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The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, also known as the Pea Ridge Covered Bridge, is a locally owned wooden
In the early morning hours of June 4, 2005, a severe thunderstorm passed through the Lee County area. High winds caused a tree to fall on the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, causing major damage. The added weight collapsed the bridge into Wacoochee Creek later that day. Being the only historic covered bridge remaining in southeastern Alabama, the loss was heartbreaking. Most of the pieces were able to be recovered over the next few weeks and were stored at a vacant commercial building in Opelika until plans could be made regarding the future of the bridge.
After months of negotiations, the Lee County Commission approved to transfer ownership of what remained of the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge to the City of Opelika during a meeting held on October 31, 2005. An agreement was reached by the Lee County Historical Society and the Opelika Kiwanis Club to reconstruct the bridge over Rocky Brook at Opelika Municipal Park. A resolution was unanimously passed on April 4, 2006, by the Opelika City Council to assist with the bridge relocation and renovations. The project was spearheaded by the Opelika Kiwanis Club, who had already begun a donation drive to raise funds needed in order to proceed with the move. A number of individuals, businesses and organizations donated money for the greatly valued cause.
Reconstruction of Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge eventually began on February 2, 2007, over a section of Rocky Brook which had already been cleared, graded and landscaped for foundation settlement. Due to the amount of usable original materials and in order to fit the new span, the bridge was shortened from 76 feet to 43 feet in length. The Town Lattice truss setup was kept, using many of the pieces which were recovered from Wacoochee Creek. A change was made to the exterior wooden sides covering the lattices, now just draping the bottom section so park visitors can view the brook and other surroundings from inside the bridge. On the original construction, in order to prevent damage from high water, most of the lattices were covered and only the top sections exposed for light. Two lights have been placed inside the bridge for nighttime illumination. The reconstruction project and final landscaping took about six months to complete at a cost of roughly $60,000.
On August 14, 2007, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Opelika Municipal Park to re-open the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge to the public. A piece of history once again stands in Lee County. Current photos of the bridge as well as its reconstruction can be viewed on the Opelika Kiwanis Club website (linked below).
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * ''The Decatur Daily''
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * ''Opelika-Auburn News'' (August 5, 2007)
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * ''Opelika-Auburn News'' (August 15, 2007)
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * City of Opelika
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Lee County, Alabama
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Opelika Kiwanis Club
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * The Shadowlands: Ghosts & Hauntings
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges
Retrieved Feb. 5, 2008.
* ttp://maxshores.com/bridges-to-the-past/ Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridgesbr>Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge *OLD* (Dale J. Travis)Historical Marker Database - Salem Shotwell Covered Bridge
Covered bridges in Alabama Bridges completed in 1900 Transportation buildings and structures in Lee County, Alabama Wooden bridges in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage Tourist attractions in Lee County, Alabama Road bridges in Alabama Pedestrian bridges in Alabama Former road bridges in the United States Relocated buildings and structures in Alabama Lattice truss bridges in the United States
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 Rocky Brook
Rocky Brook is a tributary of the Millstone River in Monmouth and Mercer counties, New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden State Canoeing'', Seneca Press, 2002.
Course
Rocky Brook starts at , near Perrineville. It flows par ...
in Lee County, Alabama
Lee County is a County (United States), county located in east central Alabama. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 174,241. The county seat is Opelika, Alabama, Opelika, and the largest city is Auburn, 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 territorie ...
. It is located halfway down Park Road (formerly the east end of 7th Avenue) at Opelika Municipal Park, which is off North 5th Street in the city of Opelika
Opelika (pronounced ) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County in the east-central part of the U.S. state of Alabama. It is a principal city of the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population of Opelika is ...
. Coordinates are (32.659294, -85.381372).
Originally built in 1900, 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 latticework, lattice. The lattice Truss Bridge was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town.
Originally a design to allow a substantial br ...
construction over a single span. Its WGCB number is 01-41-B, formerly 01-41-04. The 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 January 25, 1977. It was destroyed by a fallen tree in 2005 at its original location near Salem
Salem may refer to: Places
Canada
Ontario
* Bruce County
** Salem, Arran–Elderslie, Ontario, in the municipality of Arran–Elderslie
** Salem, South Bruce, Ontario, in the municipality of South Bruce
* Salem, Dufferin County, Ontario, part ...
