Public Access to Akersville’s Slab Bridge Area to End Sept. 15
By Misty Gammons-Green
AKERSVILLE, Tenn. – A popular swimming and recreation area along Bugtussle Road in the Akersville community will soon no longer be open to the general public, according to a notice posted by the property’s landowner.
Davis Holder announced on social media that public access to the creek bridge and gravel bar area on his property will end following Labor Day weekend. The property will be posted “NO TRESPASSING” effective Sept. 15, 2026.
Holder said the decision comes after repeated problems with trash being left at the site.
“I really want to THANK everyone that visited the creek bridge area this summer that took their trash or someone else’s trash home with them,” Holder wrote in his post.
He said the decision to close the property was prompted in part by what he described as people leaving both adult and children’s diapers behind.
“Due to some people’s need to leave both ADULT and CHILDREN’S diaper is terminating the public use of my land,” Holder stated.
The closure will affect the gravel bar and property located on the south side of Bugtussle Road. Holder said that area will be posted after Labor Day. He also noted that the west side of the creek, on both sides of the road, has already been posted, while the remaining northeast side of the road is already blocked to public access.
The announcement was also shared publicly by Carrie Jo Smith through the Hip Lafayette Facebook page, identifying Holder as the landowner of the Slab Bridge property.
Smith’s post described the closure as the loss of another popular local swimming destination.
Holder said the property had remained accessible to the public for more than a year after The Slab closed. He explained that once the area was no longer supervised and people could use it without paying or contributing to its upkeep, the property began experiencing significant litter problems.
“Had free rein again all the majority of people did was trash the place,” Holder wrote.
While public access is ending, Holder said churches will continue to have full use of the gravel bar area he owns. He expressed disappointment that at least one church did not contact him about its use of the property.
“I do wish they at least had the courtesy to say something,” Holder wrote, adding that had a church notified him, the area would need to be mowed and weeded.
The closure means residents who have enjoyed the creek and gravel bar as a swimming and recreation spot will have one final Labor Day weekend to use the area before the public-access restrictions take effect.
Holder’s announcement serves as a reminder that while a location may have become a longtime gathering place for the community, private property remains subject to the owner’s decision regarding public access.
Public access is expected to end Sept. 15, 2026, with no-trespassing signs to be posted on the affected property.
