A Covered Bridge Safari with the Keatings

CB Travels, Western NY to Blue Ridge, Ga.

 

Sunday, 2 May 2004

Hi Joe,

We left home in western New York state about noon, on Friday, April 16.

My wife and I baby sit our only grandchild, Julia, three mornings a week. Although our daughter lined up babysitters while we are gone, she was unable to find someone for this morning who was trained to perform the specialized therapy that Julia needs every morning due to her Cystic Fibrosis, an incurable genetic disease. My wife, Lisette and I are both trained to do this therapy.

We stopped for the night in Medina, Ohio. On Saturday we headed for Maysville, Kentucky, where we had a reservation at the Ramada Inn. On Saturday night and Sunday morning we found the Walcott, Dover, and Johnson Creek covered bridges. On Monday morning we found the Euharlee Creek covered bridge.

We used the Kentucky Covered Bridge website for directions - http://www.hultgren.org/things/bridges/ and the Northern Kentucky tourism office (www.nktourism.com) brochure that has a map with covered bridge symbols, but website directions are much better.

Tom Keating

 

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Blue Ridge To Duluth, Ga.

Monday, 3 May 2004

Hi Joe,

We left Blue Ridge on Tuesday, April 20th, going towards suburban Atlanta, where my wife's relatives live. On the way we saw the Euharlee Creek, Poole's Mill, and Concord covered bridges.

I think that the Euharlee Creek covered bridge is interesting because of the fact that it was built by Washington W. King, son of Horace King, a former slave. Horace King was made a free man by his master about 1848. His master taught him the art of building covered bridges, and got the state of Alabama to pass a law confirming Horace's freedom (kidnaping and enslaving free black persons was a frequent occurrence). He also got the states of Alabama and Georgia to pass laws stating that Horace King could bid on covered bridge projects on equal terms with white men. I don't recall the master's name but I think it is in Richard T. Donovan's book "Covered Bridges of the Southeast US." Also, you can do a Google search on Horace King. His grandson was building covered bridges in Georgia and Alabama as late as the 1930's.

We used directions from the Georgia covered bridge website http://www.dot.state.ga.us/specialsubjects/specialinterest/covered/index.shtml.

Tuesday afternoon we arrived at Norcross, in suburban Atlanta, where my wife's relatives live. Wednesday morning we went to Stone Mountain Park, owned by the state of Georgia. We decided to buy the all day tickets for $19, rather than pay $7.50 for each attraction. First we rode the Stone Mountain train around the mountain. Then we took the tramway to the top of the mountain.

Finally we drove to the covered bridge. The sign said that it was moved from Athens, Ga at a cost of $18,000. The WGCB says the move took place in 1965. I have included three photos of it. One was taken from the paddle wheel boat "Scarlet O'Hara" on Stone Mountain Lake. It was a pleasant boat ride, with views of the covered bridge and a carillon.

On Thursday we went to the Southeastern Railway Museum, in nearby Duluth. There is a 12 minute train ride, and a large number of railroad cars and engines. I have attached two scans, an engine and an engine wheel with Lisette.

On Friday, we will be heading home, via seven more covered bridges in northern Georgia. So I found a local AAA office and got a more detailed map of North Georgia. It shows three covered bridges, one of which, Kilgore's Mill, is not on the list we have from the Georgia website. It turns out that it burned down, which we found out after spending some time looking for it. When we got home, I checked the lost covered bridge website and found it was destroyed in 1993.

Tom Keating

 

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Duluth to Amicalola Falls State Park, Ga.

Wednesday, 5 May 2004

Hi Joe,

On Friday morning, we left Norcross to find more covered bridges. We decided to skip Lula covered bridge because the website directions say it is private, owner does not give permission to enter, etc. Many of these bridges had signs telling you where to turn. Liz says"Bless their heart!!"

We saw the Rockdale County (not historic, built 1997, no #), Elder's Mill, Watson's Mill--located in a very nice state park, Howard, and Cromer's Mill covered bridges.

We stopped for the night in Dahlonega. In the morning we went to Amicalola Falls State Park, which has a very pretty waterfall. There are two pictures of the footbridge in front of the waterfall, One with telephoto lens. I am on the footbridge in both pictures. Liz stopped when she saw the sign that "425 steps going up"

Tom Keating

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Amicalola, Ga to Campbell's CB, SC

Thursday, 6 May 2004

Hi Joe,

We left Amicalola Falls and drove to Stovall's Mill covered bridge(shown on that N. Ga. map from AAA). Then we went to Tallulah Gorge State Park, Ga. The Tallulah Falls are quite pretty. There is a two-mile loop trail, with 425 steps going down to a suspension footbridge. The visitor center clerk told us to continue on after crossing the footbridge, rather than returning to go up the 425 steps. She didn't tell us that there were still close to 300 steps going up after the footbridge. The suspension footbridge only swayed a little, until five young, power walkers crossed from the other side. Then it vibrated like a drum.

We spent the night in Lavonia,Ga. On Sunday we entered South Carolina on I-85, but got off at exit 1, to drive the Cherokee Foothills Parkway (SC11). We got off the parkway to visit Stumphouse Mountain Park, which has Issaqueena Falls, a 200 ft cascade. However the overlook is only about 150 ft. from the top of the falls and it is impossible to get the whole falls in one picture. We used a map from the SC tourism office and another map from www.upcountry.com which shows secondary roads (including the ones needed to get to Campbell's covered bridge). The SC state map shows the Campbell bridge, but not the secondary roads.

Next stop was Cowpens National Battlefield Park, site of a Revolutionary War battle (1-17-1780) between US soldiers under Gen. Daniel Morgan and British cavalry/dragoons under Colonel Banastre Tarleton, model for the chief bad guy in the Mel Gibson movie "Patriot".

