Water towers of this type are known as stand pipes.
Old Water Tower, 1923, Gordon
1 Reply
Tag Archives: Georgia Engineering
Smith-McGee Bridge, 1922, Hart County
Built as a privately-owned toll bridge spanning the Savannah River at the Georgia-South Carolina state line, the Smith-McGee Bridge was purchased by Georgia and South Carolina in 1926 and the toll removed. It’s a good example of the once-common camelback through truss design.
It was replaced with a new bridge in 1983. The eastern section of the bridge has been removed but it is open to pedestrians and is a popular spot for viewing the river.
Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge, 1840s, Imlac
Red Oak Creek is a beautiful tributary of the Flint River. A free public park with picnic tables is located at the bridge for the many who travel here every year.
Located in the Imlac Community, near Woodbury and Gay, the Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge is sometimes referred to as the Imlac Bridge. The historical marker erected in 2001 notes: This bridge was built in the 1840s by freed slave and noted bridge builder Horace King (1807-1885). Constructed on the Town lattice design, the bridge’s web of planks crisscrossing at 45- to 60-degree angles are fastened at each intersection with a total of approximately 2,500 wooden pegs, or trunnels. Although King is credited with the construction of many covered bridges throughout west Georgia, this is his only surviving bridge of this design. At 391 feet, including the approaches, this structure is the oldest and longest wooden covered bridge in Georgia.
The design of the bridge is known as “Town lattice”, for the criss-crossing beams set in a lattice pattern and pegged at the joints and attached to spliced horizontal timbers which formed the girders for the span. The inventor of this style, Ithiel Town, was a Connecticut architect. He is said to have made a dollar a foot from contractors all over the country who built bridges using his durable design. It was a very popular style.
The covered portion of the bridge is 116 feet; its total span is 412 feet. There are approximately 2500 wooden pegs holding the truss together. For more, see the National Register nomination form.
Horace King (1807-1885)was born enslaved in South Carolina in 1807. He was given his freedom in 1848 by his enslaver, John Godwin, but continued to work for him. Godwin was a contractor and his jobs often needed the skill of King. King built a bridge spanning the Chattahoochee at Columbus, and later moved to the LaGrange area, where he was responsible for the construction of numerous covered bridges. His sons [John, Marshall, & Washington] followed him in this trade.
National Register of Historic Places
Sidney Lanier Bridge, 2003, Brunswick
At 7779 feet, the Sidney Lanier Bridge has the longest span of any bridge in Georgia. Reaching a height of 480 feet, it’s a replacement for the 1956 vertical-lift bridge of the same name. On 7 November 1972 the African Neptune struck the earlier bridge, resulting in ten deaths. On 3 May 1987 that bridge was again struck, this time by the Polish freighter Ziemia Bialostocka. Like Savannah’s Talmadge Bridge, the new bridge’s cable-stayed construction is more stable and allows the necessary greater height for the booming container ship traffic of the Georgia coast.
Abandoned Wooden Bridge, Screven County
Near the ghost town of Ogeechee on the Ogeechee River this wooden bridge still stands alongside a newer bridge, built in 1970. I imagine it was a scary trip on the Old Ogeechee Road back in the day, especially during flood stage.
Brunswick-St. Simons Causeway Marker, 1950
This rarely noticed historic marker beside the Visitor’s Club gives some insight as to the history of the busy F. J. Torras Causeway connecting the mainland to St. Simons Island. The route was named in honor of longtime Brunswick engineer Fernando Joseph Torras in 1953. Torras was the engineer of the original modern causeway, built in 1923, built by the Virginia Bridge & Iron Works. The larger plaque lists the city and county commissioners and others involved in the 1950 causeway, built by Tidewater Construction Corporation with the consultation of Sverdrup & Parcel. Torras was also involved, as the executive clerk, in the construction of the second causeway.
Watson Mill Bridge, 1885, Oglethorpe County
Georgia’s longest covered bridge is one of my favorite places. Watson Mill Bridge was built in 1885 over the South Fork of the Broad River by Washington (WW) King, son of the freed slave and great bridge builder, Horace King. The bridge is supported by the town lattice truss system and wooden pins.
The bridge is accessible at Watson Mill Bridge State Park, near Comer. It’s truly one of the most picturesque and beautiful outdoor spots in all of Georgia. Fewer than 20 of Georgia’s 200 historic covered bridges remain.
Lake Blackshear Dam, 1930, Warwick
Also known as the Warwick Dam, the larger complex known as Plant Crisp was devised in 1925 as a way for Crisp County to generate its own electrical power. It’s unique in that it was the first county-owned, -constructed and -operated power dam in the United States. The reservoir it created became known as Lake Blackshear in honor of David Blackshear, the commander of nearby Fort Early. I’m amazed by the fact that Crisp County had the foresight to be power independent long before most communities had any such ideas. It has also served the area well as a recreation hub for the better part of a century.
Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge, 1892 & 1997, Upson County
Originally known as the Zorn’s Mill or Hootenville Bridge, this historic 96-foot covered bridge was built in 1892 by the firm of Herring & Alford at a cost of $1,199. Dr. Herring was both a prominent physician and well-known bridge builder in central Georgia until his death in 1911.
The bridge was destroyed by floods in 1994 and rebuilt in 1997.
National Register of Historic Places
Old Hoggard Mill Bridge, Baker County
I can’t locate anything about the history of this bridge, but it provides one of the most scenic views in all of South Georgia. Kyle West writes: I worked out there for about 8 years. In fact, I installed the lights on the bridge for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. The story of the bridge as was told to me was that it was the original Highway 91 bridge and when the state moved the highway to the present location they were going to demo and Mr. Woodruff bought it from the state to keep them from doing away with it.
The girder style construction is a bit complex for a dirt road and the view as you near the end of the bridge is of the iconic Ichauway Store.
