The Regency Bridge
There it was… in the middle of the nowhere, a suspension bridge off a dirt road in the Texas hill country. A wooden bridge about 340 feet above the Colorado River. You do travel on a gravel and dirt road for almost 5 miles before reaching it.
The view of the river was like looking at a painting and the sounds of the wind going through the cables of the bridge was like nature singing to you. It was a feeling you’d never forget.
The Regency Suspension Bridge is the last working suspension bridge in Texas. The original one was built in 1939 and collapsed with the weight of a herd of cattle. Another bridge was built in 1936 but, was washed away in a flood; it was restored in 1977.
In 1895, Regency’s population hit its peak with 200 residents, then it declined in the years to come. The post office closed in the 1930’s and the last store in the tiny town went out of business in 1970.
In 2003, local teenagers set the wood on the bridge on fire, burning a hole in it and causing $20,000 worth of damage; it was repaired and reopened in 2005. It closed again in late 2014 and was opened once again. In 2005, the Regency Bridge became the last working (open to traffic) suspension bridge in Texas.
The bridge’s physical address is 441 Co Rd 433, Mullin, TX 76864. Mullin is a town in Mills County in Northwestern Central Texas and about 24 miles from San Saba, Texas. If you love adventurous road trips, this is one to add to your list.
