{"nrhp_refnum":"76000617","name":"Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"2 mi. N of Hilton on Old River Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Hilton","county":"Early County","state":"GA","lat":31.30711394700006,"lon":-85.07771023399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-05-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A covered wooden bridge over Coheelee Creek on Old River Road, about two miles north of Hilton in Early County, Georgia, built in 1883 by J. W. Baughman under orders of the Early County Board of Commissioners.","why_significant":"The bridge is one of 22 covered bridges remaining in Georgia and one of 14 still in use. It uses a modified Kingpost truss, reinforced with extra timbers and iron rods to reach 54-foot spans. It is also described as the southernmost covered bridge on a public highway in the United States.","narrative":"Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge carries unpaved Old River Road across Coheelee Creek about two miles north of Hilton, Georgia. J. W. Baughman built it in 1883 under orders of the Early County Board of Commissioners. The structure is fully covered, 140 feet long including approaches, 14 feet wide and 15 feet high at center. It has two 54-foot spans of rough-sawn heart pine, resting on three concrete piers and two abutments. The spans use a Kingpost truss modified with added timbers and iron rods to cover the longer distance. Georgia has only 22 covered bridges left, and 14 remain in use; this one is described as the southernmost covered bridge on a public highway in the United States. In 1957 the county made the Peter Early Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, custodians of the bridge, and a state historical marker was erected in 1958. Repairs followed a 1971 truck collision, and the bridge remains in daily use.","period_of_significance":"1883","architect_builder":"J. W. Baughman","architectural_style":"Modified Kingpost truss covered bridge","criteria":[],"status_note":"Structurally good condition, needing some siding repairs; damaged by a truck in April 1971, repaired soon after, and in daily use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.897657-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/76000617.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000617/0327ae0118-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000617/0327ae0118-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:COHEELEE_COVERED_BRIDGE,_EARLY_COUNTY,_GEORGIA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:COHEELEE_COVERED_BRIDGE,_EARLY_COUNTY,_GEORGIA.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207903","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coheelee_Creek_Covered_Bridge","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q55607861"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/early-county/coheelee-creek-covered-bridge-76000617/"}