The Easley Covered Bridge, also known as the Old Easley Covered Bridge or Rosa Covered Bridge, is a county-owned wood and metal combination style

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

that spans Dub Branch of the

Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River The Calvert Prong is one of the two prongs whose confluence creates the Little Warrior River in Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = " Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Hu ...

in Blount County, Alabama,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It is located on Easley Bridge Road off U.S. Route 231, just south of the town of

Rosa Rosa or De Rosa may refer to: People *Rosa (given name) * Rosa (surname) * Santa Rosa (female given name from Latin-a latinized variant of Rose) Places * 223 Rosa, an asteroid *Rosa, Alabama, a town, United States * Rosa, Germany, in Thuringia, ...

, about northwest of Oneonta. Coordinates are (33.971144, -86.518719). Built in 1927, the bridge is a

town lattice truss A lattice bridge is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice. The lattice Truss Bridge was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town. Originally a design to allow a substantial bridge to be ma ...

construction over a single span. Its WGCB number is 01-05-12. The Easley Covered Bridge was listed on the

Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage The Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, commonly referred to as the Alabama Register, is an official listing of buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts deemed worthy of preservation in the U.S. state of Alabama. These properties ...

on March 3, 1976. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on August 20, 1981. It is currently the oldest and shortest of three historic covered bridges still existing in Blount County. The bridge which had been closed in 2009 has now been restored and reopened to motor vehicle traffic on October 22, 2012. It is accessible from both sides of Easley Bridge Road. It is maintained by the Blount County Commission and the Alabama Department of Transportation.

History

The Easley Covered Bridge was built by a crew led by foreman Forrest Tidwell and his nephew Zelma C. Tidwell in 1927 over Dub Branch. Other than occasional repair work, the bridge had been in continuous use since it was constructed. After a routine inspection, the Easley Covered Bridge was closed in 2009 due to unsafe conditions along with nearby

Swann Covered Bridge The Swann Covered Bridge, also called the Joy Covered Bridge or Swann-Joy Covered Bridge, is a county-owned, wood-and-metal combination style covered bridge that spans the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Blount County, Alabama, United ...

. The

Horton Mill Covered Bridge The Horton Mill Covered Bridge is a state-owned wooden covered bridge that spans the Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River in Blount County, Alabama, United States. It is located on a river crossing (Horton Mill Road) to Ebell Road and Covere ...

was already closed as a result of vandalism which occurred in 2007. Restoration of all three bridges began in late 2011. Money for these projects primarily came from the federal National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program as well as transportation enhancement funds. The $469,110 construction contract was awarded to Bob Smith Construction of

Trussville, Alabama Trussville is a city in Jefferson and St. Clair counties in the State of Alabama. It is a suburb of Birmingham and part of the Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population at the 2020 census was 26,123. Geography Trussv ...

. The Easley Covered Bridge would be the second of the three to be restored. Wooden structural pieces were repaired or replaced as needed and new tin roofs were put on all three bridges in order to keep the weather off vital supporting timbers. Total restoration costs for the covered bridges was approximately $540,000. The difference was covered by county expenditures. Following necessary repairs and upgrades, the Easley Covered Bridge was reopened to motor vehicle traffic on October 22, 2012. In late 2015, cameras were installed at the three remaining covered bridges in Blount County to help deter vandalism after

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

was found on the Easley Covered Bridge a year earlier.ABC Channel 33/40, ''Cameras installed at 3 Blount County covered bridges'' by Alisa Long, October 5, 2015
Retrieved Jan. 30, 2016. It has since been cleaned and re-painted.

Dimensions

Main Span Length: Total Span Length: Deck Width: Vertical Clearance: ''Above measurements are approximate and unofficial. Total span length is not always the same as total bridge length.''

References

* Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges
Easley CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 20, 2007 and Dec. 16, 2009. * Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges

Retrieved Aug. 20, 2007. * Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel
Easley CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 20, 2007. * ''The Decatur Daily''
Easley CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 20, 2007. * Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama

Retrieved Aug. 20, 2007. * American Profile.com

Retrieved Aug. 20, 2007. * Southern Living: Tunnels in Time
Easley CB: Credits
Retrieved Sep. 24, 2007. * BhamWiki. "Easley Bridge".http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Easley_Bridge Retrieved July 12, 2013. (unsourced) * Alabama Power News Center
Easley CB: Credits
Retrieved May 30, 2013. * AL.com via ''The Birmingham News''

Retrieved May 30, 2013. * Ancestry.com SSDI
Horton Mill CB: Credits
Retrieved May 8, 2014.

External links

Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
{{NRHP in Blount County, Alabama Bridges completed in 1927 National Register of Historic Places in Blount County, Alabama Covered bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage Wooden bridges in Alabama Transportation buildings and structures in Blount County, Alabama Tourist attractions in Blount County, Alabama Pedestrian bridges in Alabama Former road bridges in the United States Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Lattice truss bridges in the United States

History

Dimensions

See also

References

External links