Heading on up Highway 79, we passed a sign for the Swann Covered Bridge, which called for a U turn. Good thing we backtracked because the setting is beautiful, with lots of deep green shade along the river fork. Although the Horton Mill Bridge we visited on our Buck’s Pocket trip is the highest covered bridge over any US waterway, Swann Bridge, which spans the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River, is the longest in Alabama and one of the longest in the country. I noticed that TOR didn’t bat an eye at driving through.
One prominent feature of this bridge is the massive amount of graffiti from one end to the other despite the also prominent sign that states, “Graffiti is a crime. Violators will be arrested and prosecuted.” Apparently, John, Britny, Melissa, Kim. and Harley weren’t worried because all of them spray painted their last names right up there with their first names. Brianna and Jorge were a bit more cautious.
Built in 1933, Swann Bridge was first called “Joy Covered Bridge,” not because it was covered in joy or joyful graffiti but because it connected the town of Cleveland with the nearby community of Joy. However, the bridge was built on property owned by the Swann Farm, and eventually that name won out.
ROAD TRIPS! 