Areas once connected by bridges along the Tygart river where forever severed when the dam was built. The bottom half of Taylor County was in effect split in two by the rising river waters. Easy passage from one side of the river to the other was no longer possible. All of the connections forged between individuals or communities would be broken or drastically changed forever. This separation can be seen in a story that appeared in a local newspaper on June 24, 1937 describing the dismantling of the Cecil Bridge. According to the story, “dismantling of the Cecil bridge, made necessary by the construction of the Tygart Lake reservoir dam, has been ordered by the State Road Commission, and the span will be stored in its new location just about the Carr China company property in Park view.” The story goes on to state that the bridge would be re-erected near the “pottery.” It does not appear that the bridge was ever reassembled. There was, however, a small swinging bridge that connected Park View to the end of Maple Avenue. The remains can be seen in this photo. Connections between parts of the county where lost never to be rebuilt just like the bridge at Cecil.
