Swann Covered Bridge, Covered bridge in Cleveland, Alabama

Swann Covered Bridge is a wooden river crossing in Blount County that spans the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River with three sections. It uses a lattice framework system that provides structural strength across the waterway.

Built in 1933 by a crew led by Zelma C. Tidwell on Swann Farm land, the bridge was first called the Joy Covered Bridge because it linked Cleveland with the community of Joy. The Blount County Commission restored it in 1979. When the 385-foot Nectar Covered Bridge burned in 1993, the Swann became Alabama's longest surviving covered bridge.

The structure shows early 20th-century construction methods that rural engineers developed for river crossings. Walking across the wooden lattice design gives visitors a sense of how communities solved transportation challenges with simple materials.

The bridge sits on Swann Bridge Road near State Route 79 and is open to single-lane vehicle traffic. Visitors can access it year-round and should note that the structure underwent major restoration work.

The 385-foot Nectar Covered Bridge in the same county burned down in 1993, and only then did the Swann bridge become Alabama's longest surviving covered bridge. Its three Town lattice spans rest on a scenic gorge of the Locust Fork, on land that belonged to the Swann Farm.