New Salem Covered Bridge, Commerce Georgia
The New Salem Covered Bridge was built in 1915 by Mr. W. M. Thomas who built a number of covered bridges in Banks County. The bridge is located near the New Salem Church community and takes its name therefrom.
At one time Banks County had 30 covered bridges standing within its borders. Today there are only three. While by-passed now and no longer in use, the New Salem Covered Bridge once provided useful service on a lateral county road, route S992, that connected two north-south highways that serve Commerce and Carnesville, Georgia. Today it stands as a reminder of an earlier period in our history and people stop frequently to examine and photograph this covered bridge.
The New Salem Covered Bridge is one of 21 covered bridges remaining in Georgia. Four of these covered bridges are built of the Kingpost Truss design and the New Salem Covered Bridge is one of these. The Kingpost Truss is the oldest and simplest truss design and was used for short spans. In this case, the truss has been modified so as to support a 47 foot span.
Bridge Description
The New Salem Covered Bridge spans a branch of Grove Creek in Banks County, Georgia, about two miles south of New Salem Church on State Route S992. The bridge has been bypassed by a modern concrete bridge and is no longer in use. The bridge is completely covered and extends 47 feet in length with one span. It is 15 feet wide, overall, and 15½ feet high from the deck to the ridge line of the roof. The bridge rests on concrete abutments. The floor is made of 2 x 6-inch boards with longitudinal runners of 2 x 8-inch boards to provide a smoother surface for traffic and to minimize wear on the deck. The deck joists are made of 3 x 10-inch timbers. The bridge has a sag that drops the deck about one foot at the center of the bridge. The roof is metal with an overhang of one foot on each side and on the ends. The portals are of the plain barn type. The sides are covered with rough-sawn pine boards and batten.
Construction is of the Multiple Kingpost Truss design and the main timbers are 8 x 10 inches in size and all of heart pine. The brace timbers are 3 x 8 inches in size. There are three vertical iron rods, 14s inches in diameter, on each side, compressing the triangles for added strength.
This bridge is structurally weak and stands today only because it has been bypassed and because of the good condition of the roof. The New Salem Covered Bridge is listed as No. 10-06-10 in the "World Guide to Covered Bridges," published by the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, 1972 edition.
