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Pisgah, Randolph County

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Inventory Number: NC/33-76-01
County: Randolph County
Township:
Town/Village: Pisgah
Bridge Name: Pisgah
Crosses: Upper Branch, Little River
Truss type: Stringer
Spans: 3
Length: 51'
Roadway Width:
Built: c1910
Builder: Jeff & Jack Welsh
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N35 32.526
Longitude: W079 53.631
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 4.6 miles south of jct with I-73/I-74&US220 on SR134, then 1.8 miles right on Burney Rd. (CR1127), then 1.9 miles left on Pisgah Covered Bridge Rd. (CR1114) (takes a right turn 0.3 miles) to bridge on left side in a roadside park.

Pisgah Bridge, Pisgah, Randolph County, NC Built c1910
Richard E. Roy Collection

Pisgah Bridge, Pisgah, Randolph County, North Carolina, after 2004 restoration.
Steve Pierce Photo

Pisgah Bridge, Pisgah, Randolph County, NC Built c1910
Richard E. Roy Collection
Pisgah Bridge, Pisgah, Randolph County, NC Built c1910
Paul Chandler Photo, April 2019

Comments:
Bridge #24. Pisgah Bridge over Upper Branch, Little River was built around 1910. It was listed as a Warren truss in earlier World Guides. The Betty Gallup list has a construction date of 1920. The Pisgah Bridge was named after the nearby community and is the oldest covered motor vehicle bridge in North Carolina. The original circa 1910 bridge was washed about 50 yards downstream on August 9, 2003. In 2004, $80,000 was raised to completely rebuild the bridge using 90% of the timber salvaged from the original bridge. New concrete pillars supporting the bridge were raised 15 feet above its original level. The dedication for the rebuilding of the bridge was at 10:30 AM, May 18, 2004. The bridge was bypassed on the upstream side and closed to motor traffic for many years. It is supported by four large timber stringers across the center span and five large timber stringers across the two outside spans. The stringers rest on dry, natural river-stone abutments and two dry, natural river-stone piers and its flooring consists of longitudinal planking on top of transverse planking. The bridge is surrounded by the Uwharrie National Forest. In the 1930s, Randolph County had sixty covered bridges and the Pisgah Covered Bridge is the sole survivor. The original bridge built around 1910 was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 20, 1972.

Sources:
List compiled by Betty Gallup in June 1968, Richard Sanders Allen Collection, NSPCB Archives
Pierce, Leola & Steve. Research and Pictures of Virginia Covered Bridges
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 61