The Waldo Covered Bridge, also known as the Riddle Mill Covered Bridge, is a privately owned wood & 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

Talladega Creek Talladega may refer to: *Talladega, Alabama, a city in northern Alabama, USA *Talladega County, Alabama, which has the city of Talladega as its seat *Talladega National Forest in Alabama *Battle of Talladega, fought between the Tennessee militia an ...

Talladega County, Alabama Talladega County (pronounced Talla-dig-a) is a County (United States), county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama."ACES Winston County Office" (links/history), Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES), 2007, webpa ...

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 off State Route 77 just south of the town of

Waldo Waldo may refer to: People * Waldo (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Waldo (surname), a list of people * Waldo (footballer) (1934-2019), full name Waldo Machado da Silva, Brazilian footballer Places Canada * Waldo, ...

, about southeast of Talladega. Coordinates are (33.379106, −86.028853). Built in 1858, the {{convert, 115, ft, m, adj=on bridge is a combination of

Howe truss A Howe truss is a truss bridge consisting of chords, verticals, and diagonals whose vertical members are in tension and whose diagonal members are in compression. The Howe truss was invented by William Howe in 1840, and was widely used as a bridg ...

and Queen-post truss construction over a single span. Its WGCB number is 01-61-02. The Waldo Covered Bridge is currently eligible for addition 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 ...

. It is the second oldest surviving covered bridge in the state, although it is also the only one not being maintained.

History

The Waldo Covered Bridge was built on an old Socopatoy Indian trail behind Riddle's Mill, a grist mill which was later converted into the Waldo Town Hall and then a restaurant. Nearby is the Riddle's Hole gold mine, which operated from 1840 through

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The bridge was used as an access route in April 1865 by

Wilson's Raid Wilson's Raid was a cavalry operation through Alabama and Georgia in March–April 1865, late in the American Civil War. Brig. Gen. James H. Wilson led his Union Army Cavalry Corps to destroy Southern manufacturing facilities and was opposed ...

ers during 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 ...

, a

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

group led by

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

James H. Wilson James Harrison Wilson (September 2, 1837 – February 23, 1925) was a United States Army topographic engineer and a Union Army Major General in the American Civil War. He served as an aide to Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan during the Maryland Camp ...

. The bridge was open to traffic in later years, possibly for mine access during its operation, but condemned by the state in the 1960s and the approaches removed as overall maintenance remained minimal. Even though there was extensive restoration work done to the Waldo Covered Bridge in recent years as part of establishing a recreational park, the project was soon scrapped. As a result, the structure was left to sit on its two stone piers "as is." The Waldo Covered Bridge is currently inaccessible to the public but people can walk the grounds with permission from the Old Mill Restaurant. There were plans by the owners to once again restore the bridge, but time and money have been major issues. The restaurant closed and the property went up for sale. The restaurant is now open under new ownership.

References

* Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges
Waldo CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007. * Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
Waldo CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007. * Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel
Waldo CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007. * ''The Decatur Daily''
Waldo CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007. * Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama

Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007. * Daily Home Online

Retrieved Aug. 14, 2007. * Alabama Historical Commission (1969). ''Alabama's Covered Bridges''. Retrieved Oct. 27, 2007. * Alabama Department of Archives and History
Waldo CB: Credits
Retrieved Oct. 27, 2007. * Bridgehunter.com
Waldo CB: Credits
Retrieved Aug. 14, 2013.

External links

Covered bridges in Alabama Bridges completed in 1858 Transportation buildings and structures in Talladega County, Alabama Wooden bridges in Alabama Road bridges in Alabama Queen post truss bridges in the United States Howe truss bridges in the United States

History

See also

References

External links