Howard's Covered Bridge

Built in 1904, across Big Cloud Creek, Howard's Covered Bridge is named after the pioneer family that settled this area in the 1700's. The bridge is 164 feet long and constructed in the town lattice design with the planks fastened with wooden pegs or trunnels. The timber used to construct the bridge came from South Georgia and was shipped to Smithonia on the old Smith and Dunlap railroad.

Located in a very isolated section of historic Oglethorpe County, this bridge suffered from neglect and was in desperate need for rehabilitation. Repair work began in April 1998. The original builder of this bridge is listed in Covered Bridges of Georgia as a "Mr. Hunt," which probably is the same person who is known to have built Cromer's Mill bridge: J. M. "Pink" Hunt.

The Covered Bridge Trail of Georgia brochure states that this bridge was built by Pink Hunt and Washington King together. Whoever built the bridge was ambitious: this bridge had the longest main span, 130 feet, of any surviving bridges. At some point in time a wooden pier was built to shore up the long span so the claim of longest unsupported span now belongs to the Red Oak Creek bridge.

The plaque below reads: Built in 1904-05 to replace an earlier structure, this bridge bears the name of a pioneer family who settled near Big Cloud's Creek in the late 1700s. Constructed in the Town lattice design using convict labor, the 164-foot bridge's web of planks crisscrosses at 45- to 60-degree angles and are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection. The south Georgia timber used in the bridge was transported to Smithonia via the Smith and Dunlap Railroad, a standard gauge steam railroad connecting the fam complex of James Monroe Smith with the Georgia Railroad at Dunlap.

As you can clearly see in the pictures, the area around the bridge is not maintained and foliage is growing up all around the structure. During the summer, it is difficult to get a good view of the sides of the bridge. There are no clear pathways down to the creek, on either end of the bridge.

Howard's Covered Bridge, sometimes called Big Cloud Creek Covered Bridge can be easily reached but just as easily missed. It is only a few hundred yards off of Smithonia Rd. on Chandler Silver Rd. However, there is no road sign and Chandler Silver Rd is a dirt road where it intersects Smithonia Rd.