Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge - Hootenville Covered Bridge, Thomaston Georgia
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- Georgia
- Covered Bridges
- Town Lattice Truss
The Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge was constructed in 1898 by Dr. J. W. Herring (1823-1911), a practicing physician and also a member of the Commission Roads and Revenue of Upson County. He also had some engineering ability for he constructed several bridges and other structures in the county.
The Hootenville Militia District carries the name of the Hootenville Community, a once thriving section of Upson County, where, in 1848, Martin Van Buren made an overnight stop in his campaign for the presidency of the United States.
This is the only covered bridge remaining on a public road in the area referred to locally as Middle Georgia.
The Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge is one of 22 covered bridges remaining in Georgia and one of only 14 still in use. Thirteen of Georgia's remaining covered bridges are built of the Town Lattice design and the Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge is one of these. The Town, Truss was designed and patented in 1820 by Ithiel Town, an architect of New Haven, Connecticut. Town realized the need for a covered bridge truss that could be quickly built by a carpenter, and his was the first truly American design. The design consists of a web of light planks crisscrossed at an angle of 45 to 60 degrees, like a lattice, and fastened together with wooden pins or trunnels at each intersection.
It is the most popular design for covered bridges.
Bridge Description
The Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge spans Auchumpkee Creek in the Hootenville Militia District of Upson County, Georgia. The bridge is completely covered and extends 120 feet 9 inches in length resting on two native stone piers held together with cement. The bridge is 18 feet high from the deck to the center of the roof at the ridge line, and 17 feet 8 inches wide, overall. Construction is of the Town Lattice design and all wood is rough-sawn heart pine. The diagonals are 3 x 10 inches in size and there are two pins at each intersection. Unlike most Town Lattice bridges in Georgia which have two lower chords, this bridge has only one. It is made of 3 x 10 inch timbers as is the single upper chord. Both chords are made of doubled timbers. The floor sills are made of 6 x 8-inch timbers with joists of 3 x 10-inch timbers laid on top. The floor is made of 3 x 12-inch timbers and there are longitudinal runners made of 2 x 12's to provide a smoother surface for traffic. The sides of this bridge are covered with boards and batten of pine. Each pier is set back twelve feet on center from the end of the truss.
Originally, this bridge had a roof of split oak shingles. Today it has a metal roof. This is the only alteration that has been made in its appearance.
The east end of this bridge has a 29-foot approach made of wood resting on a stone abutment. The west end approach is 25 feet long, also built of timbers, and resting on a stone abutment. The overall length of the bridge and approaches is 174 feet 9 inches.
The Auchumpkee Creek Covered Bridge is listed as No. 10-145-02 in the "World Guide to Covered Bridges," published by the National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges, Inc., 1965 edition.