Poinsett Bridge – Greenville, South Carolina
South Carolina | SC Picture Project | Greenville County Photos | Poinsett Bridge
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Located just north of Greenville, the Poinsett Bridge was built in 1820 and is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge in South Carolina. It was named for Charleston native and US Ambassador to Mexico, Joel R. Poinsett. (Poinsett is also credited with bringing the poinsettia flower, which now bears his name, to the United States.) The bridge was part of the original State Road, a toll road that ran from Charleston through Columbia to North Carolina.
Constructed from locally quarried stone, the Poinsett Bridge was one of three stone bridges along the stretch of State Road referred to as the Saluda Mountain Road. The bridge features stepped parapet sidewalls and is marked by a 15-foot Gothic arch which forms the passage for Little Gap Creek, a small tributary of the North Saluda River.
At the time of the bridge’s design, Poinsett was the director of the South Carolina Board of Public Works. It is speculated that Robert Mills, architect of many South Carolina buildings as well as the Washington Monument, may have designed the bridge. Learn more about the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve.
4 Comments about Poinsett Bridge
September 15th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
I remember riding a school bus across the Poinsett Bridge in the early to mid 50s to attend Tigerville Elementary. It was one lane and someone had to wait to cross if another vehicle was approaching.
September 16th, 2011 at 10:01 am
My great-great-great-great grandfather Samuel L. Gordon helped build this bridge — so awesome!
March 27th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
This bridge is just down the road about 1/3 of a mile from Camp Old Indian, a Boy Scout camp where I was the Aquatics and High-Adventure director back in the 1970s. I have a few pictures where I was teaching a class on the bridge. You can see them at: http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=rhm+poinsett&z=m
August 13th, 2012 at 9:52 pm
My 2x-great grandparents, Pinkney and Martha Jane (Wilson) Burrell were from this area. His parents were laid to rest at Mt Pleasant Baptist Ch cemetery in Travelers Rest. They had a son named Poinsett (aka Piney), so I wonder if there is some significance in that. Is there a list somewhere that names those who built the bridge?
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