the famous “Cracker Line” along the Tennessee River, which supplied the Union’s Army of Cumberland after it fled from Chickamauga to Chattanooga in 1863. The line’s flagship vessel, the USS Chattanooga, was built in Bridgeport.
The Reconstruction Era was a time of economic prosperity for Bridgeport, and local fortunes grew as the city seemed on its way to becoming the “New York of the South.” Its favorable climate, proximity to the river, and abundance of natural resources made an impression on Union soldiers from the North and East, and many brought new industry to the area after the war.
The economic collapse that followed America’s railway boom and the ensuing Panic of 1893 quelled progress, but not before “Kilpatrick Row” populated with impressive Queen Anne’s style homes. These homes–named after a family of New York entrepreneurs who arrived after the war–are now revered by architecture enthusiasts who appreciate the structures’ Victorian charm.
Modern Times
Bridgeport reported 2,264 residents in the 2020 US census. Its small-town feel doesn’t stop it from attracting visitors as it has several attractions that ensure a steady stream of tourists, especially those who love history.
Russell Cave National Monument has fascinated visitors since its addition to the National Register of Historic places in 1966. The cave is home to 10,000 years worth of history, and evidence of human activity from vastly different periods was found throughout the cave as researchers excavated it.
Though it’s too historically valuable to be disturbed by visitors today, the National Park Service offers multiple different ways to get close to the history, including an interpretive walk along the edge of the cave and a museum full of artifacts.
Native American history in Bridgeport doesn’t stop there, however, as it was one of several places along the Tennessee RiverLine that was on the Trail of Tears. Today, the trail is memorialized with signage and Bridgeport is the starting point of the largest organized motorcycle ride in the world, the Trail of Tears Commemorative Motorcycle Ride.
The ride is officially recognized by the Alabama Indian Affairs Commision and takes off on the third Saturday of September each year. It goes along the trail route from Bridgeport to Waterloo, AL, and is dedicated to those who lost their lives through this dark period in American history.
The Bridgeport Depot Museum & Cultural Center is another excellent stop for history enthusiasts, as it commemorates earlier days of life in town and offers many ways to get hands-on with the past. The structure itself is a Mission Revival era 1917 masterpiece, which earned it its listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Pieces from the Civil War, railroad artifacts, and important items from Bridgeport history line its walls, plus the Bridgeport Area Historical Association keeps a massive catalog of public and postal records with items dating back to 1807, as well as issues of Bridgeport News from 1891 on. Outside the museum, an engine and bright red caboose make the former depot impossible to miss.
Bridgeport residents are proud of their history and resilience, evidenced by the area’s Civil War reenactment that ran annually for more than 30 years.