The Concord Covered Bridge Historic District was created by Cobb County in 1986, the county’s first historic district. The focal point of the district is the Concord Covered Bridge. There are many additional historic structures dating back to the mid-1800s when milling communities developed along the Nickajack Creek.

For more information on the various structures and features of the district, see the list by clicking here.

The Historic District Map

The Concord Covered Bridge Historic District was created by Cobb County in 1986, the county's first historic district. The focal point of the district is the Concord Covered Bridge. There are many additional historic structures dating back to the mid-1800s...

The Covered Bridge

The Concord Covered Bridge is the focal point of the surrounding Historic District.It is famous as the only covered bridge remaining in Cobb County, still open to automobile traffic, and traffic counts show it as the busiest covered bridge in...

Concord Woolen Mills

Since the early 1800s, people have used the enormous water power of the Nickajack creek to power mills in the community. Grist mills, saw mills, cotton mills, woolen mills. In the area around the Covered Bridge Historic District, a mill-based...

Ruff’s Grist Mill

The grist mill in front of the miller's house dates to the 1850s. It had an overshot water wheel at its north side, fed by a mill race carrying water from the dam upstream from the covered bridge. Because of...

John Gann House

Built in the 1840s by State Senator John Gann on land awarded in the Gold Land Lottery of 1832, this farm house survived the Battle of Ruff's Mill because a "Yankee General saw the Masonic flag flying from an upstairs...

Henry Clay Ruff House

The house on the northeast side of the covered bridge is believed to date to the beginning of the grist mill. Earliest deed of record is May 17, 1856. As the residence of the first grist miller, Henry Ruff, the...

John W. Rice House

Although a house may have sat on the northwest hill beside the covered bridge, the present house was built by John W. Rice in 1907. He purchased the mill interest from his father, Z. A. Rice. The Rice House is...

Martin Luker Ruff House

Martin L Ruff, along with Robert Daniel, moved to this area in the 1840s to establish several mill works along Nickajack Creek. No photographs have been found of the original house, but it is believed to date from the 1850s....

Matilda’s Garden Juneteenth Dedication

Join us from 10 to 11 AM this coming Saturday as we dedicate Matilda’s Garden at the Silver Comet trailhead on Concord Road in the Historic District. This will be a special Juneteenth event, featuring some of the descendants of…
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FCCBHD MEMBERS PRESENT COBB COUNTY SHERIFF & BOARD EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FRAMED COPY OF COVERED BRIDGE AS THANK YOU FOR SPONSORING TONI MORRISON BENCH PROJECT

The Toni Morrison Society’s 34th installation of a bench to remember formerly enslaved and free citizens of Cobb County on the eve of Juneteenth, June 18, 2024, went off without a hitch, thanks to the commitments from community leaders and…
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Matilda Ruff Descendants Homecoming and Visit to Toni Morrison Bench in Honor of Her and Formerly Enslaved Residents of Cobb County

The homecoming of Matilda Ruff’s descendants was epic! Remember the journey of Pat Burns, who found the note cards with names of formerly enslaved residents of Cobb in the cupboard of her home in the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District….
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Sunday Afternoon Lecture on the Battle of Smyrna and Ruff’s Mill

First Sunday Lecture: “The Battle of Ruff’s Mill, July 4, 1864” Sunday, July 2 3:00-4:00 p.m. Smyrna Library, Meeting Room Light refreshments will be served. Speaker: Philip Ivester, Concord Covered Bridge Historic District Board President Join the Friends of…
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Prohibition and Moonshining at the Concord Woolen Mill.

Long ago, when the Concord Woolen Mill was in operation on Nickajack creek, there was a 20-foot high dam which created a very nice and scenic pond. This beautiful location in what is today’s Heritage Park, was a frequent picnic…
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Upcoming Events

Hello Friends. There are several exciting events coming up I wanted to make sure you were aware of: Covered Bridge Historical Lecture Bridge Closure for Repairs Annual Tree Planting Community Serivce Smyrna’s 150th Birthday Celebration Historic Ruff Cemetery Cleanup Covered…
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Ruff’s Mill Battlefield Report Now Available

This weekend we celebrate the Fourth of July, our country’s independence. Readers of this blog will also know that it is the 158th anniversary of the Battle of Ruff’s Mill, fought along Concord Road near the Concord Covered Bridge in…
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Ruff’s Mill Battlefield Archaeology Report Complete! Public Meeting May 1st 3 PM.

