Bostian Bridge

North Carolina · United States · Bridge

On 27 August 1891 a train went off this bridge and fell ninety feet. Thirty people were killed. On the anniversary, people come to hear it.

On 27 August 1891 a passenger train from Salisbury to Asheville derailed on Bostian Bridge at Statesville, North Carolina and fell almost ninety feet. Around thirty people were killed and many more injured.

Go to the bridge at three in the morning on the anniversary and the story is that you hear the whole thing: the metal, and everything that followed.

That tradition has a real cost. In August 2010, on the anniversary, a group went out onto the trestle to watch for it. A train came. One of them was killed and another was injured.

The line is active. It was active in 1891 and it is active now, and the bridge is not a viewing platform.

That is the reason this entry ends the way it does rather than with atmosphere. People have died at this bridge twice, more than a century apart, and the second time was avoidable.

The bridge carries live rail traffic.

FAQ

Where is Bostian Bridge located?

Bostian Bridge is in North Carolina, United States.