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Elder Mill Covered Bridge

5.0 (8 reviews)

Elder Mill Covered Bridge Photos

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Richard R.

There are very few covered bridges remaining in Georgia. There are even fewer that are still functionally able to support vehicular traffic. Welcome to Elder Mill Covered Bridge. The original location for this bridge was along Watkinsvlle-Athens Road, but was moved in 1924 because it was going to be replaced with a more durable concrete bridge. Since it was only 25 years old at the time of its move, it was relocated over Rose Creek to serve nearby Elder Mill. The Mill (which closed in 1941) is also still in existence, but is now on private property. HISTORICAL SOCIETY MARKER reads: "Built in 1897 by Nathaniel Richardson, this 99-foot-long bridge originally carried the Watkinsville-Athens Road over Calls Creek. It was moved here to Rose Creek in 1924 and the road was relocated to its present site. The nearby c. 1900 grist mill ceased operation in 1941. Constructed in the Town lattice design, the bridges web of planks crisscrossing at 45- to 60-degree angles are fastened with wooden pegs, or trunnels, at each intersection. It is one of the few covered bridges in Georgia continuing to carry traffic without underlying steel beams. " FINAL THOUGHTS I can't explain it, but this bridge has swag! The setting doesn't allow the bridge to come into view until you are within about a hundred yards as you are traveling downhill towards the creek. You get to see the full view of the bridge including the rooftop, and THAT is both cool and unique among the bridges I've visited thus far. The creek below looked interesting, so I climb down the embankment for a visit. It's narrows enough to use the rocks to jump over to the other side (if you feel physically capable). Bottom line, this is one cool covered bridge. Get out and explore Georgia.

The Bridge

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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8 years ago

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12 years ago

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5 years ago

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11 years ago

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5 years ago

It's a local landmark! The plaque proves it, right? It's worth an out of the way trip to see the bridge.

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8 years ago

What an unexpected surprise! This wonderful, historical little bridge is definitely worth the drive if you are anywhere near.

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The Tree That Owns Itself - View from the street.

The Tree That Owns Itself

4.7(15 reviews)
10.6 mi

This local attraction is a curiosity in that some professor deeded the land surrounding to the tree…read moreitself as a sort of thought experiment. This is kind of silly, but it hearkens back to the purpose of having colleges and college towns in the first place, which is doing thought experiments. It's on a residential street in a cramped, historic neighborhood. All the surrounding houses are private properties, so there's not much to see here. You can just walk by and ponder whether trees can actually have property rights.

It's a tree that was planted with love and desire. A must…read moresee if you are in Athens. The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree that, according to legend, has legal ownership of itself and of all land within eight feet of its base. Also known as the Jackson Oak, the tree is at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia, US. The earliest-known telling of the tree's story comes from "Deeded to Itself", a front-page article in the Athens Weekly Banner on August 12, 1890. The article explains that the tree had been located on the property of Colonel William Henry Jackson.[1] William Jackson was the son of James Jackson, a soldier in the American Revolution as well as a Congressman, US Senator, and Governor of Georgia, and the father of another James Jackson, a Congressman and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Georgia. He was the brother of Jabez Young Jackson, also a Congressman. William Jackson was reportedly a professor at the University of Georgia and is sometimes mentioned with the title of Doctor. The nature of his military service and the source of the title Colonel are unknown.] Jackson supposedly cherished childhood memories of the tree, and, desiring to protect it, deeded to it the ownership of itself and its surrounding land. By various accounts, this transaction took place between 1820 and 1832. **THE TREE IS NEXT TO A PRIVATE HOME AND PRIVATE DRIVE PLEASE DO NOT PARK**

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The Tree That Owns Itself - The Tree That Owns Itself, Athens

The Tree That Owns Itself, Athens

The Tree That Owns Itself - The Tree That Owns Itself, Athens

The Tree That Owns Itself, Athens

The Tree That Owns Itself - Thoughtful....

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Trail Creek Trestle - A unique and lovely structure.

Trail Creek Trestle

5.0(1 review)
10.5 mi

Today I was driving through Athens, Georgia when I can across a strange but beautiful sight. It was…read morean old wooden railroad trestle that seemed to suddenly and abruptly stop in a field along Poplar Street. Being the curious soul that I am, I stopped to take a few pictures and marked my location on my GPS so I could use it to create a yelp page later if I found the trestle to be of any historic significance. My hunch was right, it is indeed significant. I discovered this trestle was once part of the CSX railroad system that connected Athens to Atlanta and the world. CSX offered the old decaying rail system to the city, but city officials declined and in the year 2000, CSX began demolition of the old trestle. However, the mayor underestimated just how important this piece of history was not only to Athens, but the music world as well. You see, the 1980's band R.E.M. used this particular trestle as the cover photo for their 1983 album titled Murmur. It was Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". The band was from Athens, GA and the album cover as well as the trestle itself had become iconic to the bands fans around the world. Protests over the demolition of the trestle broke out and forced the city to negotiate with CSX to halt demolition of the structure. Unfortunately much of the trestle had already been destroyed, but thankfully a major portion of it was saved. I hear the city has plans to use it as a tourist attraction, but in the meantime it stands untouched since demolition halted. Still, it is a gorgeous site that presents unique and rustic photo opportunities. You can still see the concrete base for the trestle that once went over Poplar Street. Use the entrance to the North Oconee River Greenway Trail just behind Mama's Boy restaurant (on the corner of Oak and Poplar) to view the remaining concrete pillars where the railroad continued across the Oconee River. R.E.M album cover (front) - http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/5561106c734c1008ba3262ce25a4d915.jpg R.E.M album cover (rear) - http://www.caratulas.com/caratulas/R/rem/rem-murmur-Trasera.jpg R.E.M full album - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8FbkyyuqG0 FINAL THOUGHTS I had a good feeling this structure had to be of some significance and I'm so glad I stopped to investigate. If you are fond of old bridges like I am, Athens has a treasure trove of 1800's covered bridges within a 30 minute drive of this location. It would make a great lazy Sunday afternoon drive! Be sure to bring your camera :-) Covered Bridges within 1/2 hour to 45 minute drive: Elder's Mill Watson Mill Bridge Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge Howard's Covered Bridge Enjoy!

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Trail Creek Trestle - Trail Creek

Trail Creek

Trail Creek Trestle - Trail Creek

Trail Creek

Trail Creek Trestle - I had to stop when I saw this!

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I had to stop when I saw this!

Elder Mill Covered Bridge - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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