Below is a present list of Alabama covered bridges. There are currently eleven historic
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 ...
s remaining in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
. Of those, six remain at their original locations.
The comparison between authentic and non-authentic covered bridges are by how they are constructed. Covered bridges made with stringers instead of traditional style
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
es are considered non-authentic, although in some terms, a stringer construction is also a type of truss. Examples of truss construction on covered bridges include Howe,
Town Lattice
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 ...
,
Queen-post
A queen post is a tension member in a truss that can span longer openings than a king post truss. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post truss uses two. Even though it is a tension member, rather than a compression ...
,
King-post
A king post (or king-post or kingpost) is a central vertical post used in architectural or bridge designs, working in tension to support a beam below from a truss apex above (whereas a crown post, though visually similar, supports items above fro ...
, Haupt,
Burr,
Brown
Brown is a color. It can be considered a composite color, but it is mainly a darker shade of orange. In the CMYK color model used in printing or painting, brown is usually made by combining the colors orange and black. In the RGB color model used ...
and Pratt. Of the existing historic covered bridges in Alabama, the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge and the Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge are classified as non-authentic based on their current construction.
These modern covered bridges shown below either have or will soon have historic eligibility. According to 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 v ...
, a structure needs to be at least fifty years old to be considered historic although there are other criteria as part of the evaluation to be listed such as integrity and significance. All are classified as non-authentic covered bridges with most of them being privately owned.
Below is a list of some historic covered bridges in Alabama which were eventually destroyed, removed or altered.
NOTE:
Tallaseehatchee Creek and
Tallasseehatchee Creek are two different waterways. One is located in Talladega County, while the other is in Calhoun County (also called Tallahatchee Creek).
References
* Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 13, 2007.
* Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 13, 2007.
* Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 13, 2007.
* ''The Decatur Daily''
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 13, 2007.
* Auburn University: The Plainsman
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007.
* Library of Congress - Prints & Photographs Reading Room
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007.
* TopoZone
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
* Rootsweb (USGenWeb Archives Project - Alabama)
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 25, 2007.
* ''The Alexander City Outlook'' (June 6, 2001), page 1A. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2007.
* Alabama Historical Commission (1969). ''Alabama's Covered Bridges''. Retrieved Oct. 25, 2007.
* ''The Anniston Star'' (September 4, 1975), page 1A. Retrieved Oct. 26, 2007.
* Alabama Department of Archives and History
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Oct. 26, 2007.
* Encyclopedia of Alabama - Horace King
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved May 19, 2013.
* Wetumpka's Bridges
Retrieved May 19, 2013.
* Covered Spans of Yesteryear
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 12, 2013.
* The Historic Huntsville Quarterly (Fall-Winter 1993)
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Aug. 13, 2013.
* ''The Anniston Star'' (June 14, 1964), page 3A. Retrieved Apr. 30, 2014.
* ''The Anniston Star'' (February 20, 1936), page 7. Retrieved Apr. 30, 2014.
* ADAH Digital Collection
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved Apr. 30, 2014.
* Library of Congress
AL Covered Bridges: Credits Retrieved May 8, 2014.
* U.S. National Park Service. . Retrieved May 8, 2014.
* ''The Cullman Democrat'' (March 24, 1932), page 1. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
* ''The Cullman Democrat'' (October 7, 1937), page 1. Retrieved May 8, 2014.
* National Register of Historic Places
Retrieved Jun. 3, 2014.
External links
Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered BridgesADAH Digital Collections (Alabama Historical Archives)
{{Covered bridges in the United States, state=collapsed
*
Alabama covered bridges
Bridges, covered
Bridges, covered