Elder Mill Covered Bridge

Photo by me, October 2024.

The number of covered bridges remaining in Georgia is either thirteen or fifteen depending on the source of information you consult. I cannot say which is accurate as I have not visited them all, but I have seen many of them. 

 

Long ago, there were over two hundred and fifty covered bridges in Georgia and as time and engineering moved forward, covered bridges fell out of use. Many of these bridges were torn down and replaced by steel and concrete, others were victims of neglect and some were lost due to arson. Seeing and driving across one today reminds me of the one I often crossed over Nickajack Creek with my mother out Saturday shopping in the 1970s and 80s. That bridge, which still stands today, is the Concord Covered Bridge in Cobb County, Georgia.

Photo by me, October 2024.

Photo by me, October 2024.

In rural Oconee County in the eastern part of Georgia is Elder Mill Covered Bridge. It is located a few miles south of the town of Watkinsville off the Greensboro Highway on Elder Mill Road.

Photo by me, October 2024.

Photo by me, October 2024.

The bridge dates back to 1897 and was built by Nathaniel Richardson. The bridge was originally constructed in a different location in the county. Before being moved to its current location in 1924 over Rose Creek, it crossed Calls Creek to the north between Watkinsville and Athens.

Photo by me, October 2024.

Photo by me, October 2024.

The ninety-nine foot bridge remains functional to traffic and is one of the few covered bridges in the state that has not been reinforced by steel.

Photo by me, October 2024.

 

Photo by me, October 2024.

Photo by me, October 2024.

 

The scenery around the bridge and Rose Creek is pretty in that woodsy rural northern Georgia way and it is worth spending time climbing over the rocks and listening to the relaxing sound of the water. It should be noted that one should be respectful of the marked private property that is adjacent.

A barrier to prevent over-sized vehicles from crossing the bridge. Photo by me, October 2024.

Elder Mill Road approaching the bridge from the Greensboro Highway is paved with asphalt and the road on the other end continues on as a gravel road through the woods and by pasture land. There is room enough for two vehicles to park at the southern end of the bridge beside the road.

 

Haralson Mill Covered Bridge

 

The Haralson Mill Covered Bridge. Photo by me, February 2023.

Though there is nothing historic about the Haralson Mill Covered Bridge, it does not mean that it is not a beautiful and scenic location worthy of a visit.

Approaching the bridge from the south. Photo by me, February 2023.

 

The later winter gray at Parker Lake. Photo by me, February 2023.

 

The bridge is located on Haralson Mill Road in a rural part of northern Rockdale County near the Walton and Gwinnett County lines just south of the Rosebud community and north of Conyers. The road winds through the woods and by open fields and is a pretty drive with a view of Parker Lake.

The lattice work of the bridge. Photo by me, February 2023.

 

The bridge is 150 feet long and 36 feet wide and has two lanes for vehicular traffic. It is also pedestrian accessible with a separated walking lane. It is a wood bridge built in 1997 resting on concrete piers faced in granite to give it a historical touch. The covered bridge crosses Big Haynes Creek as it empties into Parker Lake.

The trail for the parking area. Photo by me, February 2023.

The bridge through the woods. Photo by me, February 2023.

The woods along the trail. Photo by me, February 2023.

Parker Lake. Photo by me, February 2023.

Adjacent to the bridge is a short trail through the woods down to the water. 

 

Good old Woodsy Owl.

When I visited in late February of 2023, there were a dozen or so scattered beer cans left by the lake and in the water. Some selfish and lazy jerk or jerks with no respect for nature decided to have a party and leave a mess for the rest of us. I despise litterbugs. I grew up in the 1970s and 80s with Woodsy Owl teaching kids to, "give a hoot! Don't Pollute." He was omnipresent in our lives as kids then and it stuck with me since. In  modern society, with more advanced technology, very different lifestyles and educational systems, a character like Woodsy Owl probably has little chance of making an impact on today's youth.

Photo by me, February 2023.

Just before the bridge, approaching from the south, and across from an old farmhouse is this curious wooden structure. It looks to have been a general store or maybe a school house at one time; perhaps it was even a house. I suspect this building is not original to the area and was moved to that spot. The stone work around it is not old and has a modern drain cut out in the front. The building combined with the gray weather and isolated location made it feel rather spooky on the day I visited - I enjoyed that.

