What Happened to the Ferries?

What Happened to the Ferries?. Congaree National Park. By the mid 1800s, well over 100 ferries were in operation across South Carolina. A century later, only a handful remained. What brought about the demise of river ferries? The first railroad line between Charleston and Columbia, which opened in 1842, provided a faster and more reliable connection between the two cities. By the early 1900s affordable automobiles became available and new highway and steel the now bridges quickly replaced the now-antiquated network of ferries., Although Bates Ferry stopped running in the late 1800s, J. M. Bates and other auto enthusiasts reopened the ferry in 1910. Mr. Bates also headed the effort to replace the ferry with Bates Ferry Bridge in 1923. In 1949 the 1923 bridge was replaced by a bridge on US Highway 601. When you reach the end of this trail, look for the remains of 1923 Bates Ferry Bridge along the river bank. If you look across the river, you can still see where the road continued on toward Charleston., [ Illustration Captions: ] , - These headlines from Columbia's The State newspaper date from 1909 to 1929. They chronicle the efforts to install new ferries and bridges at the site of Bates Ferry. , - This 1943 map shows the location of Bates Ferry Bridge as well as the bridges on Highway 601.