This is a rare photograph of the old iron bridge over the Chipola River at Marianna. The bridge stood just a few feet south of today's U.S. 90 bridge. Its piers can still be seen.
A number of bridges have stood at this site through the years. The date on which the first was constructed is not known, but it was undoubtedly built during the 1830s. It was replaced during the 1850s by an open wooden span with rails on each side. This structure was standing at the time of the Battle of Marianna and Confederate troops held back a Union attempt to cross the river by tearing up the flooring of the bridge. The photograph above shows the river at Marianna much as it appeared at the time of the Battle of Marianna, although the iron bridge did not exist at that time.
After the Civil War, the wooden bridge was replaced by a covered bridge, also of wooden construction. The covered bridge stood for several decades before being replaced by the iron bridge seen here.
This bridge, in turn, was dismantled when the first U.S. 90 bridge was constructed during the early 1900s.
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