- Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge
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Clarkson–Legg CB
The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge near Cullman, Alabama.Carries pedestrian traffic (vehicles until 1962) Crosses Crooked Creek Locale Bethel, Alabama Maintained by Cullman County Commission ID number 01-22-01 (WGCB) Design Town Lattice truss Total length 270 ft (82 m) Construction end 1904 Coordinates 34°12′27.08″N 86°59′27.35″W / 34.2075222°N 86.9909306°W Clarkson BridgeNearest city: Bethel, Alabama Coordinates: 34°12′27.08″N 86°59′27.35″W / 34.2075222°N 86.9909306°WCoordinates: 34°12′27.08″N 86°59′27.35″W / 34.2075222°N 86.9909306°W Built: 1904 Governing body: County NRHP Reference#: 74000408 [1] Added to NRHP: June 25, 1974 The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge is a county-owned wooden covered bridge that spans Crooked Creek in Cullman County, Alabama, United States. It is located at Clarkson Covered Bridge Park on Central Road (CR 1043) off U.S. Route 278 near the community of Bethel, about 15 miles (24 km) west of Cullman. Coordinates are 34°12′27.08″N 86°59′27.35″W / 34.2075222°N 86.9909306°W, or 34.207522, -86.990931.
Originally built in 1904, the 270-foot (82-meter) bridge (although some other sources say the bridge is only 250 feet long) is a Town Lattice truss construction over four spans. Its WGCB number is 01-22-01. The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 25, 1974. It is currently the second-longest existing covered bridge in Alabama and one of the longest in the United States. The bridge is maintained by the Cullman County Commission.
Contents
History
The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge was constructed over Crooked Creek on property owned by local mail carrier James W. Legg at the cost of US$1,500. It was originally named the Legg Covered Bridge after the landowner, who saw the need for transportation improvement in the area and even supplied much of the materials. A flood destroyed half of the bridge in 1921. Most of the pieces were recovered downstream, and the bridge was able to be rebuilt the following year with help from a contractor hired by Cullman County...ironically, at a cost of US$1,500. The covered bridge remained in service to motor traffic until 1962, when it was bypassed by a nearby concrete bridge. As part of the American Bicentennial Project, the Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge was restored by the Cullman County Commission in 1975 along with a gristmill and log cabin also located at Clarkson Covered Bridge Park. A number of activities are now held at the park, including an annual event by the county called Old-Fashioned Days.
Civil War events
During the American Civil War, skirmishes at Crooked Creek and Hog Mountain occurred on April 30, 1863, in the vicinity of where the Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge currently stands. It was part of a series of engagements which took place throughout Cullman County that day as a band of men led by Union Army Colonel Abel Streight were being pursued by forces led by Confederate Army General Nathan Bedford Forrest (mentioned in the film Forrest Gump). This was due to a result of a failed attempt (later known as Streight's Raid) by Colonel Streight's group to cut off the Western & Atlantic Railroad, in Middle Tennessee, which was supplying Confederate Army forces commanded by General Braxton Bragg.
Notes
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-08-16. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
See also
- List of Alabama covered bridges
- Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge, in Alabama, also with General Nathan Bedford Forrest
References
- Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges. Clarkson–Legg CB: Credits. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
- Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges. Clarkson–Legg CB: Credits. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
- Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel. Clarkson–Legg CB: Credits. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
- The Decatur Daily. Clarkson–Legg CB: Credits. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
- Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama. Clarkson–Legg CB: Credits. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
- Cullman County Parks & Recreation. Clarkson–Legg CB: Credits. Retrieved Aug. 16, 2007.
External links
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Covered bridges in Alabama
- Bridges completed in 1904
- National Register of Historic Places in Cullman County, Alabama
- Bridges on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama
- Wooden bridges in the United States
- Visitor attractions in Cullman County, Alabama
- Road bridges in Alabama
- Pedestrian bridges in Alabama
- Former road bridges in the United States
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