In 2008 this swinging bridge was named for ANNE BETHEL SPENCER (1882-1975). Anne Spencer was the famous african american poet that lived in Bramwell as a child.

Born in 1882 in Henry County, Virginia, Anne Spencer was born Annie Bethel Bannister, the only child of Joel Cephus Banniste,   and Sarah Louise Scales . Though her father, Joel, was born into slavery, both parents were among the first generation of African Americans to grow up free. Anne Bethel Spencer was a poet, a civil rights activist, a teacher, librarian, wife and mother, and a gardener. Part of her youth was spent in Historic Bramwell, WV. As a small child Annie Bannister, who was then known as Annie Scales. She had taking her mother's maiden name. Mother and daughter moved to Bramwell,WV. They lived in the home of the Dixie family, while her mother worked as a cook at a local inn; probably the Bluestone Inn.

The Anne Spencer Bridge renovation was completed in January 2000. The Bramwell's Historic Swinging Bridge was refurbished as a part of establishing the Heritage Park in Historic Bramwell. The bridge upright cable support structures and concrete footers are from the orignal bridge. The bridge cabling and planking are of new material.

Biography of Anne Spencer:

Anne Bethel Spencer was born in February of 1882 to African American parents, Joel and Sarah. Both of her parents worked on a plantation and Joel, who was born a slave, was determined to find a way to make a better life for his child. Her parents had irreconcilable differences when it came to childrearing, a fact that led to their separation, and Anne’s move to live permanently with her mother in West Virginia. Anne and her mother lived in a small town called Bramwell where her mother, Sarah, worked as a cook. Anne did not attend public school, as her mother did not believe it was good enough for her. Instead, Anne spent her childhood carefree and able to develop a natural interest in poetry. She was a deeply solitary child and spent most of her time wandering outside. Education While her parents may have been separated, her father still had contact with Sarah and Anne. When he discovered that Anne was not in school he told Sarah that she must enroll Anne or he would take her to live with him. This made up Sarah’s mind and Anne was sent to school at the Virginia Seminary. She was an excellent student and graduated valedictorian. It was at school that her interest in poetry was truly sparked. She wrote her first poem, which is now lost, while enrolled there. Her work touched on topics of race, and the realities of living as a black woman in the United States. After graduation Anne retuned to Bramwell where she taught grade school for approximately three years. Her career as a teacher ended when she married Charles Edward Spencer, a man she had met and come to know at school. They were married in 1901 and moved to Lynchburg, Virginia in 1903. They had three children together, two girls and a boy. While working as mother to her three children, Anne became a librarian at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School where she worked for more than 20 years.