Lake Monroe Bridge

Here is a back-blip for yesterday. It was quite an eventful day starting with a dental appointment. From there, starting working checking stores.

I?ve been looking for interesting subjects to photograph. Of course, we had our afternoon downpour. I find it challenging when it rains. I drove by the local airport, thought about maybe a good shot of a takeoff or landing, but that didn?t excite me.
I headed back towards Lake Monroe, and thought about a boat landing I can see from the I-4 bridge on the St John?s River.

I was quite surprised at what I found. I found Lake Monroe Wayside Park. Not only was the boat landing here, but an historic old swing style bridge.

Originally a wooden bridge that was completed on February 15, 1916. The bridge operator lived in a house midway across the bridge, collecting a 50 cent toll. The draw mechanism was hand-operated.

In 1933 a steel bridge replaced the wooden one. It was the first electrically operated swing bridge in the state of Florida.

People used this roadway to travel from Lakeland, Orlando, to the East coast.

Not far from this bridge is a railway swing bridge railway swing bridge that is still in operation.