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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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The fourth of July is upon us again! As we celebrate our Nation’s origins, and the dusk settles in, fireflies come out, everyone is in a celebratory mood, and the sound of booming fireworks begin all around us, it is…
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If you’ve been on a walk recently back into the woods around the Concord Woolen Mill ruins, you’ve surely noticed some blooms emerging after a long winter. The 100-acre park around the Silver Comet trail head is a great place…
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Previously, I mentioned my recent visit to the National Archives researching Cobb County history. Today I want to share another discovery from this trip: 1930s Aerial Photography! The oldest Cobb County aerial photography I have found is not from the…
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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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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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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 day before the Battle of Ruff’s Mill was fought, the 50th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was sent out on a reconnaissance along Nickajack creek to ascertain details of the position of Confederates in southern Cobb County. The Union Army was…
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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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There are many things happening in and around the Historic District and the number of our supporting Members is growing. We want to share with you our vision for the future of the Historic District and Heritage Park at our Annual Meeting on Sunday, April 22nd, 2:00 PM. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas as well. There will be a special Guest Speaker who … Click to Read More
As a follow-up from this post from back in December, an application has been made to develop a modern residence in the center of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District. The applicant has re-submitted plans to the Historic Preservation Commission,…
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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:
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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We need your help over the next few days. On Monday, December 11th, at 6:00 PM, the Historic Preservation Commission will be meeting to discuss an application to build a modern house in the heart of our Historic District. This…
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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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