OXFORD, Miss. – The pedestrian path that winds through
Bailey’s Woods between the University of Mississippi Museum
and William Faulkner’s historic home, Rowan Oak, has a new
bridge.
A 60-foot steel bridge replaced the old wooden one Friday,
said Albert Sperath, director of University Museum and
Historic Houses. The custom-built bridge was lifted 1,000
feet by helicopter and eased into the spot where it was
permanently installed.
“The airlift was the best way to place it to avoid any
vehicle access roads in the woods,” Sperath said. “The
arrival of the bridge completes an improvement project on
the quarter-mile trail which began in June.”
The $170,000 project was funded by a grant from U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development, made possible
with support from U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), and
another grant from the Mississippi Department of Wildlife,
Fisheries and Parks, Sperath said. Panola Construction Co.
Inc. of Batesville was the contractor.
For more information, contact Sperath at 662-915-7073. For
more information on the University Museum and Historic
Houses, go to