Testimonials
During the campaign to save Ball’s bridge, over 1000 signatures were collected on a petition on-line. Many just signed their names but others commented as well.
Here are a few samples:
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Some were short and to the point, such as….. “Save the bridge” (Many) “Love that bridge” (Many) “Fix the bridge” or “fix it, eh” (Several) “Don’t lose history” (Several) |
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Some had a few more words….. “This historical bridge is very important to my family and must be saved” (Ethel Ball) “Ball’s Bridge is part of my family history.” (Lois N Dannewald – nee Stanbury) “Ball’s Bridge is a marvellous beauty spot” (Alice Munro) “You don’t know what you’ve got til it’s gone…” (Karen Playford) “What a shame it would be to destroy such a landmark!” (Louise Dauphin) “This bridge is irreplaceable, but not irreparable.” (Jarek Piorkowski) |
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“In order to create a rich and meaningful local history, it is imperative that we preserve those elements that have contributed to it.” (Inge Mowat)
“Heritage assets like Ball’s Bridge are what makes Huron County unique and attractive to visitors as well as to people who choose to live here” (Beth Ross)
“This bridge is a valuable tourism asset as well. 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)
“Being sorry is the highest act of selfishness, seeing value only after discarding it.” (Tracy Petrella)
“To demolish the bridge would be to leave the stark abutments as a monument to short sightedness and stupefied insensitivity” (Gerald Fremlin)
“This is a historic landmark – we can not allow it to close” (Heather Clapp)
“Have visited this bridge all the way from Ohio and think that anything historical like this should be preserved for the future.” (Howard Davids)
“On behalf of historicbridges.org, this historic bridge is one of Ontario’s finest, and its preservation will enrich the beauty and history of the area for generations to come!” (Nathan Holth)
“Is the engineer who thinks this bridge needs to be torn down insane??? Or just incompetent??? To tear down would be irresponsible. Kudoos to the people working to save it!” (Fawn Davis)
“As a long-time property owner in Hullet Twp. with my late husband Nick Hill, I strongly support the rehabilitation of this historic landmark.” (Margaret Hill)
“MY 4 BOYS MISS THE DRIVE AROUND THE LITTLE LAKES AND OVER THE COOL BRIDGE AS THEY CALL IT. PLEASE KEEP IT OPEN” (Bruce Treble)
“I go on many trips a year just to find and document historic bridges. There are few that are more historic than the Ball’s Bridge. I hope the bridge will still be there when I come on a bridge tour of the area. Of course, if it is demolished, I will spend my vacation money going to look at bridges elsewhere. Don’t blow up this piece of history or scrap this valuable tourist attraction!” (Todd Wilson)
“I am a writer of books on heritage structures. This bridge is a significant heritage structure due to its age, its length, originality of its condition, its role in transportation engineering, its role in the development of the Huron County area.. It is a rare surviving example of a truss bridge, and enjoys an authentic setting. This structure is of considerable regional significance.” (Ron Brown, travel writer)