Provided are pictures taken August 2010 of the old cable ferry that operated at Davis Ferry on the Alabama River at Haines Island in west Monroe County. This ferry was taken out of service in 2013 and it is now on display at the Gee’s Bend Ferry Terminal and Welcome Center at Boykin, AL in Wilcox County.
This ferry was guided across the river by steel cables that slid along a large steel cable suspended high above the water. It was powered across the river by an old 6-cylinder Chevrolet engine that turned a paddle wheel. Prior to being at Haines Island, this ferry was operated at Holley Ferry located 34 miles upriver at the Highway 10 river bridge. The ferry was moved from Holley Ferry to Haines Island in the early 1970s after completion of the Highway 10 river bridge.
The map below shows the location of the Davis Ferry landing where this old cable ferry operated from the early 1970s until 2013.
Source: J. C. Stabler, Cable Ferry Operator.