Presented by:
J M Hillman, PE & LS
The Clarkson Covered Bridge is
located west of I-65 along US Highway 278 - 8 miles and
then north along Cullman County Road 1043. This is the
site of the Battle of Hog Mountain and an Alabama Park.
The bridge superstructure consists of two 125' span
Ethiel Town lattice truss. This structure represents an
era of civil engineering dating from 1840 until early
1900's which spawned approximately 500 bridges in Alabama
and Georgia alone. As of this date Alabama has identified
14 remaining and Georgia 12. Typically, these structures
were assembled on a temporary framework over a period of
months which when eventually removed and, at the
astonishment of onlookers, the bridge would sustain its
own load. Traditionally the builder was the first person
to pass over the bridge afterwards. Cullman County has
received an Alabama Historical Society grant for a total
$45,000, which requires $22,500 of matching funds for the
preservation of this Cullman County legacy. Natural aging
and vandalism have taken their toll on the Clarkson
Bridge and maintenance is needed to insure that present
and future generations can enjoy this example of American
ingenuity.
Remediation efforts are labor and
material intensive. Help is needed in a variety of
disciplines. We are soliciting assistance from
experienced professionals: - Computer drafting to model
the existing structure - Structural steel for temporary
shoring and bracing H piling - Surveying experienced -
Experienced carpenters and carpenter helpers - Heavy
equipment such as backhoe(s) large and small, cranes and
small loaders - Painters with pressure equipment - A
sawmill capable of sawn lumber to match the existing
timbers. Also we will need the lumber to be kiln dried. -
other similar and related labor.
The project will extend for approximately two years, including procurement, planning, grant administration and finally construction. Those persons and firms interested in donating time and/or materials will be carefully evaluated for potential effectiveness and final plans developed dependent upon the resources found available.
A web site has been developed to allow interested persons to communicate with the project staff. You may donate funds, labor, equipment or just visit the site. Should you have direct knowledge of the bridge history or those persons that originally worked on the bridge, we would like to receive your comments.
