Poinsett Bridge is the oldest bridge in South Carolina and perhaps in the entire southeastern United States. Named for

Joel Roberts Poinsett Joel Roberts Poinsett (March 2, 1779December 12, 1851) was an American physician, diplomat and botanist. He was the first U.S. agent in South America, a member of the South Carolina legislature and the United States House of Representatives, the ...

, it was built in 1820 as part of a road from

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

, to Saluda Mountain. The stone bridge, which includes a Gothic arch and stretches over Little Gap Creek, may have been designed by Robert Mills, architect of the

Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk shaped building within the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775–1784) in the American Revolutionary War and the ...

. Though no longer in use, the bridge remains largely intact and is part of the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve. There is a nature trail a few hundred yards from the bridge. The bridge, about which ghost stories have been told for decades, is located off U.S. Highway 25 north of

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

.After passing

South Carolina Highway 11 South Carolina Highway 11 (SC 11), also known as the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway, is a state highway through the far northern part of the U.S. state of South Carolina, following the southernmost peaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains. T ...

, turn right onto Old US 25. Then turn right onto Callahan Mountain Road near North Saluda Reservoir. Poinsett Bridge is on the left side of Callahan Mountain Road. The bridge was added 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 ...

in 1970.

References

External links

* {{National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Buildings and structures in Greenville County, South Carolina Bridges completed in 1820 Road bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Historic American Engineering Record in South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Greenville County, South Carolina Transportation in Greenville County, South Carolina Stone arch bridges in the United States

See also

References

External links