On October 23, 2004, Kennesaw Outdoor Activities Club (KOAC) traveled to Madison County in Comer,
Georgia to spend an afternoon hiking and exploring Georgia’s own “Bridge of Madison County.”
Our explorations took us back in time to the 1800’s as the population of our new country grew. It was a time
where it became necessary to find an alternative way to transport larger numbers of people and heavier loads
of goods over waterways without relying on ferries or wooden logs strung across them. In 1808 the first partially
covered bridge was built in New York State; before long thousands of these bridges spread across the country.
At one time over 200 such bridges were in Georgia; about 15 remain today.
Watson Mill Bridge is the longest original-site covered bridge in the state and also one of the longest in the
country. Still open to pedestrian and vehicular traffic, this covered bridge spans 229 feet across the South Fork
River in a Georgia State Park that bears its name. It was built almost 120 years ago in 1885 by Watson W. King,
one of three sons of the prominent covered bridge builder, a former South Carolina slave, Horace King (1807-1888).
Horace King was of black, white and Cherokee Indian blood, a slave for half of his life, earning his freedom as
a distinguished bridge builder. A large number of the covered bridges still standing in Georgia were built by Horace
or one of his sons.
This picturesque park offers camping, picnic tables and pavillions, hiking, biking, horse trails, fishing and boating.
Our group enjoyed two hikes that day, one before our picnic lunch; the second one after watching some young
children sliding down the cool shoals of the river.
Come and join us for some great hikes and camps.
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