Poinsett Bridge

Poinsett Bridge is the oldest bridge in South Carolina and perhaps in the entire southeastern United States.[2][3] Named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, it was built in 1820 as part of a road from Columbia, South Carolina to Saluda Mountain.[4][5] The stone bridge, which includes a 14-foot Gothic arch and stretches 130 feet over Little Gap Creek, may have been designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument.[6] Though no longer in use, the bridge remains largely intact [7] and is part of the 120-acre (48.6 ha) Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve. There is a nature trail a few hundred yards from the bridge.[8] The bridge was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[1][9]

Poinsett Bridge
Poinsett Bridge
Coordinates	35°07′44″N 82°23′02″W
Crosses	Little Gap Creek
Locale	Greenville County, South Carolina
Characteristics
Total length	130 feet (40 m)
Clearance above	15 feet (5 m)
Statistics
Toll
Poinsett Bridge
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Nearest city	Tigerville, South Carolina
Coordinates	35°07′46.1″N 82°23′03.4″W
Area	6 acres (2.4 ha)
Built	1820
NRHP reference No.	70000590[1]
Added to NRHP	October 22, 1970

Gothic arch of the Poinsett Bridge

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. Travelers Rest, SC website.
3. Charles Sowell, "Poinsett Bridge is always worth the trip," Greenville News, March 6, 2015, eGreenville, 23.
4. Schuette, Mary (August 29, 1970). "Poinsett Bridge" (pdf). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
5. "Poinsett Bridge, Greenville County (S.C. Sec. Rd. 42, Tigerville vicinity)". National Register Properties in South Carolina. South Carolina Department of Archives and History. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
6. Greenville County Recreation District. The Tulane University library has a brush drawing by Mills of a similar bridge, lending credence to the belief that Mills designed it.
7. Edgar, Walter, ed. The South Carolina Encyclopedia, University of South Carolina Press, 2006 ISBN 1-57003-598-9, 739-740.
8. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources website Archived 2007-03-14 at the Wayback Machine; Sowell, 23. The bridge is off U.S. Highway 25 north of Greenville, South Carolina. After passing South Carolina Highway 11, turn right onto Old US 25. Then turn right onto Callahan Mountain Road near North Saluda Reservoir. Poinsett Bridge is on the left side of Callahan Mountain Road.
9. Additional pictures and information about the bridge is available from the Historic American Engineering Record at the Library of Congress.HAER photos of Poinsett Bridge