More information comes to light about J. Lee Long Bridge at Millers Ferry in Wilcox County, Alabama

John Lee Long of Greenville.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Progressive Era has some of the best readers around. If you want to know something, just ask the question. Chances are, one of the newspaper’s readers will know the answer.

Several weeks ago, in the May 6 edition of the newspaper, I wrote about the J. Lee Long Bridge, which takes travelers on State Highway 28 across the Alabama River at Millers Ferry. Originally built in 1930, this lengthy bridge was named after prominent businessman and politician John Lee Long, who was born in Greenville in 1868. Many of you will remember reading that Long was a highly successful businessman who got his start in the cotton-buying business, but he eventually launched into a long career as a public servant.

In Greenville, he cut his political teeth by serving on the city council, as city treasurer and also on the local school board. A staunch Democrat, Long eventually got involved in state politics and served on the staff of Gov. Joseph F. Johnston before first getting elected to the State House of Representatives in 1906. Long went on to get reelected to the state house in 1910 and 1919 and served for a time as the Speaker of the House. From 1911 to 1913, Long also served as the State Tax Commissioner under Gov. Emmet O’Neal.

Heavily involved in the Democratic politics of his time, Long served as chairman of the Butler County Democratic Executive Committee, as a member of the State Democratic Executive Committee and as chairman of the Congressional Democratic Executive Committee. Long also served as a member of the state’s 1901 constitutional convention and as the chairman of the committee that successfully fought the passage of a state constitutional prohibition amendment.

Despite all of the information that is available about Long’s life, earlier this month I was unable to readily determine when Long died or where he was buried. It was also unclear exactly why the bridge at Millers Ferry was named after him and whether or not this was done before he died. As I often do, I asked readers of the newspaper to contact me if they had any additional information, and, as it turns out, I did not have to wait long.

Not long after the May 6 newspaper hit the streets, Cheryl Sumner, Claudia Lewis and Joey Sanders reached out to me with more information about Long’s death and burial. According to their information, Long died at the age of 61 on Feb. 2, 1929 in Montgomery and was buried in the Pine Crest Cemetery section of Magnolia Cemetery in Greenville. Sources say that the Pine Crest Cemetery is the older, original part of Magnolia Cemetery.

According to an old Birmingham News article provided by Sumner, the J. Lee Long bridge was dedicated on Oct. 10, 1930, which was about 20 months after Long’s death. “It was named in honor of the late J. Lee Long, Speaker of the House of Representatives, author of the Alabama Bridge Corporation bill under which 15 toll bridges were financed by the state,” The News reported. The article went on to say that the bridge officially opened to traffic on Aug. 29, 1930 and replaced the “crude flatboat” that previously ferried travelers across the river.

In the end, big thanks to Cheryl, Claudia and Joey for sharing their historical insights with me. I receive a fair amount of e-mail from readers of The Progressive Era each week, and it’s nice to pass along what they have to say when I get the chance. I especially enjoy hearing old ghost stories, folk tales and local legends from Wilcox County’s past, so if you’d like to share anything along those lines, please let me hear from you.