Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge, Covered bridge in Meriwether County, Georgia, United States

Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge is a covered Town lattice truss carrying Covered Bridge Road across Red Oak Creek north of Woodbury. Its covered portion measures 116 feet, while the total span reaches 412 feet, the longest of any covered bridge in Georgia. The long sills were sawn from heart pine to 15 by 15 inches.

The bridge was probably built around 1840 by Horace King, an enslaved bridge builder who later became a prominent engineer and bridge contractor in the South. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, when it was still carrying traffic and was thought to possibly be the oldest covered bridge in Georgia.

Locals know it as Big Red Oak Creek Bridge, and Covered Bridge Road still carries traffic across it as it did when the structure was listed in 1973. The name comes from the creek it crosses, and the bridge is a roadside landmark for drivers in northern Meriwether County.

The structure remains open to vehicle traffic on Covered Bridge Road and provides parking for those wanting to stop and look around. Visitors can approach from multiple angles to view the details of the wooden construction and design.

The bridge holds together through about 2,500 wooden pegs called trunnels rather than metal fasteners, a detail that catches many visitors' attention. This approach to joining the frame shows an alternative way of thinking about structural durability that differs from modern methods.