Completed in 1861 near the site of the Great Indian Crossing, the Old Stone Bridge was architecturally unusual, with six elliptical arches, a span of 450 feet, and no keystone. It was one of only two bridges of this type in the United States and one of only six in the world. Limestone for the one-lane bridge, which was used for more than 70 years, was quarried at a nearby site on the Elk River. After crossing the bridge in the fall of 1863, General William T. Sherman ordered it destroyed, but Major Byrd, inspired by its beauty, disobeyed and told Sherman it offered no military advantage to the Confederates. On February 2, 1969, after several days of heavy rain, the 108-year-old bridge collapsed into the river, and its remains lie south of this site.