Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge - Horace King part 1 - The oldest covered bridge in GA, built in 1840

Built in 1840, 21 years before the civil war this covered bridge is a masterpiece of the Towns Lattice style of bridge that Horace King was noted for. Put together with over 2000 two-inch pegs and no nails it has survived over 182 continuous years of daily use. It remains a testament to the engineering genius of Horace King. What a story...from slave to free man to state legislator in Alabama. One-third African American, one third Catawba Indian and one third Caucasian. His owner saw something special in Horace and had him educated which was against the law at that time to educate a slave, and his owner could have lost everything. Horace worked extremely hard and had a great ability in engineering of bridges and sawmills, houses and grist mills and the like. Horace soon worked his way to being a free man and became a partner and a life-long friend with John Godwin. He built bridges in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and more states during his career....and there is so very much more to the story......