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Documenting North America's past & present covered bridges

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Miller or Horseshoe Bend, Tallapoosa County

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Inventory Number: AL/01-62-01x
County: Tallapoosa County
Township: Dadeville
Town/Village:
Bridge Name: Miller or Horseshoe Bend
Crosses: Tallapoosa River
Truss type: Town
Spans: 4
Length: 600' covered, 860' overall
Roadway Width: 10.5'
Built: 1887
Builder: Joe Winn
When Lost: Jul 1963
Cause: Collapsed
Latitude: N32 58.606
Longitude: W085 44.430
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: North of Route 49 at the Horseshoe Bend Military Park.

Miller or Horseshoe Bend Bridge, Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, AL Built 1887 Collapsed Jul 1963
Richard Donovan Collection

Miller or Horseshoe Bend Bridge, Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, AL Built 1887 Collapsed Jul 1963
Fred Wunsch Photo, Probably 1951

Miller or Horseshoe Bend Bridge, Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, AL Built 1887 Collapsed Jul 1963
Todd Clark Collection

Miller or Horseshoe Bend Bridge, Dadeville, Tallapoosa County, AL Built 1887 Collapsed Jul 1963
Richard E. Roy Collection, April 5, 1960 Photo, NSPCB Archives

Comments:
This was the longest covered bridge in the United States from 1955 until it collapsed in 1963. 13.2' clearance. In addition to the four 150' covered spans, this bridge also had 5 uncovered spans; 62', 76' 6", and 3 @ 46' 6". The information originally came from a 1948 Alabama DOT inventory. The bridge collapsed unexpectedly in July 1963. The article mentioning its collapse noted that it was built in 1907-1908.

Sources:
Clough, Philip & Betsy. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 1959, page 3
Atlanta Constitution, July 23, 1963
List of Alabama Covered Bridges compiled in July 1953 by Richard Sanders Allen, NSPCB Archives
Alabama Department of Archives & History, digital photo collection
Connecticut River Valley Covered Bridge Society. Bulletin, Volume XI, No. 4 (Spring 1965), page 2

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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