The Oakachoy Covered Bridge (sometimes spelled 'Okachoy'), also known as the Thomas Covered Bridge, was a county-owned wooden
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 ...
which spanned
Oakachoy Creek in
Coosa County, Alabama
Coosa County is located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census the population was 10,387. Its county seat is Rockford. Its name derives from a town of the Creek tribe and the Coosa River, which forms o ...
,
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 territorie ...
. It was located in a remote area on the dirt portion of Newman Road off
State Route 259 northeast of the community of
Nixburg, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) southwest of
Alexander City
Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is the largest city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 census. It has been the largest community in Tallapoosa County since 1910. It is know ...
.
Built in 1916, the 56-foot (17-meter) bridge was a modified
Queen-post truss construction over a single span. Its
WGCB number is 01-19-01. The Oakachoy 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 October 28, 1977.
The bridge 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 v ...
on June 14, 1990. It was one of the shortest covered bridges built in Alabama. The Oakachoy Covered Bridge was burned down by vandals on June 2, 2001, ending the existence of the only remaining historic covered bridge in Coosa County. It had been maintained by the Coosa County Commission. The bridge was removed from the National Register on September 23, 2001.
History
The Oakachoy Covered Bridge was built by Melton Harris of homemade timber at a cost of $400 for connecting two county seats,
Rockford in Coosa County and
Dadeville in
Tallapoosa County. It is unknown when the bridge was closed to motor traffic in later years or when it was restored. Nearby are ruts which were forded in Oakachoy Creek by pioneer wagons over 150 years ago. All that remains of the Oakachoy Covered Bridge site are the stone foundations and a wooden post on the east side of the creek which shows obvious charring. Even though the bridge is gone, it is said the site is still haunted by a slave who was lynched and eventually hung inside the bridge many years ago. A major downplay to this legend though is that slavery was abolished throughout the United States with the passing of the
13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865 and the Oakachoy Covered Bridge was known to be the only covered bridge built at the site which wasn't until 1916...well after the end of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. There were other bridges constructed in the vicinity before the Oakachoy Covered Bridge which were short lived.
Photos of the Oakachoy Covered Bridge can be found on a covered bridge website created by Dale J. Travis (linked below).
See also
*
List of Alabama covered bridges
Below is a present list of Alabama covered bridges. There are currently eleven historic covered bridges remaining in the U.S. state of Alabama. Of those, six remain at their original locations.
The comparison between authentic and non-authentic c ...
Notes
References
* Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges
Oakachoy CB: Credits Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
Oakachoy CB: Credits Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama
Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* ''The Alexander City Outlook'' (June 6, 2001), page 1A. Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* Alabama Historical Commission (1969). ''Alabama's Covered Bridges''. Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* Alabama Department of Archives and History
Oakachoy CB: Credits Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* National Register of Historic Places Listings (October 5, 2001)
Retrieved Nov. 1, 2007.
* StrangeUSA.com
Oakachoy CB: Credits Retrieved Nov. 2, 2007.
* TheFederalRegister.com
Oakachoy CB: Credits{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002092809/http://www.thefederalregister.com/d.p/2001-10-02-01-24633 , date=2011-10-02 . Retrieved Nov. 2, 2007.
External links
Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
Covered bridges in Alabama
Bridges completed in 1916
Buildings and structures in Coosa County, Alabama
Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
Wooden bridges in Alabama
Demolished buildings and structures in Alabama
Road bridges in Alabama
Pedestrian bridges in Alabama
Former road bridges in the United States
Buildings and structures demolished in 2001
1916 establishments in Alabama
2001 disestablishments in Alabama
Former National Register of Historic Places in Alabama