Wetumpka's Bridges

Wetumpka's Bridges (HM1BDQ)

Location: Wetumpka, AL 36092 Elmore County
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Country: United States of America
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N 32° 32.349', W 86° 12.512'

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Inscription
(side 1)
In 1834, the Wetumpka Toll Bridge Co. built the first of four bridges spanning the Coosa River at this site. It was destroyed in a flood in 1844. A second toll bridge was completed the same year by John Godwin whose slave, Horace King, designed and supervised construction of this covered bridge. Emancipated in 1846, King built numerous bridges in the South and his services were much in demand by the CSA during the Civil War. After the war, he was elected to the state legislature twice by the citizens of Russell Co.

Toll charges for the new bridge were 5 cents for pedestrians or $1 per month for unlimited passage. Passage to church was free. Since the wagon gate closed at 9PM, an extra charge of 25 cents was due the gatekeeper if he was called to open the gate.
(Continued on other side)
(side 2)
(Continued from other side)
Three lighted lanterns hanging from the rafters were the last things seen of the bridge as it washed away in the flood of March 1886. A ferry operated while an iron bridge was built by the Southern Bridge Co. of Birmingham in 1887. By 1927, bridge deterioration led to a joint $177,440 state-county project resulting in the construction of the fourth bridge in 1931. Denmark native Edward Houk designed the graceful Bibb Graves Bridge, named for then-Governor Graves. The bridge became the picturesque centerpiece for the "City of Natural Beauty."
Details
HM NumberHM1BDQ
Tags
Year Placed2003
Placed ByAlabama Historical Association
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 at 2:48pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 574318 N 3600475
Decimal Degrees32.53915000, -86.20853333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 32° 32.349', W 86° 12.512'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds32° 32' 20.94" N, 86° 12' 30.72" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)334
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 101-133 W Bridge St, Wetumpka AL 36092, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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