Ross’ Bridge Ruins are located just downstream of the current bridge. Before 1818, the only crossing was an old ford located a half mile above the main Holston River. Frederick A. Ross (owner of Rotherwood) saw the need for a bridge. He decided to build it near the mouth of the North Fork, where the water was too deep to be forded, then change the Great Stage Road and avoid the present ford altogether. In May 1818, he advertised for laborers in the Knoxville Gazette, and the bridge was completed a few months later.
