On the road - Poinsett Bridge

Poinsett Bridge, Greenville, SC 

The Poinsett Bridge has been on my list for awhile and it was a worthwhile detour on the last day in the Greenville area. It was about half an hour from Greenville. What a sweet and cool spot on a record breaking hot day. There is a lively creek flowing under the bridge and we took our shoes off to soak our tootsies in the cool water. 

Poinsett Bridge is the oldest bridge in South Carolina and perhaps in the entire southeastern United States. Named for Joel Roberts Poinsett, it was built in 1820 as part of a road from Columbia, South Carolina to Saluda Mountain. The stone bridge, which includes a 14-foot Gothic arch and stretches 130 feet over Little Gap Creek, may have been designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument. Though no longer in use, the bridge remains largely intact and is part of the 120-acre Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve. There is a nature trail a few hundred yards from the bridge.The bridge was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.