Concord Covered Bridge Historic District

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 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...
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The Covered Bridge

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...
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Concord Woolen Mills

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...
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Ruff’s Grist Mill

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...
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John Gann House

John Gann House

Built int he 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...
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Henry Clay Ruff House

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...
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John W. Rice House

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...
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Martin Luker Ruff House

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....
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Latests Posts:


Announcing Historic District Tour of Homes

We are proud to announce that we will host a Tour of Homes this coming fall. This premier event will feature four unique houses on a two-hour guided tour including transportation to each of the venues. You won’t want to miss seeing the interiors of these renovated antebellum and one-of-a-kind houses which are located within the Historic District. Admission will be arranged so that there will be no more than twelve ticketed guests going through the homes at a time, allowing us to offer you a unique, in-depth, and memorable Tour. Read more

“Hold The Fort, I Am Coming”

Last year in October, I posted about Sherman’s return to Ruff’s Mill three months after the 1864 battle there. Confederate General Hood had crossed the Chattahoochee and was determined to attack Sherman from behind, disrupting his supplies and communications, jeopardizing…
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Unearthing Cobb County’s Historic Maps

I have always been fascinated with maps. Old maps; unfamiliar maps; maps that hold lost information; maps that show secret buried treasures; maps that walk you through dark unknown caves, etc…. The best birthday party I ever attended I was…
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Fake News! in 1870s Smyrna

We have all heard quite a bit about “Fake News” lately–probably much more than we really want to. But I think it will be interesting to look at a little incident from the 1870s that happened at the Concord Woolen…
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The Story of the Silver Comet

The Silver Comet Trail has been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of cyclists and joggers each year since its completion in the late 1990s. Most people know the trail was built on an abandoned railroad track, but not everyone knows…
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Upcoming Meeting Dates!

Spring is just around the corner; soon our parks will be blooming again, and we will see more and more people enjoying the Silver Comet Trail through Heritage Park and the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District. With Daylight Saving Time…
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Happy 2018! (And 2017 in Review)

As 2017 has come to and end and the new year begins, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District! For those of you who have become members, and to those of you who have donated generously in 2017, we say THANK YOU!

Here are just a few of the things we’ve accomplished this year:

Poem: The Covered Bridge Exposed

The Covered Bridge Exposed, by Jeffrey Zygmont In wintertime one hundred years ago New Hampshire country people couldn’t go across a covered bridge upon a sleigh because the cover kept the snow away, and runners under sleighs won’t glide on…
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Concord Covered Bridge — Construction Update

I recently talked with the site supervisor to get an update on the Concord Covered Bridge project. He reports that work is progressing well with no major problems and that they are on schedule. To start the project, two very…
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Sherman’s Return to Ruff’s Mill in October, 1864

Many residents of Cobb County know about the Battle of Ruff’s Mill, fought in and around the mid-1800s milling community just outside present-day Smyrna. What many do not know is that Sherman’s army returned to Ruff’s Mill in October, 1864,…
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Join Us October 14th at Heritage Park

This is a quick reminder that the Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District will be meeting tomorrow morning, October 14th, 8:30 AM to clean up around the Historic District to keep our park beautiful. The weather forecast looks…
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Step Up to Clean Up

CALLING ALL NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS TO “ADOPT-A- MILE” Saturday, October 14th, 8:30 AM until 11:00 AM, in the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District. Step Up to Clean Up. Come by the Silver Comet trail head on Concord Road Saturday morning…
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The Battle of Ruff’s Mill, July 4th, 1864

July the 4th is a special day for our country, and also for the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District. This is when the Battle of Ruff’s Mill was fought along Concord Road during Johnston’s retreat towards Atlanta. After Sherman’s failed…
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Repairs to Concord Covered Bridge Begin This Summer

Cobb County has approved $803,000 for needed repairs to the Historic Concord Covered Bridge. The work, being done by Suncoast Restoration and Waterproofing, will begin this summer and should be completed before the end of the year. The project involves…
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The Iron Nerve of a Soldier

THE IRON NERVE OF A SOLDIER. By H. C. Evans, Company C, Twenty-seventh Ohio Veteran Volunteer, Infantry Regiment. In the charge at Ruff’s Mills, Georgia, in which the Twenty-seventh Ohio participated, I was wounded and while lying under a tent…
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Cobb County Parks and Recreation Wants Your Input

The Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department is asking for feedback on how Cobb County citizens use the park facilities as they update the Master Plan. If you have a few minutes, please visit and fill out the…
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