High Falls, Alabama

Photo by me, July 2016.

As with most places in Alabama, High Falls waterfall is in the middle of nowhere in the northern part of the state a few miles east of the Tennessee River. Once you turn off the main road you find yourself driving between large fields, chicken farms and down narrow little roads that are more like lanes but at least they are paved. This waterfall is off the beaten path even by Alabama standards and is not all that well known outside of locals but it is worth a visit.

Photo by me, July 2016.

A walk down a path from the parking lot, through a picnic area and you emerge through the tree canopy to find the waterfall from an overlook. Unfortunately, when I came it was the driest time in summer and the water flow was low. So what is probably a beautiful waterfall in more wet weather was little more than a small trickle cascading thirty-five feet over the rocks into a pool below. It was so dry that the view was more of a rocky cliff than a waterfall. I recommend coming after a heavy rain or in the winter if you want to see more water gushing over the cliff.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Still the lack of water did not deter people from enjoying the rocks to jump down into the pool of water below. With the lack of raging water this was actually a great place to go swimming on a hot summer's day.

Photo by me, July 2016.

As you can see the water here in Town Creek is very shallow as it approaches the waterfall and you can easily walk out to the edge without getting swept away when the water is low.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

The calm waters were reflecting the sky well on a hot July day.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

To have a better view of the landscape there is a pedestrian bridge above the waterfall.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Photo by me, July 2016.

Prior to the current bridge there had been a covered bridge that spanned the shallow creek. As with some many things, especially covered bridges, the bridge was lost to time and burned in the 1950s.

Photo by me, July 2016.

The only remaining portions of the covered bridge are the original stone support pillars from the early 1920s.

For more information and directions to this out of the way place you can go here.

Euharlee Covered Bridge

Photo by me, July 2017.

July of last year I was loafing around Northwest Georgia and stopped in the town of Euharlee in Bartow County to see the Euharlee Covered Bridge. It had been a long time, probably the early 1990s, since I was in this part of Bartow County and I was surprised by the growth. It seems the natural beauty that I have long admired about this county is slowly being plowed and paved over by sprawl fanning out from Atlanta. People have long said that it was eventual that the area between Chattanooga and Atlanta was to become one long morass of sprawl and I believe it. Enjoy the natural beauty of these areas while you can before it becomes subdivisions and shopping centers.

Photo by me, July 2017.

A brief history of the area notes that Euharlee became an incorporated town in 1870, but European settlers were in the area for at least four decades prior and Native American Indians for a much longer period. Bartow County was created in 1832 and originally named Cass County. It would not receive its current name until 1861 when the namesake General Lewis Cass opted to support the Union.

Earlier bridges over Euharlee Creek had first occupied the spot of today's covered bridge. The last one, before the covered bridge was erected, collapsed in 1871 killing two men on a wagon.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

The covered bridge was constructed in 1886 and has a length of 138 feet. The bridge was in use until the late 1970s, but cars now use a nearby concrete bridge.

Though I grew up in neighboring Paulding County, we spent significant time in Bartow County. We camped at Lake Allatoona and took Sunday car drives in the area in the 1970s. Given my age at the time I do not specifically remember crossing the covered bridge, but I suppose it is possible.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

The bridge is of the town-lattice design which is the common type of covered bridge found in Georgia. The timber used to construct the bridge is pine.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

The supports underneath the bridge are made of stone.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Looking up at the underside of the bridge you can see the crisscross  pattern of the beams.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Walking across the bridge you can see daylight coming up through the wood treads and the creek down below.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Adjacent to the bridge are the ruins of the Lowry Grist Mill which predates the town and covered bridge. The mill was built by Nathaniel Burgess in 1834 and later sold. The eventual owner was Daniel Lowry II.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Today, all that remains of the old mill are the stone walls of the foundation.

Photo by me, July 2017.

Photo by me, July 2017.

There are other historical buildings remaining in Euharlee and even an old well. 

The natural beauty that remains in this part of Bartow County is worth seeing and so is the history that has been preserved. If you are a fan of covered bridges then Euharlee is a nice one to visit.