Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge - History

History

The Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge was originally designed and constructed over the Sucarnoochee River by Confederate Army Captain William Alexander Campbell Jones on the main state road leading from Livingston to York, now U.S. Route 11 just south of Livingston. It was built using hand-hewn yellow pine timbers joined together with large wooden pegs. During the American Civil War, the bridge was used as an access route to Mississippi by Confederate forces led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest.

A concrete bridge replaced the Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge in 1924, and the bridge was moved 5 miles (8 kilometers) south to the old Bellamy-Livingston Road (now Bennett 13 Road, CR 13) over Alamuchee Creek (coordinates 32°31′19.75″N 88°11′12.22″W / 32.5221528°N 88.1867278°W / 32.5221528; -88.1867278, or 32.522153, -88.186728), soon given the name "Alamuchee Covered Bridge". The bridge remained in service to motor traffic until 1958, when it was once again replaced by a concrete bridge. During that time, a logging truck being used to haul timbers from the construction site accidentally crashed into the bottom of the covered bridge. As a result, the Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge was permanently closed and left unmaintained.

In 1971, the Sumter County Historical Society came to the rescue and fully restored the damaged bridge. It was moved from Alamuchee Creek back into Livingston and placed over Duck Pond at the University of West Alabama. The Alamuchee-Bellamy Covered Bridge now serves as a campus access route for college students and also attracts visitors from various places to a longstanding piece of history in Sumter County. It has been made wheelchair accessible, and also has lights inside the bridge for nighttime illumination.