, then rebuilt in 2007 at Opelika Municipal Park. The bridge is maintained by the Opelika Kiwanis Club and the City of Opelika.
History
The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge was first built by Otto Puls, originally located over Wacoochee Creek on what is now Shotwell Road (CR 252) just north of the community of Salem (Coordinates (32.609747, -85.208425)). This was about east of its current location. At that time, the bridge was in length...constructed using longleaf heart pine, cedar roof shakes and hand-hewn white oak pegs which joined the latticework, roof trusses and substructure. The bridge shortened the travel time between the communities of Salem and Shotwell. Occasional repairs were made over the years, along with a restoration of the bridge by the Lee County Commission in 1973, but high water and erosion from various storms had once again taken a toll on the bridge supports. Eventually, the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge was closed to motor traffic in 1994 and left to survive the elements.
In the early morning hours of June 4, 2005, a severe thunderstorm passed through the Lee County area. High winds caused a tree to fall on the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, causing major damage. The added weight collapsed the bridge into Wacoochee Creek later that day. Being the only historic covered bridge remaining in southeastern Alabama, the loss was heartbreaking. Most of the pieces were able to be recovered over the next few weeks and were stored at a vacant commercial building in Opelika until plans could be made regarding the future of the bridge.
After months of negotiations, the Lee County Commission approved to transfer ownership of what remained of the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge to the City of Opelika during a meeting held on October 31, 2005. An agreement was reached by the Lee County Historical Society and the Opelika Kiwanis Club to reconstruct the bridge over Rocky Brook at Opelika Municipal Park. A resolution was unanimously passed on April 4, 2006, by the Opelika City Council to assist with the bridge relocation and renovations. The project was spearheaded by the Opelika Kiwanis Club, who had already begun a donation drive to raise funds needed in order to proceed with the move. A number of individuals, businesses and organizations donated money for the greatly valued cause.
Reconstruction of Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge eventually began on February 2, 2007, over a section of Rocky Brook which had already been cleared, graded and landscaped for foundation settlement. Due to the amount of usable original materials and in order to fit the new span, the bridge was shortened from 76 feet to 43 feet in length. The Town Lattice truss setup was kept, using many of the pieces which were recovered from Wacoochee Creek. A change was made to the exterior wooden sides covering the lattices, now just draping the bottom section so park visitors can view the brook and other surroundings from inside the bridge. On the original construction, in order to prevent damage from high water, most of the lattices were covered and only the top sections exposed for light. Two lights have been placed inside the bridge for nighttime illumination. The reconstruction project and final landscaping took about six months to complete at a cost of roughly $60,000.
On August 14, 2007, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at Opelika Municipal Park to re-open the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge to the public. A piece of history once again stands in Lee County. Current photos of the bridge as well as its reconstruction can be viewed on the Opelika Kiwanis Club website (linked below).
Covered Bridge Hauntings
During its time over Wacoochee Creek, the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge was said to have been haunted by children who were killed in a motor vehicle accident near the bridge a number of years ago. Many locals state though that no such incident ever happened. There was a girl who was strangled on the bridge, confirmed by local police officers who had worked the crime scene.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 ...
References
{{Reflist * Dale J. Travis Covered BridgesSalem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * ''The Decatur Daily''
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * ''Opelika-Auburn News'' (August 5, 2007)
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * ''Opelika-Auburn News'' (August 15, 2007)
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * City of Opelika
Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Lee County, Alabama
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Opelika Kiwanis Club
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * The Shadowlands: Ghosts & Hauntings
Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007. * Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges
Retrieved Feb. 5, 2008.
External links
* ttp://maxshores.com/bridges-to-the-past/ Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridgesbr>Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge *OLD* (Dale J. Travis)
Covered bridges in Alabama Bridges completed in 1900 Transportation buildings and structures in Lee County, Alabama Wooden bridges in Alabama Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage Tourist attractions in Lee County, Alabama Road bridges in Alabama Pedestrian bridges in Alabama Former road bridges in the United States Relocated buildings and structures in Alabama Lattice truss bridges in the United States