It was constructed by a Mr. Otto Pulls and stood its ground for approximately 105 years, stretching some 75 feet across the Wacoochee Creek several miles east of the Opelika city limits, weathering storms, changing times and “graffiti artists”.  If it could talk, I’m sure it would have more than a few stories to tell:  stories about the folks who ventured safely across it in horse drawn buggies, or sought shelter beneath its protective covering in bad weather; the clandestine moments of young lovers who paused briefly under the sanctuary of covering for their first kiss, and other special events in history that only the bridge now bears witness to.  But then, on June 4, 2005, the historic Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge plummeted into the Wacoochee after a tree fell across it, and it looked as though its “life” had come to an end.

Not so.  Thanks to the efforts of the Opelika Kiwanis Club, which secured ownership of the dilapidated structure from the Lee County Commission in 2006, and spearheading a “rescue effort” involving several historic commissions and organizations, the City of Opelika and its City Council, private businesses and individuals, the bridge was rescued from the creek – and obscurity – and restored to its former glory, at least in part.  The bridge now has found a new home – Opelika’s Municipal Park – where folks can once again walk across it and teach their children about a part of Alabama history worth preserving.      

To view a pictoral progression of the historic Salem-Shotwell covered bridge to its new home, click here.

To view the Dedication Day activities surrounding the bridge in its new location at Opelika's Municipal Park, click here.