The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge, more simply known as Clarkson Covered Bridge, is a county-owned wooden

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

that spans Crooked Creek in

Cullman County, Alabama Cullman County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 87,866. Its county seat and largest city is Cullman. Its name is in honor of Colonel John G. Cullmann. ...

, United States. It is located at Clarkson Covered Bridge Park on County Road 1043 (CR 1043) off

U.S. Route 278 U.S. Route 278 (US 278) is a parallel route of US 78. It currently runs for from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, to Wickes, Arkansas at US 71/ US 59, passing through five states in the process. Landmarks along its route incl ...

near the community of Bethel, about west of Cullman. Originally built in 1904, the bridge (although some other sources say the bridge is only 250 ft long) is a Town

lattice truss A lattice truss bridge is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice. The design was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town. Originally a means of erecting a substantial bridge from mere p ...

construction over four spans. The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on June 25, 1974. It is currently the second longest existing historic covered bridge in Alabama and third longest overall in the state after the Twin Creek Covered Bridge in

Midway, Alabama Midway is a town located in eastern Bullock County, Alabama, Bullock County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 421. Old Merritt School Margaret Elizabeth Merritt of Midway sold two acres ...

and

Swann Covered Bridge The Swann Covered Bridge, also called the Joy Covered Bridge or Swann-Joy Covered Bridge, is a county-owned, wood-and-metal combination style covered bridge that spans the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River in Blount County, Alabama, United ...

Cleveland, Alabama Cleveland is a town in Blount County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 1,245. History Cleveland was settled in the 1820s, and had grown into a small community by the early 1880s. It was initially known as Dry Cr ...

.Flickr - Twin Creek Covered Bridge
Retrieved Jun. 8, 2020. The bridge is maintained by the Cullman County Commission.

History

The Clarkson–Legg Covered Bridge was constructed over Crooked Creek in 1904 on property owned by local mail carrier James W. Legg at the cost of $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, also at a cost of $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. On Christmas Day of 2015, many of the paths and walkways within Clarkson Covered Bridge Park were damaged due to flooding after of rain fell in a 24-hour period. The covered bridge itself was unharmed. Although the flood was not as significant as the one which occurred in 1921, it did require the park to be closed to the public while repairs were made. The park reopened on January 13, 2016.CullmanSense.com, ''Clarkson Covered Bridge Park Reopens After Christmas Flood'' by Will Hougue, January 16, 2016
, Retrieved Feb. 2, 2016.
Retrieved Feb. 2, 2016.

Civil War events

During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, 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 Abel Delos Streight (June 17, 1828 – May 27, 1892) was a peacetime lumber merchant and publisher, and was commissioned a United States Army / Union Army colonel in the American Civil War (1861-1865). His command precipitated a notable caval ...

were being pursued by forces led by

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...

General

Nathan Bedford Forrest Nathan Bedford Forrest (July 13, 1821October 29, 1877) was an List of slave traders of the United States, American slave trader, active in the lower Mississippi River valley, who served as a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Con ...

. This was due to a result of a failed attempt (later known as

Streight's Raid Streight's Raid (19 April – 3 May 1863) took place in northern Alabama during the American Civil War (1861-1865). It was led by Union Army Col. Abel D. Streight (1828-1892) and opposed by the Confederate States Army of Brig. Gen. Nathan Bed ...

) by Colonel Streight's group to cut off the

Western & Atlantic Railroad The Western & Atlantic Railroad of the State of Georgia (W&A) is a railroad owned by the State of Georgia and currently leased by CSX, which CSX operates in the Southeastern United States from Atlanta, Georgia, to Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was f ...

, in

Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee that composes roughly the central portion of the state. It is delineated according to state law as 41 of the state's 95 counties. Middle Tennessee contains the state's capital an ...

, which was supplying Confederate Army forces commanded by General

Braxton Bragg Braxton Bragg (March 22, 1817 – September 27, 1876) was an American army Officer (armed forces), officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and Confederate General officers in the Confederate States Army, general in th ...

History

Civil War events

See also

References

Further reading