Bridge of Lions

Henry Rodenbaugh, a bridge expert for Henry Flagler's Florida East Coast Railway, organized the bond issue and hired the engineers. His young daughter Jean poured the first bucket of concrete when work began in 1925. The double-leaf bascule bridge opened in 1927 — cost ten times more than comparable bridges built nearby at the same time — and was immediately called "The Most Beautiful Bridge in Dixie." The two Carrara marble lions at the western entrance were a gift of Dr. Andrew Anderson, made by Romanelli Studios in Florence. Anderson died before seeing them installed.