A Picture is Worth...

Is a picture really worth a thousand words? Or, do they sometimes just raise questions?

We’ve had a musing about what the “bridge” picture on our website is about. Without getting too esoteric it has several different meanings:

1. First, and perhaps most simply, this is “Liberty Bridge” in Falls Park on the Reedy River in Greenville, South Carolina. We used the picture in our 2007 Annual Report to depict a story about “our home.”

2. We are miserly in using the Endowment’s financial resources. When we opted to “enhance” and update our website, we chose to use art and pictures that we already owned rights to.

3. It is a wide angle shot that fits well in a banner layout. A tree would have to be in the prone position to do so.

4. There is a subliminal message as well. The Endowment focuses its work on “bridging” the full range of interests inherent in sustainable forestry – environmental, social and economic.

5. Yet, the underlying reason is that this particular bridge tells a story about perseverance, vision and symbolism in community revitalization.

As Paul Harvey would say, “Now, for the rest of the story…”

Like most communities in forested sections of the nation, Greenville was once built on trees and wood products. Yet, it quickly migrated to a different industrial base – textiles. The original wave of textile mills was always found on rivers. The flowing waters served as a source of needed energy and then as an all-too-convenient place to dump wastes.

Greenville’s small Reedy River and the falls that were once the center of downtown activity also hosted one of the first dams and mill complexes. Over the years, development, pollution and changing interests, saw the once popular recreational site fade from glory. Thus, when a four-lane highway and bridge were proposed directly over the falls some decades later, there was little outcry. Greenville’s roots were “forever” hidden from sight.

Even against the backdrop of a highly polluted river, a few women noted that the river and its falls held intrinsic value that shouldn’t be covered-up. A small number kept up that clamor for nearly fifty years until a very controversial decision was made to “tear down a perfectly good bridge” and replace it with a means for people to “walk across the falls.”

While few shared the vision of what could be – remembering only the polluted nature of the river – the project moved forward. The bridge came down and in its place rose a very expensive ($4.5 million) one-of-a-kind floating arc that provided a panoramic view of Greenville’s birth place – Reedy River Falls.

The action spawned a palpable and very visible rebirth of Greenville’s historic West End -- booming economic development both retail and residential, refurbished parks and lots of outdoor activity. But perhaps the greatest gain can be seen in the pride shared openly by Greenville residents who serve as tour guides to their visiting family and friends as the bridge and falls have become a “must see” for all.

Greenville’s decision to “do something radical” serves as a lesson to many forest-reliant communities seeking to chart a new future. Some of the most impactful decisions to stimulate economic activity and reinvigorate a community are often symbolic in nature. Greenville did something that is uniquely its own. It showcased its roots and built a shining symbol that bridges its past and its future.

For more information about Falls Park and Liberty Bridge visit: http://www.fallspark.com/about.asp