"Most of our church members were baptized under the bridge. Our children swam and played there. We love our bridge. Please preserve it."

Pat VanderHoek

"Living in the area for a majority of my life I feel it would be no different than restoring an old building. This bridge stands as a test of time and excellent workmanship. At that, it should be restored for local residence, we spend money on less important issues."

Brian Pilgrim

"I have lived near and canoed the Maitland River for over thirty years and witnessed the removal of all the other iron bridges. Each one of them seemed to me to have been an opportunity missed to preserve these unique structures. Ball's Bridge is in a desirable setting and could be another fine attraction for Huron County tourism. Let's not let this last opportunity slip away from us!"

Peter Lantinga

"I swam and fished under Ball's Bridge as a child growing up in Hullet Township; I have lived down the road and commuted over the bridge for almost twenty years in the 70's, 80's and 90's; I have checked for herons in standing in the river as I drove over it; I have negotiated the potholes in the road as I drove up the hill on the east side and I have held my breath driving on ice heading down that same hill after an early snowfall. I have been to scenic spots in many parts of the world and Ball's Bridge is a beautiful as any of them. To lose this bridge is unthinkable. The County Council must take into account what the bridge means to the community and what it represents historically. For once they need to act from their imaginations and not their highly developed sense of fiscal responsiblity which may serve their goals today but does not serve the community's future."

James Roy

"I feel that Ball's Bridge is a beautiful spot for people to admire the Maitland River, my grandchildren have went fishing off the bridge many times. Often people take Sunday drives to the Little Lakes and crossing the bridge is part of a beautiful Sunday drive. It would be a shame to destroy a part of history, so much is taken away that our grandchildren don't realize what the past was like. There is more history there, as my daughter has told me various stories that were told to her, of the Ball Family and the 3 houses sitting nearby."

Elaine Munn

"Having been a scout leader in Goderich for almost 20 years and camping at the Maitland Block , this bridge has been a focal point for our outings in the area . When canoeing down the Maitland River , this is a great spot on the south side to haul the canoes and gear out of the water and be close to the road . If you have to go back up river to get your vehicle , you would have to drive the extra 7.5 kilometers to get to the other side of the bridge . let's hope it stays here for good !"

Mike Pottle

"This bridge is a very special place and many of my fondest childhood memories involve time spent at this place. I believe from a practical standpoint of attracting tourists to the county and for local transportation, Ball's Bridge should be repaired and reopened. If the county can spend thousands of dollars for some signs welcoming people to Huron County, how much more should we not spend money to preserve those places and things that the people actually come to see and enjoy (unless you are actually coming for the road signs??) Please reconsider saving this historic location."

Brian Raidt

"Being sorry is the highest act of selfishness, seeing value only after discarding it." Don't be sorry later, act now!!

Tracy Petrella

Friends Prepare 5-Year-Plan

The Friends of Ball's Bridge have prepared a 5-Year-Plan that focuses on protecting the history, preservation and enjoyment of  Ball's Bridge for generations to come. The plan began with the "Opening" festivities on October 13, 2007. Click here to see what else we have planned.

"This bridge is a valuable tourism asset. Benmiller Inn is a member of Ontario's Finest Inns. As an association, we encourage our guests to get out and enjoy the backroads and undiscovered natural gems in our fair province. Ball's Bridge is one of those gems." -Kathy MacNeil Nichol

Sign Our Petition

Miss the forum? See highlights on YouTube! Click here.

Public Forum on Ball's Bridge

The informational meeting Friend's of Ball's Bridge held on 23 October was well attended. Over 100 people crowded into the Livery on a cold, damp night to listen to experts, including Roger Dorton (Former Head Bridge Engineer for the Ontario Ministry of Transporation), Nathan Holth (HistoricBridge.org) and Catherine Nasmith (Architectural Conservancy of Ontario), address many issues facing the bridge.

Dorton, who designed the Bluewater Bridge, inspected the bridge and told the audience “this is a bridge that is in remarkably good condition for its age.” Civil engineer, Alex MacDougall agreed. MacDougall would like to see the bridge used as an educational tool for engineering students.

Approximately 20 candidates were in attendence and participated in a lively Q and A session that ended with most agreeing the bridge needs to be saved and a steering committee formed to do so.

Read about the Forum in the Clinton News-Record

Where is Ball's Bridge?

With all the recent attention given to Ball's Bridge, surprisingly many Huron County residents do not know where the bridge is located. Hopefully this new sign on Base Line (CR-8) will help seekers find the historic bridge on quaint Little Lakes Road.

As a reminder, please remember that the bridge is posted "No Trespassing."

