Poinsett Bridge August 1, 2017

What better way to start a new month than to visit a new place?  We had more or less put aside our weekly jaunts due to the heat and projects at the house, but we thought it was time to have a new adventure. Our choice this week was Poinsett Bridge north of Greenville, about a 90 minute drive from here, mostly because part of the way is thru back roads.  The bridge was built in 1820, and is thought to be the oldest bridge in South Carolina.

The stone marker at the site reads in part: "This bridge was built on the state road from Greenville to Asheville in 1820".  The bridge was named for the then President of the SC Board of Public Works, Joel Poinsett, who later was the Secretary of War under President Van Buren and co-founder of a science and arts institute which was the predecessor to the Smithsonian.

The design is attributed to Robert Mills, the architect of the Washington Monument

The bridge is only 130 feet long. 

The stones were locally quarried and put together without concrete.

The Little Gap Creek flows under the 14 foot Gothic arch

The bridge was probably constructed  because of the steep cliffs on both sides of the creek, and not the creek itself.

 

The road has long been abandoned, and has become part of the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve.   It was awesome to stand where settlers traveled almost 200 years ago.

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