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shortened from 76 feet to 43 feet in length. The Town
Lattice truss setup was kept, using many of the pieces which were recovered from Wacoochee Creek. A change was made to the exterior wooden sides covering the lattices, now just draping the bottom section so park visitors can view the brook and other surroundings from inside the bridge. On the original construction, in order to prevent damage from high water, most of the lattices were covered and only the top sections exposed for light. Two lights have been placed inside the bridge for nighttime illumination. The reconstruction project and final landscaping took about six months to complete at a cost of roughly $ 60,000.
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reconstruct the bridge over Rocky Brook at
Opelika Municipal Park. A resolution was unanimously passed on April 4, 2006, by the Opelika City Council to assist with the bridge relocation and renovations. The project was spearheaded by the Opelika Kiwanis Club, who had already begun a donation drive to raise funds needed in order to proceed with the move. A number of individuals, businesses and organizations donated money for the greatly valued cause.
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322:(32.609747, -85.208425)). This was about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of its current location. At that time, the bridge was 76 feet (23 m) in length...constructed using longleaf heart pine, cedar roof shakes and hand-hewn white oak pegs which joined the latticework, roof trusses and substructure. The bridge shortened the travel time between the communities of Salem and
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On August 14, 2007, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at
Opelika Municipal Park to re-open the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge to the public. A piece of history once again stands in Lee County. Current photos of the bridge as well as its reconstruction can be viewed on the Opelika Kiwanis Club website
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In the early morning hours of June 4, 2005, a severe thunderstorm passed through the Lee County area. High winds caused a tree to fall on the Salem-Shotwell
Covered Bridge, causing major damage. The added weight collapsed the bridge into Wacoochee Creek later that day. Being the only historic covered
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During its time over
Wacoochee Creek, the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge was said to have been haunted by children who were killed in a motor vehicle accident near the bridge a number of years ago. Many locals state though that no such incident ever happened. There was a girl who was strangled on the
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After months of negotiations, the Lee County
Commission approved to transfer ownership of what remained of the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge to the City of Opelika during a meeting held on October 31, 2005. An agreement was reached by the Lee County Historical Society and the Opelika Kiwanis Club to
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Reconstruction of Salem-Shotwell
Covered Bridge eventually began on February 2, 2007, over a section of Rocky Brook which had already been cleared, graded and landscaped for foundation settlement. Due to the amount of usable original materials and in order to fit the new span, the bridge was
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bridge remaining in southeastern
Alabama, the loss was heartbreaking. Most of the pieces were able to be recovered over the next few weeks and were stored at a vacant commercial building in Opelika until plans could be made regarding the future of the bridge.
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on
January 25, 1977. It was destroyed by a fallen tree in 2005 at its original location near
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on what is now
Shotwell Road (CR 252) just north of the community of Salem (Coordinates
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The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge was first built by Otto Puls, originally located over
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bridge, confirmed by local police officers who had worked the crime scene.
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Opelika Kiwanis Club (Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge Restoration Project)
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The reconstructed Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge in Opelika, Alabama.
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number is 01-41-B, formerly 01-41-04. The bridge was listed on the
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397:"Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks & Heritage"
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Transportation buildings and structures in Lee County, Alabama
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Originally built in 1900, the 43-foot (13-meter) bridge is a
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Properties on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
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Historical Marker Database - Salem Shotwell Covered Bridge
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Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge *NEW* (Dale J. Travis)
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Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge *OLD* (Dale J. Travis)
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427:Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges.
526:Bridges to the Past: Alabama's Covered Bridges
601:Relocated buildings and structures in Alabama
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606:Lattice truss bridges in the United States
581:Tourist attractions in Lee County, Alabama
269:Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
168:Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage
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499:The Shadowlands: Ghosts & Hauntings.
596:Former road bridges in the United States
434:Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel.
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333:The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge in
263:construction over a single span. Its
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403:. www.preserveala.org. 4 June 2009
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506:Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges.
451:Alabamiana: A Guide to Alabama.
420:Dale J. Travis Covered Bridges.
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377:List of Alabama covered bridges
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591:Pedestrian bridges in Alabama
401:Alabama Historical Commission
203:Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge
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556:Covered bridges in Alabama
508:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
503:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
501:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
496:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
494:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
489:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
487:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
482:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
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475:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
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465:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
463:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
455:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
453:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
448:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
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438:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
436:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
431:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
429:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
424:. Retrieved Aug. 22, 2007.
422:Salem-Shotwell CB: Credits
16:Bridge in Opelika, Alabama
571:Wooden bridges in Alabama
561:Bridges completed in 1900
510:. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2008.
310:32.6097472°N 85.2084250°W
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64:32.6592944°N 85.3813722°W
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362:Covered Bridge Hauntings
586:Road bridges in Alabama
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69:32.6592944; -85.3813722
492:Opelika Kiwanis Club.
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341:as it appeared in 2003
144:43 ft (13 m)
485:Lee County, Alabama.
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277:Opelika Kiwanis Club
471:(August 15, 2007).
469:Opelika-Auburn News
459:Opelika-Auburn News
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215:Lee County, Alabama
157:1900 (rebuilt 2007)
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261:Town Lattice truss
225:. Coordinates are
135:Town Lattice truss
83:pedestrian traffic
478:City of Opelika.
442:The Decatur Daily
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235:85°22′52.94″W
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55:85°22′52.94″W
52:32°39′33.46″N
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141:Total length
407:22 December
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211:Rocky Brook
209:that spans
92:Rocky Brook
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42:Coordinates
550:Categories
383:References
175:Designated
117:ID number
371:See also
324:Shotwell
191:Location
339:Alabama
283:History
223:Opelika
149:History
88:Crosses
80:Carries
131:Design
98:Locale
335:Salem
273:Salem
409:2009
265:WGCB
201:The
213:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
