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21-677: Built in 1933, the 324-foot-long (99 m) bridge is a Town lattice truss with three spans. Its WGCB number is 01-05-05. The Swann Covered Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 1981. It is currently the longest existing historic covered bridge in Alabama and second longest in the state overall after the 334-foot-long (102 m) Twin Creek Covered Bridge in Midway, Alabama , which

42-490: Is a cross between Town's lattice truss and the bowstring truss . It was developed in Ireland as a wide-span shallow rise roof truss for industrial structures. McTear & Co of Belfast , Ireland began fabricating these trusses in wood starting around 1866. By 1899, spans of 24 metres (79 ft) had been achieved, and in the 20th century, shipyards and airplane hangars demanded ever greater clear spans. Howard Carroll built

63-488: Is a form of truss bridge that uses many small, closely spaced diagonal elements forming a lattice . The design was patented in 1820 by architect Ithiel Town . Originally a means of erecting a substantial bridge from mere planks employing lower–skilled labor, rather than heavy timbers and more expensive carpenters and equipment, the lattice truss has also been constructed using many relatively light iron or steel members. The individual elements are more easily handled by

84-597: The New Haven Green in New Haven, Connecticut . He demonstrated his virtuosity as an engineer by constructing the spire for Center Church inside the tower and then raising it into place in less than three hours using a special windlass . Trinity Church, built from local seam-faced trap rock and topped with a square tower, was one of the earliest Gothic Revival churches in America. In 1825, Town became one of

105-562: The Potomac River . It was considered one of the most remarkable engineering feats of the time. Town designed his New Haven home on Hillhouse Avenue in the Greek Revival style; here he kept what was then an extraordinary architectural library — an inspiration to many, including Davis and another noted New Haven architect, Henry Austin . His library contained more than 11,000 volumes of architecture books and prints and

126-895: The Shushan Bridge in Washington County, New York . Many other extant covered bridges also employ Town's basic design. The lattice is sometimes called a truss , although it lacks vertical members. In 1829, Town formed one of the first professional architectural firms in the United States with Alexander Jackson Davis , together producing notable buildings in a range of new Revival styles, including Greek , Gothic , Tuscan , and Egyptian . Town also traveled in Europe during this period (1829–30). The firm lasted until 1835; for eighteen months in 1832 and 1833, it operated as Town, Davis, and Dakin, when James H. Dakin joined

147-721: The 19th century. His work, in the Federal and revivalist Greek and Gothic revival architectural styles , was influential and widely copied. Town was born in Thompson, Connecticut , to Archelaus Town, a farmer, and Martha (Johnson) Town. He trained with the eminent Asher Benjamin in Boston and began his own professional career with the Asa Gray House (1810). His earliest important architectural works include Center Church (1812–1815), and Trinity Church (1813–1816), both on

168-501: The Swann Covered Bridge was closed until further notice after an SUV sped around a curve and crashed into its western entrance. The incident was caught on a bridge camera. There was moderate damage to the bridge and concrete support, estimated at a little under $ 50,000. The bridge was reopened by December 31, 2018. On November 15, 2021, a box truck which was apparently too high for the proper clearance damaged both ends of

189-639: The Swann Covered Bridge while passing through it. The bridge was able to remain open to motor vehicle traffic until repairs could be made within the coming weeks. During their January 2022 monthly meeting, the Blount County Commission began to look into placing clearance bars at each end of the Swann and Easley covered bridges along with putting speed bumps at the approaches, recommended by the county engineer, in order to improve motor vehicle safety. The Commission had also voted to permanently close

210-460: The construction workers, but the bridge also requires substantial support during construction. A simple lattice truss will transform the applied loads into a thrust, as the bridge will tend to change length under load. This is resisted by pinning the lattice members to the top and bottom chords, which are more substantial than the lattice members, but which may also be fabricated from relatively small elements rather than large beams. The Belfast truss

