Rabbit sign
Chatham county used to be famous for its rabbits (for eating)
Following last week’s visit to the Chatham history museum, I received a list of “rabbit facts” about Chatham county. Turns out, we used to be famous for rabbits — they appeared on menus as far away as New York City, and tens of thousands of pounds were exported each year in the early 20th century. One of the facts was that the Deep River Camelback Truss Bridge has rabbit statues on the Chatham side, honoring that history.
The bridge, it turns out, is rather in the middle of nowhere, 12 miles south/southwest from Pittsboro, about 9 miles north/northwest from Sanford. A small park has been built around it, with parking on either side. The bridge is now in service for pedestrians only.
Walking up to the bridge, it’s quiet. The gravel drive is lined with sycamores, and the bridge entrance is framed by a pair of brick pillars. Beyond, the trusses are painted white, angular against the gray sky. A sapsucker cries, wrens flit in the leafless bushes, and I hear the sound of the river, softly beneath the bridge. In the middle of the span, a handmade bench is chained to the guardrail, and two tea lights, barely used, sit atop the bench.
It’s not well-tended. Near the base of the bridge, a concrete boat ramp slopes steeply into the river. It is thickly covered in mud. Further along, broken pieces of concrete steps lay on the bank, with a bent metal railing nearby on the ground. The bank itself is muddy or sandy, shorn of vegetation. It looks like the river has flooded heavily.
At the top of the bank, a handful of picnic tables overlook the scene. There are a couple of pieces of backyard-style playground equipment. A gazebo sits above it all, on a slight rise set back from the river bank.
The rabbits! Having crossed the bridge, there is a matching pair of brick pillars on the Chatham side, and each pillar is embedded with a decorative carved stone rabbit.
The view of the bridge from the boat ramp.