The LAMAR Institute from Savannah has completed their research work into the July 1864 Battle of Ruff’s Mill. A lot of the fighting took place inside the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, and the Friends organization has been happy to…
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The Jonquils are Blooming Again

In the spring of 1976, when I was turning five years old, my family bought an old home-place just outside the city limits of Smyrna, Georgia. The house was overgrown and in need of quite a bit of work, but…
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November 7th, Sunday Afternoon Events

This Sunday, November 7th at 3PM the Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District will hold their annual meeting. Join us online for a fascinating historical tour through some of Smyrna’s treasures. Some highlights of this meeting: Jennie Eldrige,…
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Historic Cemetery Clean Up Saturday, November 6th 10AM

Join your neighbors and friends Saturday Morning, November 6th at 10 AM to help maintain the Ruff Family Cemetery. Historic cemeteries in Cobb County are preserved by volunteer organizations, and since 2019 the The Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge…
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Silver Comet Tree Planting, Saturday October 9th at 10 AM

Join us Saturday, October 9 at 10AM: Tree Planting at Concord Road Trailhead, Silver Comet Trail Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, along with Cobb Parks, will be having our fourth annual Tree Planting this Saturday. This year…
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Silas Gibboney, Born on the Fourth of July

Today on the 4th of July we celebrate our nation’s independence from Britain. It is also the anniversary of the final assault of the Battle of Ruff’s Mill, fought along Concord Road in 1864, the culmination of several skirmishes over…
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Horace King – American Architect

In celebration of Black History Month February 2021, we wanted to highlight the life of Horace King, an American architect, engineer, and builder of covered bridges. In keeping with our purpose to educate and promote quality planning, preservation, and conservation…
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A Year In Review – 2020

While many of us may be glad to leave 2020 behind, I wanted to take a minute to celebrate some of our community’s accomplishments this past year. We got quite a number of our goals completed despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Here are a few of the highlights!

Historic Cemetery Preservation Workshop November 21st, 1PM

If you are interested in historic cemeteries, preservation, local history, or just being outdoors, consider participating in the upcoming Cemetery Preservation Workshop at the historic Ruff Family Cemetery. As you may remember, our Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge group…
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Ghost Stories!

It is Halloween Night in the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District, and what could be more appropriate tonight than a 100-year old ghost story set right here in the place that used to be known as “Concord”. This is a…
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3rd Annual Tree Planting at Silver Comet Trail – Saturday, October 17th at 9:00 AM

It’s October and time for planting October Glory Maple Trees at the Silver Comet Trailhead on Concord Road

The Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge invite you to join us to celebrate Fall and our wonderful Historic District by assisting with the planting of two more Maple Trees along the pathway leading down to the Silver Comet Trail from the Concord Road Parking Lot. We will meet (properly masked) to plant these two additional trees on…
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District 4 Commissioner – Runoff Election August 11th.

There will be a runoff election August 11th for the District 4 County Commissioner. The two remaining candidates are Monique Sheffield and Shelia Edwards, both on the Democratic ticket. Cobb County’s District 4 Commissioner race held a primary in May…
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Audio Tour App is LIVE…Download the Tour!

The Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District proudly announce the release of our Historic District Audio Tour App.

This Self-Guided Walking Audio Tour explores numerous historical sites and other prominent landmarks within and adjoining the Historic District. The narration will enrich you about the people and their lives from the 19th century when these lands were first settled. The Audio Tour App is also filled with additional visual content.

You can take the Tour starting from three different locations around the Historic District and be guided Stop-by-Stop as…

156 years ago today, July 3rd, 1864, Sherman’s army fought through the woods in our area of Cobb County, intent on destroying Johnston’s army and capturing Atlanta, the manufacturing base of the Confederacy. Today’s newsletter contains Captain Edward B. Moore’s…
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Audio Tour App Under Development

Your Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge are busy developing a Smartphone App that will lead visitors along an exciting and educational Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour of the Historic District. This unique App will take tour takers to and through fourteen different locations within and around the District; pointing out its landmarks, describing the rich history of the area, and providing supplemental photo and video content, right on your iPhone, iPad or Android device.

The App utilizes GPS Locations from your Smartphone to lead you from point-to-point…

The Smyrna Public Library hosts a series of monthly lectures the first Sunday of each month. May’s lecture will be given online by Philip Ivester on the obscure history of the iconic Concord Covered Bridge. Are you curious about its…
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Cobb County Considers Changes to Historic Preservation Law

Cobb County Commissioners are hearing public comments on proposed changes to the County Code at the next two Board of Commissioners meetings. If you are receiving this newsletter, it is probably because you are interested in Cobb County Parks, Heritage…
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Tonight: Ruff’s Mill Battlefield Project Community Meeting

The LAMAR Institute invites you to participate in an exciting pursuit to locate the 1864 Battle of Ruff’s Mill and to identify and interpret its components across the landscape. The project, funded by a grant from the American Battlefield Protection…
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National Park Service Awards $95,887 Grant For Ruff’s Mill Battlefield Research!

The Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District has been working with the LAMAR Institute out of Savannah on a proposal to research the Civil War battles fought around the Historic District in July of 1864. I am pleased…
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Application For Modern Development Near Concord Covered Bridge

Tonight at 6 PM, October 14th, the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is hearing another application for a Certificate of Appropriateness in the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District. You may remember this controversial issue from a couple of years ago. If…
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For more information on the various structures and features of the district, see the list by clicking here.

Latests Posts:

It’s October and time for planting October Glory Maple Trees at the Silver Comet Trailhead on Concord Road

The Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District proudly announce the release of our Historic District Audio Tour App.

You can take the Tour starting from three different locations around the Historic District and be guided Stop-by-Stop as…