In the movie, Gibson kills the bad guy. In real life, Tarleton went back to Britain, served in Parliament, became a member of Wellington's card playing group, and died a peaceful death of old age. More info can be found in an excellent book"Partisans and Redcoats" by Walter Edgar. Mr. Edgar spoke about his book on C-SPAN. He commented that some British newspapers protested about the brutality in the movie "Patriot." He said that, in fact, the movie toned down the British ruthless behavior. He further stated if the combatants were judged by today's laws, Tarleton would be considered a war criminal. However, he went to say that there was cruelty on both sides, with Loyalists/Tories and US soldiers burning each others homes. Tarleton is notorious for the battle of Waxhaws, SC (5-29-1780), where his dragoons attacked and overwhelmed about 400 Virginia patriots. They attempted to surrender. Tarleton's men, following their leader's example, killed every last one.

US soldiers under Morgan defeated Tarleton's dragoons at Cowpens. Tarleton escaped. Some US soldiers wanted to kill all the British soldiers, crying "Tarleton's Quarters!" but US officers managed to stop this. Sorry no pictures from Cowpens. There is a loop trail about 1.5 miles long with interpretive signs. There is also a well done movie presentation of the battle, with a computerized map depiction of the battle.

One of the signs at Cowpens or Kings Mountain Battlefield Parks quoted from a militia muster: "Five free men of colour" were in this battle.

Tom Keating

 

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Cowpens, SC to Western NY

Saturday, 8 May 2004

Hi Joe,

We left Cowpens Park and drove back to the parkway and then to I-85. We drove to NC, got off at exit 1, and took route 216 back to SC and Kings Mtn National Battlefield Park(see scan of cool sign), considered by many historians to be the turning point in the war in the south.

By 1780, the war was at a stalemate. England had decided to re-establish the southern colonies, march north to join loyalist troops at Chesapeake Bay, and claim the seaboard.

Major Patrick Ferguson, in command of the British at Kings Mtn, was the only Briton who fought there, the rest of the soldiers were loyalists colonists that Ferguson had recruited. Ferguson had about 1100 soldiers on Kings Mtn, a plateau about 600 yards long by 60 yards wide. There is a 1.5 mile loop paved trail that takes you to the top of the plateau. About 1800 US soldiers were commanded by Colonel William Campbell, from Virginia(I don't know if he was related to Campbell's bridge Campbell).

Ferguson had threatened to lay waste to the property of all who did not join him. This enraged the "over the mountain men"(west of the Appalachians) and they joined with men from the Carolinas and Virginia to defeat Ferguson once and for all. This they did on Oct. 7, 1780. Ferguson refused to surrender and was killed. Although Tarleton and his men were not present, cries of "Tarleton's Quarter" were heard when the Loyalists tried to surrender. Ferguson's second in command, a Captain DePeyster, hoisted a white flag and American officers were able to stop the killing and take about 800 men prisoner.

Captain DePeyster lost all his property and relocated to New Brunswick(province in Canada with many covered bridges). Cornwallis had to give up his plan of winning the war with soldiers recruited from the colonies. British General Clinton called this defeat "the first link in a chain of evils that...ended in a total loss of America." Defeat at Cowpens followed on 1-17-1781. Surrender at Yorktown and the end of combat came 10-19-1781(thanks to a French fleet blocking Cornwallis' escape via water). The visitor center has an excellent movie with re-enactors and maps showing the battle. Liz liked this movie better than the one at Cowpens. We stopped in Gastonia,NC for the night.

On Monday we drove to Hickory, NC to see the Bunker Hill covered bridge, using directions from www.hickorymetro.com. Unfortunately, the bridge and Museum are only open W,F, and Sun.,9-4. The gate was closed and locked. We parked in the driveway. Liz used a path around the gate to walk to the bridge while I waited in the car, ready to speak to inquiring authorities if necessary. None came, and Liz got her picture (see scan).

We drove to Beckley, WV., and stopped for the night. On Monday we drove to Hawks Nest State Park, W.Va., on the New River gorge. The John Marshall Tower was built here about 1839, in honor of a visit by Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, John Marshall, a native Virginian(this was part of the state of Virginia, then). It is now used for rest rooms. We walked a couple of short trails and then drove on, stopping for lunch at a Subway off I-79. While we were eating, someone backed into our parked car, and then came inside and identified herself! Yes Virginia, there are honest people in the world!!

We stopped in Waynesburg, Greene County,Pa. for the night. While in Waynesburg we drove to the White, Carmichael's (see note), Woods, Scott, Cox Farm (WGCB calls it Lippincott), and Shriver covered bridges

We used the Evans book and a Greene County map from the Pa. Welcome Center(www.co.greene.pa.us). The book had only the 1 mistake. Kudos to the Evans for a fine book!! The King Br,Pa-38-30-24, was gone, only stone abutments remained. King Sister Rd. was barricaded. We could see construction machinery and workers. No clue as to what the new bridge will be like.

We arrived home on Weds., April 28, in plenty of time for the Cystic Fibrosis Walkathon on May 15-16. For more info on this disease, go to www.cff.org Liz incorporated all of her covered bridge photos into her cb scrapbook. She gets her ideas from "Scrapbooking" a show on DIY, a cable tv channel.

Tom Keating

[Note--directions from "Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges" by Benjamin D. Evans and June R. Evans are incorrect. On p.135, it says "In Carmichaels, at the intersection of E. George St. and Vine St., go east on Vine St for 1 block to Market St. " Market St. runs off of E. George St. not Vine St. We found this out after driving up and down Vine St in both directions from the intersection.]