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Concord or Ruffs Mill or Nickajack Creek, Cobb County

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Inventory Number: GA/10-33-02
County: Cobb County
Township:
Town/Village: Smyrna
Bridge Name: Concord or Ruffs Mill or Nickajack Creek
Crosses: Nickajack Creek
Truss type: Modified Queen
Spans: 2
Length: 132'
Roadway Width: 13.6'
Built: 1891
Builder: John Wesley Ruff
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N33 50.953
Longitude: W084 33.535
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 4.2 miles north of I-185 exit 15 on GA280, then 2.4 miles left on Concord Rd.

Concord or Ruffs Mill or Nickajack Creek Bridge, Smyrna, Cobb County, GA. Built 1872
Elna Johnson Collection

Concord or Ruffs Mill or Nickajack Creek Bridge, Smyrna, Cobb County, GA. Built 1872
Bill Caswell Photo, July 14, 2009

Concord or Ruffs Mill or Nickajack Creek Bridge, Smyrna, Cobb County, GA. Built 1872
Richard Sanders Allen Collection, NSPCB Archives

Comments:
The present structure replaced an earlier bridge at this site although details of earlier bridges at the location are unclear. It has been stated that a bridge built circa 1842 was burned during the Civil War by Sherman’s troops on July 4, 1864. It was built using a dry natural stone center pier that may have been from the previous bridge. The location was originally a private bridge and taken over by the county. Per The Atlanta Constitution, April 30, 1880 (from the Marietta Journal), "The recent heavy rains have been very damaging to mill dams, bridges, fences and farms in this county. Down on Nickajack creek, Ruff’s, Hunt’s, and Eaton’s mill dams were washed away, and Dodgen’s mill floor was ripped up. When the dam at Ruff’s mill gave way, the county bridge at that place was swept away, and the mud, sand and rock filled the pond of the Concord factory completely up, leaving a small creek channel where the water flows over the dam. How to get about one hundred car loads of dirt out of that pond, is a question of momentous importance to the Concord factory." So, the bridge was destroyed in the 1880 flooding. It is uncertain if the bridge was a covered bridge at this time. The present structure was likely built in 1891 by John Wesley Ruff who lived nearby. The Marietta Journal of June 9, 1891 included the following advertisement: “To Bridge Contractors. Sealed bids will be received at this office until 5 o’clock, p.m. July 11th, next, to furnish material and build a modern bridge across Nickajack creek at Ruff’s Mill. The bridge will be about 135 feet long. The propriety of making it a covered bridge will be considered. Full particulars can be learned at this office. Right reserved to reject any or all bids. JM Stone ordinary.” On September 17, 1891, the same paper reported that “Work has begun on the pillars of Concord’s new bridge, (J W Ruff contractor). When finished this bridge will be one of the best in the county.” Per the Marietta Journal, October 22, 1891, "By the end of the present week Concord can lay claim to the best bridge in the county." Per the Marietta Journal, November 19, 1891, "Concord’s new covered bridge is finished and painted. It is a very solid structure, of good material and has the appearance of durability. J W Ruff is repairing, remodeling and adding improvements to his house." In the 1950s, a concrete pier was added on each side of the center pier for additional support and gave the bridge the appearance of having four spans. At the same time, eight longitudinal steel I-beams were added under the floor beams to strengthen the structure. It is the longest two-span covered bridge remaining in Georgia. Repairs were completed in 1999 at a cost of $151,188.00. It carries the highest traffic rate of Georgia’s covered bridges, making it a dangerous bridge to visit. Concord Road is narrow and winding at the bridge site, affording no parking at or near the bridge. The creek is heavily wooded, with moderate exposure of the bridge at close range. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1980. In 2017, a steel frame was added inside the bridge for additional support.

Sources:
Marietta Journal, October 22, 1891.
Marietta Journal, June 9, 1891
French, Thomas L., Jr. & Edwards. Covered Bridges of Georgia, 1984, page 26
http://www.smyrnahistory.org/_history_ofsmyrna.htm
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume XXXVI, No. 3, Summer 1978, page 8
Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society of Pennsylvania. Portals, Volume 6, number 2 (June 1966), page 7
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 7

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