3rd Congressional District Jack Brinkley______Form 10-300 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Georgia COUNTY: NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Meriwether INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY

(Type all — complete applicable sections)

COMMON: White Oak Creek Covered Bridge AND/OR HISTORIC:

STREET AND NUMBER: /^Covered Bridge Road CITY OR TOWN: southeast 'of Alvaton

Jjeorgia^ 13 Meriwether 199

CATEGORY ACCESSIBLE OWNERSHIP STATUS (Check One) TO THE PUBLIC

Q District Q Building C Public Public Acquisition: SEYes: . . . , | | Restricted D Site S Structure D Privat || In Process Unoccupied ' — ' S Unrestricted D Object D Both [ | Being Considered r-ji —ID Preservation work• in progress ' — 1

PRESENT USE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

O Agricultural Q Government Q Park 2CX Transportation I I Comments

Q Commercial Q Industrial Q Private Residence D Other (Specify) ______Q Educational CD Military [~| Religious

(~| Entertainment CD Museum [~| Scientific lililiiiiiiPiifclPiiiY' OWNER'S NAME: O H Meriwether County (D ^ STREET AND NUMBER: Court House, Court Square Cl TY OR TOWN: Greenville Georgia _li

COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS, ETC: (D o Meriwether County Court House STREET AND NUMBER: H-

r.mir-h . (D Cl TY OR TOWN: Greenville Georgia 13

TITLE OF SURVEY: None DATE OF SURVEY: f-j Federal State County Loco DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS:

STREET AND NUMBER: co

CITY OR TOWN: (Check One)

Excellent D Good gt] Fair Deteriorated Ruins [I Unexposed CONDITION (Check One) (Check One)

Altered 22 Unaltered Moved £5 Original Site

DESCRI BE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (if known) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE \ • --• The White Oak Creek Covered Bridge is of the Long truss type. Built in the late nineteenth century probably by Horace King, it is a panel type with crossed single members between posts marking a series of kingposts with counter braces. This single span bridge is 80 feet in length and is still is use.

•i "ff/3 PERIOD (Check One or More as Appropriate) Q] Pre-Columbian! D 16th Century D 18th Century 20th Century

G 15th Century D 17th Century |X] 19th Century

SPECIFIC DATE(S) (If Applicable and Known) C . 1 fct b 0

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (Check One or More as Appropriate)

Aboriginal | | Education [ | Political | | Urban Planning n Prehistoric [X Engineering Q Religion/Phi- ] Oth D Historic Q Industry losophy History [ | Agriculture I I Invention Q Science

| | Architecture I I Landscape Q] Sculpture D Art Architecture Q Socia l/Human- | | Commerce D Literature itQrjan

| | Communications I | Military Q Theater

| | Conservation | | Music |^J Transportation

STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE \ The White Oak Creek Covered Bridge, one of Georgia's 22 remaining covered bridges, is of the Long truss type. Built c. 1880, it is attributed to Georgia's most famous bridge builder, Horace King/v. The Long truss design for bridge construction was introduced in 1830 by Colonel .Stephen H. Long, better known in Georgia for his work in surveying tHe"route for the state- U owned Western and Atlantic Railroad running between Atlanta ID and Chattanooga. It is thus understandable that this bridge construction type was first designed for railroad use. OS The actual builder of White Oak Creek Covered Bridge was probably Horace King, a slave born in 1807 in South Carolina He was given his freedom in 1848, but continued to work for his former master, John Godwin, a contractor. King built a bridge across the Pee Dee River in South Carolina before moving with LLJ Godwin to Gerard, Alabama. He built his first bridge across LJ the Chattahoochee at Columbus and spent much time in West Georgia building numerous other bridges. He moved c. 1874 to the LaGrange, Georgia area where he continued contracting and building bridges. His three sons John, Marshall, and Washington followed his trade. Alabama Historical Quarterly, 1953 Georgia Magazine, March 1972 Freeman, Mrs. Ben R. , Meriwether Historical Society, Inc. Prese nted first draft of National Register nomination form; on file at the Georgia Historical Commission. "Old Covered Bridges in Georgia." Georgia State Parks Departmer t ) pamphlet. The Sunday Ledger Enquirer Magazine, Columbus, Georgia. Novembe r 14, 1971, "Georgia Kissing Bridges." 1

LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE COORDINATES DEFINING A RECTANGLE LOCATING THE PROPERTY ' ) DEFINING THE CENTER POINT OF A PROPERTY , OF LESS THAN TEN ACRES ————————— ———————————————————————— ———————————————————————— | CORNER LATITUDE LONGITUDE LATITUDE LONGITUDE fJO Is Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds Degrees Minutes Seconds NW ° ° 0 o NE ° ° 33 09 00 84 33 02 SE ° ° SW o » . o APPROXIMATE ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY: leSS than On6 aCr6 ILIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES rn STATE: CODE COUNTY _^—— —— >^ CODE /?>^VL?- ! 17

STATE: CODE COU^4^4: ^J\~T\f\ A---7 CODE H \-£\ ^G/Q-T^I/- y\V d NAME AND TITLE: NS^' /ft/7~~ri— — r^tf'&S \

As the designated State Liaison Officer for the Na­ I hereby certify that this property is included in the tional Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion National Register. in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Service. The recommended Chief, Office of Archeology and/Historic Preservation level of significance of this nomination is: National n State 2T" Local Q /o /7 /ft* / j (1 •&/• —- Date <£ //*/ /73 Name ///AM4S ^Pii^^^i ^t^^l"^ ATTEST: / (l / I / ' / // y\)^KM c—// -A — ^r-y Title State Liaison Officer v_ 4~- // ' vC^t^^^ .^ / ^s Keener «f The National Register

Tyy/ 7 /*?~)**J Date L I f^ / ^3>

KP O Q ft t _O 8 7 / a M D

White Oak Creek Covered

GENERAL HIGHWAY MAP MERIWETHER COUNTY GEORGIA

PREPARED BY THE STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT OF GEORGIA DIVISION OF HIGHWAY PLANNING

IN COOPERATION WITH U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION 'Form 10-301 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR (July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Georgia

NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Meriwether PROPERTY MAP FORM (Type all entries - attach to or enclose with map) 19ft- z o COMMON: White Oak Creek Covered Bridge AND/OR HISTORIC:

STREET AND NUM BER: u Covered Bridge Road CITY OR TOWN: 3 miles southeast of Alvaton

Georgia 13 199 liiipiiiiiiiiiii SOURCE: State Highway Department of UJ l men = l mile T^T pi|iiiiiliiili^ TO BE INCLUDED ON ALL MAPS 1. Property broundaries where required. 2. North arrow. 3. Latitude and longitude reference.