List of covered bridges in Alabama facts for kids

Alabama is home to some amazing old bridges that have roofs and walls, called covered bridges! These special bridges were built a long time ago to protect the wooden parts from rain and sun. This helped them last much longer.

Currently, there are eleven historic covered bridges still standing in Alabama. Six of these bridges are still in their original spots where they were first built.

When we talk about covered bridges, some are called "authentic" and others are "non-authentic." This isn't about being fake! It's about how they were built inside. Authentic bridges use a strong framework of crisscrossing beams called a truss. Think of it like a giant puzzle of triangles that makes the bridge super strong. There are many types of trusses, like Howe, Town Lattice, and King-post.

Non-authentic covered bridges often use simpler, straight beams called "stringers" instead of complex trusses. Even though they look like covered bridges, their inside structure is different. In Alabama, the Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge and the Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge are examples of non-authentic bridges because of how they were built.

Historic Covered Bridges in Alabama

Here's a list of the historic covered bridges you can still find in Alabama today. Each one has its own story!

Name	Image	County	Location	Built	Length (ft)	Spans	Notes
Alamuchee-Bellamy		Sumter	Livingston	1861	88	Duck Pond	This bridge was moved to the University of West Alabama campus in 1971.
Clarkson-Legg		Cullman	Bethel	1904	270	Crooked Creek	It's the second longest historic covered bridge in Alabama. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Coldwater		Calhoun	Oxford	ca. 1850	63	outlet of Oxford Lake	Moved to Oxford Lake Park in 1990. This is the oldest covered bridge in Alabama! It's also on the National Register of Historic Places.
Easley		Blount	Rosa	1927	95	Dub Branch -- Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River	This is the oldest of three covered bridges left in Blount County. Cars can still drive over it! It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Gilliland-Reese		Etowah	Gadsden	1899	85	Small Pond near Black Creek	This bridge was moved to Noccalula Falls Park in 1967.
Horton Mill		Blount	Oneonta	1934	220	Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River	This bridge is the highest covered bridge above any waterway in the United States. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Kymulga		Talladega	Childersburg	1861	105	Talladega Creek	You can find this bridge in Kymulga Park. Both the bridge and a nearby old mill were fixed up in 1974. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.
Old Union Crossing		DeKalb	Mentone	ca. 1863	90	West Fork of the Little River	This bridge was first built in Calhoun County. It was moved to its current private location in 1972 and rebuilt in 1980.
Salem-Shotwell		Lee	Opelika	1900	43	Rocky Brook	It was originally 76 feet long. A fallen tree destroyed it in 2005, but it was rebuilt at Opelika Municipal Park.
Swann		Blount	Cleveland	1933	324	Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River	This is the longest historic covered bridge in Alabama! Cars can still drive over it. It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Waldo		Talladega	Waldo	1858	115	Talladega Creek	This private bridge is located behind an old mill, which is now a restaurant.

Modern Covered Bridges

Some newer covered bridges in Alabama are becoming old enough to be considered "historic." For a structure to be called historic by the National Register of Historic Places, it usually needs to be at least fifty years old. Most of these modern covered bridges are privately owned and use the "non-authentic" stringer construction.

Name	Image	County	Location	Built	Length (ft)	Spans	Notes
Askew		Lee	Auburn	1968	24	private stream	This bridge is located at a private home.
Cambron		Madison	Huntsville	1974	90	Cove of Sky Lake	You can find this bridge at the Madison County Nature Trail Park, on top of Green Mountain.
Fosters		Houston	Dothan	1972	24	Outlet to Lochenglen Lake	This bridge is located at a private home.
Gargus		Etowah	Gallant	1966	22	Gargus Bass Lake	This bridge is located at a private home.
Mountain Oaks		Jefferson	Hoover	1970	26	Huckleberry Creek	This bridge is in a neighborhood in Hoover and cars can still drive on it.
Tannehill Valley Estates		Jefferson	McCalla	1972	42	Mill Creek	This bridge is located at Tannehill Ironworks Historical State Park, near an old grist mill.

Images for kids

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  The Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge, built in 1861.

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  The Clarkson-Legg Covered Bridge, a long historic bridge.

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  The Coldwater Covered Bridge, the oldest in Alabama.

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  The Easley Covered Bridge, still open to traffic.

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  The Gilliland-Reese Covered Bridge, moved to Noccalula Falls Park.

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  The Horton Mill Covered Bridge, highest above a U.S. waterway.

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  The Kymulga Covered Bridge, located in a park.

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  The Old Union Crossing Covered Bridge, rebuilt in 1980.

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  The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge, rebuilt after being destroyed.

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  The Swann Covered Bridge, the longest historic covered bridge in Alabama.

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  The Waldo Covered Bridge, a private bridge behind an old mill.

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  The Cambron Covered Bridge at Green Mountain.

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  The Tannehill Valley Estates Covered Bridge.