231-767: The firm. Their works included the state capitol in New Haven, the city hall and Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut , the capitol buildings of Indiana (1831–1840, demolished 1877), and North Carolina (1833–1840), and the U.S. Custom House, now Federal Hall National Memorial , in New York City (1833–1842). During this time, Town also designed the Potomac Aqueduct in Washington, D.C. (1833–1843), which allowed fully loaded canal boats to cross

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252-481: The first completely wrought-iron lattice truss bridge. This was built for the New York Central Railroad in 1859. Ithiel Town Ithiel Town (October 3, 1784 – June 13, 1844) was an American architect and civil engineer . One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the first half of

273-402: The first of the three to be restored. Wooden structural pieces were repaired or replaced as needed and new tin roofs were put on all three bridges in order to keep the weather off vital supporting timbers. Total restoration costs for the covered bridges was approximately $ 540,000. The difference was covered by county expenditures. Following necessary repairs and upgrades, the Swann Covered Bridge

294-545: The nearby Horton Mill Covered Bridge to motor vehicle traffic, effective April 1, 2022. Main Span Length: 75.1 feet (22.9 m) Total Span Length: 330.1 feet (100.6 m) Deck Width: 16.1 feet (4.9 m) Vertical Clearance: 13 feet (4.0 m) Underclearance: 27 feet (8.2 m) Above measurements are approximate and unofficial. Total span length is not always the same as total bridge length. Lattice truss bridge A lattice truss bridge

315-598: The need for the heavy piers needed for stone arches. The design was widely known throughout the world and made Town wealthy (Town is said to have charged one to two dollars per foot in royalties for his designs). Town's design can still be seen in two of Connecticut 's remaining covered bridges , Bull's Bridge in Kent and West Cornwall Covered Bridge in Cornwall and Sharon , and in the Eagleville Bridge and

336-543: The original members of the National Academy of Design and was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from Yale University . On January 28, 1820, Town was granted a patent for a wooden lattice truss bridge , which became known as the Town Bridge. The design was of great importance because it could be built quickly by relatively unskilled workers from readily available material. The design also avoided

357-411: Was already closed as a result of vandalism which occurred in 2007. Restoration of all three bridges began in late 2011. Money for these projects primarily came from the federal National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program as well as transportation enhancement funds. The $ 469,110 construction contract was awarded to Bob Smith Construction of Trussville, Alabama . The Swann Covered Bridge would be

378-601: Was built in 2000. The Swann Covered Bridge is maintained by the Blount County Commission and the Alabama Department of Transportation . The Swann Covered Bridge was built by a crew led by Zelma C. Tidwell over a scenic gorge of the Locust Fork on property owned by the Swann Farm. It was originally dubbed the 'Joy Covered Bridge', as the bridge connected Cleveland with the nearby community of Joy. The bridge

399-505: Was far larger than any other personal collection anywhere at the time, including that of Sir John Soane in London . The library was amassed at a time when only a handful of significant architecture books had been published in America. Town left many of his books to Yale upon his death; the rest were sold. In 1839, Town commissioned noted American painter Thomas Cole to execute a painting called The Architect's Dream , which now hangs in

420-550: Was reopened to motor vehicle traffic on October 22, 2012. Photos of restoration to the bridge can be viewed via The Birmingham News on AL.com (linked below). In late 2015, cameras were installed at the three remaining covered bridges in Blount County to help deter vandalism after graffiti was found on the Easley Covered Bridge a year earlier. It has since been cleaned and re-painted. On June 9, 2018,

441-556: Was restored by the Blount County Commission in 1979. After the 385-foot-long (117 m) Nectar Covered Bridge (also located in Blount County) burned down in 1993, the Swann Covered Bridge became the longest covered bridge existing in Alabama. It is one of three historic covered bridges remaining in Blount County. After a routine inspection, the Swann Covered Bridge was closed in 2009 due to unsafe conditions along with nearby Easley Covered Bridge . The Horton Mill Covered Bridge

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