NEWLAND, N.C. — A new bridge is now in place at Camp Linn Haven in Avery County.
While the old bridge was a staple piece for the camp, high waters have repeatedly rendered it unpassable. That’s why community members say the new bridge could be lifesaving.
What You Need To Know
- On June 3, a ceremony will be held at Camp Linn Haven for their new bridge
- The camp has been around for 80 years and the church for 20 years. The current bridge made it inaccessible during storms
- They will be selling pieces of the old bridge to raise money
At the entrance of Camp Linn Haven sits a low-lying bridge. It’s a bridge that Pastor Bryan Chestnutt calls a labor of love.
He says volunteers have worked on the bridge for years, but recently, it has been under water too often.
“If there is two feet, which happens often enough, you don’t even know there is a bridge,” Chestnutt said.
During Tropical Storm Fred, the bridge went under water. Mud was all over the camp and older adults were left stranded with no access to emergency services if needed.
“The bridge was functioning as a dam, so it was not letting the water flow,” Chestnutt said.
While Chestnutt said they have not yet needed emergency services during a flood, they still worry that they had no access.
Now, they have built a new bridge.
It’s a large project that took a lot of fundraising and money from the Luther Church Extension Fund, but the result is a higher bridge that will allow water to flow underneath.
The old bridge, he says, will now have to be torn down. As part of a fundraising effort to help pay off the new bridge, pieces of the old bridge will be salvaged and branded with Camp Linn Haven and sold.
The camp has been around for 80 years. The church has been inside for 20.
The camp will hold a ceremony on June 3 to dedicate the bridge.