This bridge is a hot mess! It has been poorly maintained, which just breaks my heart. I could hear it creaking under the stress of my weight as I walked through, being careful not to step on missing or decayed floor boards. Some so decayed I could see the ground below them. I certainly hope the County of Oglethorpe has plans to renovate this amazing 1840’s structure. It was repaired in 1998 according to some sources, but needs a massive overhaul in my opinion. If this bridge were human, it would be in need of life support. Loosing this piece of history would be a real shame. Howard’s Bridge(aka Big Clouds Creek Bridge) has the privilege of being part of the legacy that was and is Horace King. If you’ve read my other covered bridge reviews you have been introduced to Horace by now. But if not, just know he was a slave of African American and Indian descent whom won his freedom due to his excellent engineering skills. A skill he passed onto his sons, to which the eldest(Washington King) took a lead part in building this bridge. According to reports, this bridge has the longest main span of any of the current surviving bridges in Georgia @ 252.5 feet. Sometime in the past few decades the bridge was fitted with a central support pier, thus giving Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge the title for longest unsupported span. FINALTHOUGHT I have a list of all the bridges in Georgia that once existed on record. So far I have visited two empty sights where these covered bridges once stood. They were victims of vandals and neglect. All that remains of them are toppled stone foundations and abandoned creek shores once active with passer’s by. Please Oglethorpe County; don’t let this important piece of history fall by the wayside. We have less than 18 remaining and they need and deserve protection and restoration for this generation and the ones to come.
