Visiting covered bridges is a favorite of ours. We get to drive somewhere new, often stop for lunch along the way, and explore a bit. There are around 800–900 wooden covered bridges in the United States, mostly found in Pennsylvania (200+), Ohio (140-ish), Vermont (100+), and Indiana (100-ish). I didn’t expect to see any in the South, so imagine my surprise when we drove into Helen and quickly passed by the Stovall Mill Covered Bridge. We backtracked a couple of days later to take a proper look.

While in Dahlonega, I picked up a tiny mountain guide at the visitor center, and it listed five covered bridges in Northern Georgia. We visited two on this trip, and I’ll share the other three at the end.

This beautiful bridge was built in 1901 and crosses Settendown Creek. It’s located in the 10-acre Poole’s Mill Park, which has a lovely picnic area, a playground, restrooms, and a few short trails—making it a great place to linger for a while.

Cherokee Chief George Welch built a grist mill on this site, along with a large home, around 1820. He also added an uncovered bridge. Welch was an established businessman and is best known for signing an amendment to the Treaty of New Echota that was intended to protect disabled members of the Cherokee community. The treaty arranged for the sale of Cherokee land to the U.S. government for $5 million and was highly controversial among the Cherokee people.

During this period, Cherokee leaders arranged for tribal land in what is now Oklahoma, where their nation lives today. In 1838, the Cherokee were forcibly removed from this area of Georgia and traveled along the Trail of Tears. It is believed that Welch was assassinated in 1840 for his role in signing the treaty. His gravesite is unknown.

After Welch lost his land, it was sold to Jacob Scudder and later purchased by Dr. M. L. Poole in 1880. The original uncovered bridge was washed away in 1899 and replaced with this 96-foot covered bridge in 1901. The bridge features a town lattice design, with planks set at 45- to 60-degree angles and fastened with wooden pegs. Unfortunately, the holes were initially bored incorrectly, and builder Bud Gentry had to rebore them in the proper places.

After falling into disrepair, the land was donated to the state in the 1990s. The bridge was restored, and the park opened to the public in 1997.

AdQuick unlocks the benefits of Out Of Home (OOH) advertising in a way no one else has. Approaching the problem with eyes to performance, created for marketers with the engineering excellence you’ve come to expect for the internet.

Marketers agree OOH is one of the best ways for building brand awareness, reaching new customers, and reinforcing your brand message. It’s just been difficult to scale. But with AdQuick, you can easily plan, deploy and measure campaigns just as easily as digital ads, making them a no-brainer to add to your team’s toolbox.

Learn more now.

This cute bridge, just outside of Helen, is sadly covered in graffiti on the inside. Built in 1895, it is a single-lane span and, at just 38 feet long, is Georgia’s shortest covered bridge. There is a parking lot and a small picnic area, but it’s not the most comfortable spot to spend much time.

A bridge, along with a grist, saw, and shingle mill, was originally built on this site in the late 1880s by Fred Dover. That bridge washed away in the 1890s. Builder Will Pardue replaced it in 1895 with a modified queen post truss design, consisting of two vertical posts supported by iron rods.

The bridge is named after Fred Stovall Sr., a miller who purchased Dover’s buildings and land in 1917. While the mill itself washed away in 1964, the bridge remains intact.

The bridge was featured in Susan Hayward’s film I’d Climb the Highest Mountain, released in 1951. During filming, Hayward nearly lost her life after slipping near a waterfall she was photographing. The experience didn’t deter her—she fell in love with the area and later owned a farm with her second husband. She split her time between Beverly Hills and Northern Georgia until her death in 1975.

…I feature them often here in my Weekly Journeys. I also have a few longer articles on my blog, including pieces on Vermont and New York. As promised, here are the other three covered bridges in Northern Georgia:

We’re already planning another trip back to Northern Georgia, and I’m sure I’ll visit these bridges at some point. Next week, I’ll be sharing the final bits from our Georgia adventures, including the Hardman Farm Historic Site and the Folk Pottery Museum.

‘til next week, happy exploring!
Kathleen

Check out Beehiiv. Click below for free 30-day trial + 20% OFF for 3 months.

We’re spending the winter in Florida and the Keys are on my bucket list. This newsletter vibes well with how I travel.

To help you plan your trips, we link to stays and tours. Some of these links are affiliate links, meaning that if you book a trip or sign-up through these links, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. (For example, the link above to check out Beehiiv is an affiliate link.)