Click here for map of Huron County

Click here for local map

Ontario Ministry of Culture places Ball's Bridge on the Ontario Heritage Bridge List

Ball’s Bridge is one of 94 bridges to be listed on the Heritage Bridge List and it's the only bridge listed from Huron County.

View the list

(Under "Type of Recognition or Protection" choose Ontario Heritage Bridge List)

The bridge has been closed to traffic since April 18. At the July 6 county council meeting, it was decided to extend the temporary closure of the 1885 iron bridge into 2007.

Historic Ball's Bridge may never re-open

Ball’s Bridge has some influential friends. And they’re banding together to see what they can do to save this piece of Huron County history. Former Auburn resident, Bill Seers of Goderich, who owns a cabin a short distance from the bridge is one of the organizers trying to save it. “We are calling ourselves the Friends of Ball’s Bridge and basically want to try to get something going to repair it if the county won’t. And all signs point to the fact that they are going to close it.” Blyth Citizen

Ball’s Bridge issue leads to heated debate

County to consider future of Ball's Bridge at meeting

Bridge's fate sparks debate

Save the span, says group

Heritage Counts

Standing together (Blyth Citizen)

About 35 'Friends' of Ball's Bridge attended a site meeting to try and find ways to keep the 120-year-old bridge open. The high cost of repairing the bridge has county councillors considering the worth. In addition to its history, the bridge is a popular spot for recreation. (Vicky Bremner photo)

Ball's Bridge listed on HistoricBridges.org

Historicbridges.org supports Friends of Ball's Bridge. Nathan Holth descibes the treasure we have in Huron County in a letter.

Read his remarks

See the Ball's Bridge page on HistoricBridges.org

Jake and Annie VanMaar wed in 2005 and took this beautiful photograph. Click here to enlarge the photo.

Photo Gallery

Please visit our photo gallery and witness the beauty of Huron County's oldest pin connected truss bridge.

We also encourage you to submit personal photographs . Please send them to judydavids@friendsofballsbridge.com.

Featured Friends

Kelvin Jervis is a photograper who took this amazing picture from the island south of the bridge using a Canon 20D, 8 meg digital camera along with a special tripod panorama metering device. (Click the photo to enlarge) Kelvin wrote:

"I don't think I was aware at the time of photographing the bridge that there was the possibility of the bridge being torn down. I have had a great appreciation for the bridge for a very long time, driving and walking across it as well as canoeing under it. There is an echo of the paddles hitting the side of the canoe when one is under the bridge."

Kathy Spellman is an accomplished artist from Michigan who has painted Ball's Bridge. Kathy wrote:

"Ball's bridge to me is a wonderful childhood memory. I spent many summer days, day dreaming on that bridge listening to frogs and watching for turtles while skipping pebbles into the mighty Maitland river. I couldn't tell you how many times I went running down the hill with John, Tom and my brother Steve to be the first to swing off the rope under the bridge or to jump off the bridge. Besides wonderful memories for me one should also look upon the design and construction of Ball's bridge and see the history it holds. It would be a shame to see such a historical bridge be destroyed. I painted a picture of Ball's bridge not so long ago and the reason why I picked this view is to show how this beautiful old bridge greets it's visitors on a warm summers day."

Click here to enlarge the painting

If you would like to be our "Featured Friend" please send a photo and your story to: judydavids@friendsofballsbridge.com

Pin connected truss bridges in Ontario

Oreilly's Road Bridge - Niagra Region

"This bridge was recently lowered to a two tonne weight limit due to concerns about the tension hangers of the bridge, according to a Welland Tribune article. Emergency repairs to the bridge are going to be made, and will raise the weight limit up to six tonnes...Ontario does not seem to have difficulty understanding the concept of leaving the historic bridge standing when a new alignment is selected." from Historicbridges.org

Looking for a pretty Sunday drive?

The Bluewater Guide suggests this:

"Just south of Auburn on County Rd. 8, is an impressive picnic area and lookout at Manchester Riverside Park. Farther down the road north of the Rd. 15 junction, are two enchanting side roads; Maitland Block and Little Lakes Rd. wind through canopied forest, past Ball's historic iron bridge, rolling hills and small kettle lakes."

The Maitland Trail

The Maitland Trail was created and is maintained for the purpose of allowing Huron County residents and visitors to observe and appreciate the beauty of the Maitland River as it winds down from Auburn to Goderich. For nearly all of its 45 km of length, the trail stays on the north side of the river. The trail crosses the river at only two points. One is at the Menesetung Bridge, where the main trail crosses the river in Goderich. The other is at Ball's Bridge, where a blue-blazed sidetrail leads hikers over the river to the Maitland Block trail. Because it has always been both an historic and working structure, the Ball's Bridge has added greatly to the experience of those hiking the trail. It has enabled them to appreciate past and present settlement along the Maitland River.