History of the Bridge

The Jackson County Court of Ordinary ordered that a new bridge be built across the river at Hurricane Shoals, September 16, 1869, and named persons (but not recorded in minutes) to lay a plan and to receive said bridge after it is built. T. L. Ross, Ordinary. The bridge was in use by 1870 and located on a County road a short distance off Georgia 82 Spur, about three miles south of Maysville and north of Jefferson. The bridge was 127 feet long and had “town lattice” type truss, the most popular design among Georgia covered bridges. Jackon County’s beautiful and historic covered bridge burned on May 31, 1972. Jackson County reportedly had one other covered bridge located in the Braselton area, near the Thompson Mill at that time. Only 21 covered bridges remained in Georgia. The top photo was made by Mr. Whitworth Brown in 1969. Miss Jean Flaniger, artist of Athens, reproduced the picture secured by Probate Judge J. T. Wilkes and documents by Miss Laura Tucker and Miss Lurline Collier in June 1979. In 1994, the Tumbling Waters Society pursued federal grant funding through the Intermodal Surface Transportation Enhancement Act (ISTEA) to reconstruct the bridge and develop a history village at the Park. The funding was initially denied. The application was later revised by Steve Reynolds. After much effort, the grant was awarded.