Elder Mill Covered Bridge

The Elder Mill Covered Bridge in Oconee County, Georgia.

 I'm sure I've mentioned before that one of my interests, along with old mills, is covered bridges. I've always been fascinated by them. This might have something to do with the fact that I grew up close to one. I attended high school in the little community of Williams, on White River in southern Indiana. Just a mile or so away is one of Indiana's longer covered bridges. It was in daily use on a heavily traveled road in those days, but is now closed to traffic, which has been rerouted to a modern bridge a short distance away.

I began photographing Georgia's covered bridges years before I began the Backroads and Byways book project and as far as I know have photographed all of them.

I found the Elder Mill Covered Bridge while I was working on the book. It's south of Watkinsville in east central Georgia's Oconee County. Take Georgia 15 for about four miles and turn right on Elder Mill Road for about a mile to the bridge. 

Originally built by Nathaniel Richardson over Calls Creek on the Watkinsville-Athens Road in 1897, the bridge was moved by wagon (don't ask me how they did that) to its present location over Rose Creek in 1924. It uses the sturdy Town lattice construction, with heavy planks fastened together with wooden pegs. The 99-foot-long bridge is in daily use and is one of very few covered bridges in Georgia to carry traffic without underlying steel support beams. However there is a size and weight restriction in the form of steel frames at each end of the bridge. I barely made it through with my RAM 3500 pickup. 

Looking upstream on Rose Creek to the Elder Mill Bridge.

Elder's Grist Mill still stands about a hundred yards downstream, on private property. (So no photo.) It has been out of business for many years. It can be viewed by walking down the creek bank.

(Both photos made with Canon EOS 6D, 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 lens.)

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Photography and text copyright 2023 David B.Jenkins.

I post Monday, Wednesday, and Friday unless life gets in the way.

Soli Gloria Deo -- For the glory of God alone.