Poole's Mill Covered Bridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Poole's Mill Covered Bridge
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Nearest city | Cumming, Georgia |
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| Built | 1900 |
| Architect | John Wofford, Bud Gentry |
| NRHP reference No. | 75000593 |
| Added to NRHP | April 1, 1975 |
Poole's Mill Bridge is a historic wooden covered bridge in Forsyth County, Georgia. It crosses over Settendown Creek. This creek flows into the Etowah River. The bridge was built in 1901 and is 96 feet long. It's a cool example of old-time building!
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The Early History of Poole's Mill
Long ago, around 1820, a Cherokee leader named Chief George Welch lived here. He built a gristmill, which grinds grain into flour. He also built a sawmill to cut wood. Plus, he made a simple open bridge across the creek. Chief Welch took care of these mills and the bridge for many years. This was before the Cherokee people moved from their lands in 1838.
New Owners and Changes
After Chief Welch, the land changed hands. John Maynard won the land in a special drawing called the Georgia Land Lotteries. He then sold it to Jacob Scudder. After Scudder passed away in 1870, Dr. M.L. Pool bought the mill and bridge.
Later, in 1920, a cotton gin was added to the site. A cotton gin helps separate cotton fibers from their seeds. But local farmers soon started raising chickens instead of cotton. So, the mill was not used much after 1947. Sadly, the mill building burned down in 1959.
Building the Covered Bridge
The first bridge at this spot was washed away by a big flood in 1899. People decided to build a new, stronger bridge. They chose a special design called the Lattice truss bridge style. This design uses many wooden beams crisscrossing each other.
A Unique Construction Story
The plan for the new bridge used wooden pegs. These pegs were meant to hold the wooden beams together. The beams were cut right there at the sawmill. But when they drilled the holes for the pegs, some were in the wrong places!
Bud Gentry then took over the building project. He made sure the holes were drilled correctly. You can still see the old, misdrilled holes in the bridge's beams today. It's a cool reminder of how the bridge was built!
Poole's Mill Park Today
In the mid-1990s, the bridge started to sag a bit. So, people worked together to fix it up. They built a strong support pier in the middle of the creek. This helped make the bridge safe again.
During this time, some people also gave their land away. This allowed for the creation of Poole's Mill Park. Now, the bridge is part of a beautiful park. Visitors can enjoy the historic bridge and the nature around it.
- Poole's Mill Covered Bridge, by Katie Caldwell, Georgia Backroads, vol. 7, No. 2, Summer 2008, p. 6.
