Skip to main content

Tennessee's Benton-Houston Ferry

Image
By

Inland ferries are oftentimes simple - they carry a handful of cars in a remote area where traffic volumes do not justify the need for a bridge.  Some are short, others are longer, and many do not have a lot of scenery.  Fortunately, many have a long and storied history.

Middle Tennessee's Benton-Houston Ferry is a more recent ferry crossing that carries Tennessee Highway 147 across the Tennessee River. It began operation in November 2007 and connects Benton and Houston Counties. The cost to cross is $1 per vehicle.


While it is a new ferry, there is still plenty of history around you. The Houston County ferry landing is located in the former town of Danville.  Danville was a Tennessee River community that flooded over when Kentucky Lake formed in the 1940s. There are a few remnants of Danville that you can still see from the ferry.

The remains of the former Danville Transfer Elevator stand above the waters of Kentucky Lake.

When you enter the ferry from the Houston County side and look to your left - you will see the shell of an old building standing over the water.  It appears to be on stilts - but it was once a much larger structure.  The building is a former six-story transfer elevator and warehouse that once sat along the Tennessee River.  The Danville Freight Elevator was built in 1914 and handled grain, cotton, minerals, and other items shipped along the Tennessee River.  A six-mile rail spur connected the warehouse and elevator to the main line of the Louisville & Nashville railroad.  When Kentucky Lake was formed, many towns like Danville were dismantled; however, the old transfer elevator and warehouse remained.

The remaining spans of the 1930s-era railroad bridge over the lake.

A second remnant near the Houston County landing is the two remaining spans of a former Louisville & Nashville bridge over the lake.  The bridge was built in the 1930s - replacing an older bridge over the Tennessee River.  When the railroad abandoned the line in the 1980s, all but two of the spans were removed. 

The ferry ride is a scenic ride over the lake and doesn't last too long. It is an enjoyable detour to take while on a day trip or just out exploring.

All photos taken by post author - December 2010.

Site Navigation:

Sources & Links:

How To Get There:


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

By
In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...
4 comments
Read more

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

By
The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process.  The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

By
"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...
Post a Comment
Read more