Miller Covered Bridge

Miller Covered Bridge. 1908~1963. Completed in 1908, the bridge was the first to span the Tallapoosa River between Dadeville and New Site. It was named in honor of Nora E. Miller, who owned the land upon which the bridge was located. Dadeville builder W. H. Wynn and his son, Will, constructed the bridge at a cost of $13,896. The five large support pilings were fashioned from stones from the riverbank. Local heart pine timber formed the trusses and lattice work. The original roof was made of wooden shingles, later replaced by tin. Instead of nails, 1600 oak pegs held the bridge together. At 858 feet, it was the longest covered bridge in Alabama and one of the longest in the United States. , Heavier automobiles rendered the Miller Bridge obsolete and in 1955 a new bridge made of concrete opened alongside. With disuse, the original structure deteriorated. After the creation of the Horseshoe Bend National Military Park in 1959, local preservationists hoped to raise enough funds to restore the old bridge as a pedestrian walkway. These hopes ended on June 23, 1963, when a large portion of the bridge collapsed into the river. The remnants of the bridge were removed soon thereafter.