Hillman Bridge

The Hillman Bridge of Ellaville, Fla.

History

The Hillman Bridge is a through-truss bridge in the small town of Ellaville. This town was once a busy sawmill and manufacturing center owned by George Franklin Drew, who served as Florida’s governor from 1877 to 1881. The R. H. H. Blackwell Company of East Aurora, New York, built the bridge between 1925 and 1926 as a federal aid project. During construction, officials named it after W. J. Hillman of Live Oak, a State Road Department member who advocated for the project.

Winder Josephus Hillman

Winder Josephus Hillman was born on June 19, 1857, in Warren County, Georgia. After his father died during his teenage years, his brother moved to Texas for better opportunities. Winder tried to follow him but ran out of money in Live Oak, Florida, where he decided to settle. He took on various jobs there, including carrying luggage from a local hotel to the train station and working as a printer for The Banner of Liberty, which later became the Suwannee Democrat.

He eventually entered the naval stores industry under Henry Wyse and Charles K. Dutton. Around this time, newly elected Florida Governor George Franklin Drew established a convict lease system, leasing half of the state’s convicts to naval stores companies for turpentine camp labor. Hillman hired on as a guard at one of these camps.

Within eight years, Hillman was managing 400 convict laborers. His leadership style earned him the nickname “Captain.” He later opened his own turpentine camp in High Springs, which thrived until a storm destroyed the operations. Undeterred, he opened another camp in Inverness and expanded his business across Central and South Florida.

Eventually, Hillman became a director of the Consolidated Naval Stores Company of Jacksonville, the largest naval stores trader in the United States. Friends and family dubbed him the “Turpentine King,” and he remained one of Florida’s top turpentine manufacturers for many years.

Hillman retired in 1902 and sold most of his land and business interests. After living in Jacksonville for a time, he and his wife, Lela, moved back to Live Oak. He invested time and money into several Suwannee County farms and built a road to Hillmonia, his private farm located 13 miles south of Live Oak. Initially called the “Hillman Highway,” this road is now US-129.

He was also an original stockholder in the First National Bank of Live Oak, vice president of the Live Oak Publishing Company (which printed the Suwannee Democrat), and the organizer and builder of the Suwannee Hotel, a famous landmark that once stood across from the courthouse. Through these diverse business ventures, Hillman became Suwannee County’s first millionaire.

Establishment of the Hillman Bridge

Hillman served as a city councilman when Live Oak built its City Hall in 1908. Later, under Governor Cary Hardee, a Live Oak native, he served as the first chairman of the Florida State Road Department. In this role, he not only championed statewide road construction but also invested his own money into the projects. Following the construction of a new truss bridge over the Suwannee River, many people wanted to name it in his honor to recognize his advocacy.

A few months before the bridge opened to the public, the State Chamber of Commerce objected to its name. They argued that naming it after Hillman or Ellaville would mean nothing to the average tourist, comparing it to naming it “Bridge #1313.” Instead, the Chamber recommended naming it after the Suwannee River, a famous symbol of Florida, or after Stephen Foster, who featured the river in his song “Old Folks at Home.” Many agreed that a river-based name would bring the state more promotional value.

Playing devil’s advocate, The Evening Independent pointed out that another newspaper had just misspelled “Suwanee” twice in a single article. They argued that if journalists could not spell it correctly, tourists wouldn’t either, making the name counterproductive. Despite the debate, the original suggestion was chosen, and the Hillman Bridge was dedicated in 1927. A few years later, Winder Josephus Hillman died on August 29, 1931. He is buried alongside his wife in the Live Oak Cemetery.

Abandonment

The Hillman Bridge was abandoned in 1983 after an over-height truck struck a steel crossbeam and tore it loose from the structure. Because discussions to replace the aging bridge were already underway, the Florida Department of Transportation accelerated its plans and opened a new bridge in 1986.

That same year, ownership of the historic bridge was transferred to the Florida Department of Natural Resources. Today, the structure still stands just down the road from the former Suwannee River Store. Though now restricted to pedestrian and bicycle traffic, it remains one of the best-surviving examples of a Pratt metal-truss bridge in Florida.

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