|
Alamuchee Bridge (1861), relocated to the campus of the
University of West Alabama in Livingston, was used by Confederate
General Nathan Bedford Forrest to move his troops into Mississippi
during the Civil War. In its previous location at Alamuchee Creek, the
bridge was where horse thief Steve Renfroe was executed by hanging.
Ironically, Renfroe was serving as the county Sheriff when he was
apprehended.
|
|
Clarkson-Legg Bridge (1908) stretches 250 feet across
a gorge cut by Crooked Creek in Cullman County. James Wordlaw Legg
donated all materials for the bridge including timber, nails, sand,
and rock. Legg was a local mail carrier for the Clarkson Post Office
who realized the need to improve transportation in the area.
|
|
Coldwater Bridge (1850) is located in Oxford City Park
just off I20 in Oxford. The bridge was moved from its original location in
an effort to save it. Like most Alabama covered bridges it is constructed
of pine. The remains of a dam and mill can be seen upstream of where the
bridge originally stood over Coldwater Creek. |
|
Easley Bridge (1927) is the oldest of the three
remaining covered bridges in Blount County, all of which are still in
use. Located in the Rosa community, the bridge spans the Dub Branch.
Members of the Tidwell family built all of the Blount County bridges.
|
Gilliland
Bridge (1899), threatened by the construction of Interstate 59, was
moved from the Gilliland Plantation in Reece City to Noccalula Falls
Park by the city of Gadsden. A wedding took place at the bridge when a
couple happened to meet the preacher there after going to Gadsden to get
their marriage license.
|
|
Horton
Mill Bridge (1935) towers over a deep gorge cut by the Warrior River in
Blount County and is the highest covered bridge built over water in the
US. Talmedge Horton, a descendant of the family that founded the
gristmill for which the bridge is named, helped construct the bridge. He
says that it took "fifteen men working from sunup to sundown for a
year and a half" to build it.
|
|
Kymulga
Bridge (1861) crosses Talladega Creek in the old Kymulga community near
Childersburg. The bridge was built just before the Civil War and a
gristmill was constructed there during the war. Both the bridge and the
mill have been restored in recent years and are open to the public.
Visitors can see corn ground with the original millstones that were
imported from France. Turbines turned by water power the mill.
|
|
Nectar
Bridge (1932) was the seventh longest covered bridge in the world. It
burned in 1993 leaving the Nectar community of Blount County with a
great sense of loss. The bridge was a community meeting place and the
site of large baptism ceremonies. It was also said to have been haunted
by the ghost of a mail carrier who had died there.
|
|
Oakachoy
Bridge (1916) was built to connect two county seats, Rockford in Coosa
County and Dadeville in Tallapoosa County. Wagons forded Oakachoy Creek
at a location near the bridge before the bridge was built. Ruts worn by
wagon wheels can still be seen in the rock. (This bridge burned in
June, 2001.)
|
|
Salem-Shotwell
Bridge (1900) connected the Lee county communities of Salem and Shotwell,
separated by Wacooche Creek. Hand-hewn oak pegs join all the
latticework, roof trusses, and substructure. High water and erosion has
caused damage to the bridge supports but local citizens hope the bridge
can be restored.
|
|
Swann-Joy
Bridge (1933) at 324 feet in length is the longest surviving covered
bridge in Alabama. It spans Locust Fork on the Warrior River in Blount
County and is frequently visited by tourists and picnickers. It was
built on the Swann farm to provide access to the Joy community.
|
|
Waldo
Bridge (1858) spans Talladega Creek in the Waldo community southeast of
Talladega. The bridge was built at Riddle’s Mill, a gristmill operated
by the Riddle brothers. The mill has been converted into a restaurant.
Used by Wilson’s Raiders during the Civil War, the bridge is near
Riddle’s Hole, an 1840 gold mine that continued operating until World
War II.
|