NOT's Got You Covered

Across Georgia, there are a number of original covered bridges that have been repaired, restored, and possibly still in use. Not quite Madison County, Iowa, but the Bridges of Georgia are a collection of transportation heritage. Plus it's fun to drive over the ones that are still open for traffic.

To see where all the bridges are on a map of Georgia, feel free to visit this map.

Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge

According to the marker:

This bridge, 120 ft. long spanning 96 feet, was built in 1892 by the firm of Herring and Alford. Using the Town Lattice Construction. Its cost of $1,199 was funded by the Upson County Commissions. It is the last remaining covered bridge in Upson County and was restored in 1985 by the Upson Preservation Commission. Dr J.W. Herring was a noted bridge building in this region until his death in 1911. Upson's earliest settlers lived in this area in a small but thriving community known as Hootenville.

Concord Covered Bridge

According to a (unfortunately gone) historic marker:

The Concord Covered Bridge, constructed with the Queenpost design, was built in 1872 by Daniell and Ruff, who owned land and mills nearby. It replaced a bridge believed to have been built in the 1840's and destroyed during the Civil War. The Concord Covered Bridge has the distinction of being the only covered bridge still in use on a public highway in the metropolitan Atlanta area.

Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge

We turn to Georgia's Historical Society for information on their marker:

The Cromers settled on Nails Creek in Franklin County in 1845. Prior to the Civil War, the family operated a woolen mill near this site. Subsequently, the area maintained a cotton gin, flour mill and saw mill, though all operations had ceased by 1943.  In 1907, the county contracted with James M. Hunt to build the present 110-foot bridge. Constructed in the Town lattice design, the bridge's web of plans crisscrossing at 45- and 60- degree angles  are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection. Will Cromer, a descendant of the original family, built the stone abutments.

Elder Mill Covered Bridge

Another one of the bridges in Georgia that are still in use, NOT enjoyed a drive across to get a better look.

We are told by a marker:

Built in 1897 by Nathaniel Richardson, this 99-foot long bridge originally carried the Watkinsville-Athens Road over Calls Creek. It was moved here to Rose Creek in 1924 and the road was relocated to its present site. The nearby c.1900 grist mill ceased operations in 1941. Constructed in the Town lattice design, the bridge's web of plans crisscrossing at 45- and 60- degree angles  are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection. It is one of the few covered bridges in Georgia continuing to carry traffic without underlying steel beams.

Euharlee Covered Bridge

We are told by a marker:

In 1886 the county contracted with Washington W. King, son of freed slave and noted bridge builder Horace King and Jonathan H. Burke for the construction of this 128 -foot bridge. It was adjacent to a mill owned by Daniel Lowry of which the foundation is still evident. This bridge replaced several previous structures, the last having been built two years prior.  Constructed in the Town lattice design, the bridge's web of plans crisscrossing at 45- and 60- degree angles  are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection.

Howard's Bridge Covered Bridge

We are told by a marker:

Built in 1904-5 to replace an earlier structure, this bridge bears the name of a pioneer family who settled near Big Cloud's Creek in the late 1700s. Constructed in the Town lattice design using convict labor, the 164-foot bridge's web of plans crisscrossing at 45- and 60- degree angles  are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection. The south Georgia timber used in the bridge was transported to Smithsonia via the Smith, and Dunlap Railroad, a standard gauge steam railroad connecting the farm complex of James Monroe Smith with the Georgia Railroad at Dunlap.

Lula Bridge

Immediately south of the town of Lula which gives the bridge its name, At 34 feet, Lula bridge is the smallest covered bridge in Georgia and one of the smallest in the United States. It sit just off the road, but behind numerous No Trespassing signs. The bridge operated until a new bridge was built along the new Antioch Road way.  It was taken apart and rebuilt and put on the original foundations in 1975.

Poole's Mill Covered Bridge

Georgia's Historical Society writes:

Cherokee Chief George Welch constructed a grist mill here on his extensive homeplace c. 1820. An uncovered bridge was later added. With the 1838 removal of the Cherokees, the land was sold to Jacob Scutter. Dr. M. L. Pool purchased it from Scudder's family in 1959. The original bridge washed away in 1899 and was replaced with the present 96-foot bridge structure in 1901. Constructed in the Town lattice design by Bud Gentry, the bridge's web of planks crisscrossing at 45- to 60-degree angles are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection.

Red Oak Covered Bridge

The Georgia Historic Marker tells this story:

This bridge was built in the 1840's by free slave and noted bridge builder Horace King (1807-1885). Constructed on the Town lattice design, the bridge's web of planks crisscrossed at 46- to 60-degree angles and fastened at each intersection with a total of approximately 2,500 wooden pegs, or trunnels.  Although King is credited with the construction of many covered bridges throughout west Georgia, this is his only surviving bridge of this design. At 391 feet, including the approaches, this structure is the oldest and longest wooden covered bridge in Georgia.

It is one of the few bridges you can still drive across.

Rockdale Covered Bridge

One of the widest covered bridges, this one seems to be built for the road it carries, and to be a tourist attraction. The beams supporting the structure are supposedly steel covered by a wood veneer. A nice bridge, but on that lacks some heart the other bridges have.

Stovall Mill Covered Bridge

The historic marker tells us this:

Fred Dover constructed a bridge and nearby grist, saw and shingle mill complex here in the late 1800s. The original bridge washed away in the early 1890s and Will Pardue replaced it in 1895 with the present 38-foot structure. Dover sold the operations to Fred Stovall, Sr. in 1917. The mill and dam washed away in 1964. Constructed as a modification of the queen post truss design, the bridge's trusses have two vertical posts (with iron rods) separated by a horizontal crosspiece. The bridge was featured in the 1951 movie, I'd Climb the Highest Mountain, starring Susan Heyward.

Watson Mill Covered Bridge

What was probably the nicest of the covered bridges NOT has visited, probably because it was also the best cared for, especially as the center point of the Watson Mill State Park.

We are told by a marker:

Built by W.W. King in 1885, Watson Mill Bridge is Georgia's longest existing covered bridge. Of the Town lattice type it has four spans and is 236 feet long.

Covered primarily to protect the structural timbers, the bridge served local traffic, the workers of the now missing grist mill and saw mill and even for picnics and square dances. The bridge was restored in 1973, by the Georgia Department of Transportation to serve as a nucleus for the surrounding state park.

Photos by J.J. Kwashnak

Last Updated September 2007