Swann Covered Bridge

Also called the Joy Covered Bridge or Swann-Joy Covered Bridge, this structure spans a scenic gorge of the Locust Fork of the Black Warrior River. Built in 1933 by a crew led by Zelma C. Tidwell (some sources also credit Forrest Tidwell), it was constructed on property owned by the Swann Farm and connected the communities of Cleveland and Joy. The bridge is a Town Lattice truss with three spans and is 324 feet long (some sources state 330 feet). It is currently the longest existing historic covered bridge in Alabama and the second longest overall in the state. The bridge is open to motor vehicle traffic. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 20, 1981. The Blount County Commission restored it in 1979, and it was closed in 2009 for safety reasons before being restored again and reopened in October 2012.