In the 1800s, builders in the United States began putting roofs on bridges to protect the wooden floors and trusses from the elements. It was easier and less expensive to maintain the covers than the bridge spans.

The location of Alabama’s first covered bridge is disputed. Townspeople say the bridge over Buzzard Roost Creek in Colbert County was built circa 1820, but the National Park Service estimated its origins in 1860. The Buzzard Roost bridge, a 94-foot span, was damaged by a flood in 1965 and restored by the county. It was later moved to the Natchez Trace Parkway and destroyed by arson in 1972.

Click through the photo gallery at the top of this story to see vintage photos of Alabama’s bridges.

Alabama’s covered bridges are reminiscent of a more romantic time, when people rode in horse-drawn buggies and couples stole kisses beneath their roofs.

But they are also keepers of history, places built by formerly enslaved people, or where Civil War soldiers trod and, according to legend, outlaws were hanged.

A 1936 Associated Press article described Alabama’s love affair with covered bridges: “Alabamians began building covered bridges almost as soon as they began building Baptist and Methodist churches and one-room school houses. A bridge without a roof was not a thing for a county to be proud of and, besides, when a shower came what were travelers in open buggies to do for shelter? And day and night, wasn’t a covered bridge a rendezvous for lovers while youngsters concealed themselves among the rafters to listen in?”

Historians estimate there were once as many as 14,000 wooden covered bridges in the United States. Of those, about 880 remain, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Covered Bridge Manual.

The state’s oldest covered bridge still standing today was built before 1850, possibly as early as 1839. The 60-foot Coldwater Creek bridge is located in Calhoun County. It was moved to Oxford Lake Park in 1990 and is maintained by the City of Oxford. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

MORE: Take a road trip to North Alabama’s picturesque covered bridges

A 1969 article in The Times Daily in Florence reported that by 1958, 46 covered bridges remained in 13 Alabama counties. From 1958 to 1968, the state lost three bridges per year to neglect, floods, fires, vandalism and demolition, the article stated. Since then new bridges have been built and a few others have been lost.

Click here for a list of existing covered bridges that are more than 50 years old.

Here is a list of some of the bridges we’ve lost in Alabama. The date of destruction was not known in many of the cases. If you have information on any of these bridges, please email me at [email protected].

READ: Take a road trip to South Alabama’s picturesque covered bridges

Autauga Creek Covered Bridge

This covered bridge was located over Autauga Creek in Autauga County. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Big Bear Creek Covered Bridge

Big Bear Creek Covered Bridge in Allsboro in Colbert County. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Brookwood Covered Bridge

Brookwood Covered Bridge over Hurricane Creek in Tuscaloosa County burned in the 1960s. Date built is unknown.

Buzzard Roost Covered Bridge

This 94-foot-long span southwest of Cherokee in Colbert County was built circa 1860, according to the National Park Service. Some locals claimed it was built in 1820. The bridge was destroyed by arson July 15, 1972.

Chattahoochee Covered Bridge

This bridge was built near Eufaula over the Chattahoochee by famed bridge builder Horace King, who was once enslaved, in 1833. It was torn down in 1924.

Cofer Covered Bridge

The location of Cofer Covered Bridge was not listed by the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Cowickie Creek Covered Bridge

This covered bridge spanned Cowickie Creek in Eufaula. It was demolished in 1913.

Cripple Deer Creek Covered Bridge

This bridge spanned Choccolocco Creek in Eastaboga in Talladega County.

Dillingham Street Covered Bridge

This bridge was built in 1870 by formerly enslaved bridge builder Horace King. It spanned the Chattahoochee River between Columbus, Ga., and Girard (now Phenix City), Ala. It was dismantled in 1924.

Duck Springs Covered Bridge

Built in 1879, this 119-foot bridge spanned Big Wills Creek between Duck Springs and Keener in Etowah County. It was destroyed by arson July 7, 1972.

Garden City Covered Bridge

Garden City Covered Bridge spanned the Mulberry Fork of Black Warrior River in Cullman County, Ala. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Golden’s Mill Covered Bridge

This bridge spanned Sougahatchee Creek on Alabama Highway 49 in Tallapoosa County. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Hillabee Creek Covered Bridge

This bridge was located in Tallapoosa County. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Liddy’s Bridge

This 50-foot span was built in 1926 over Big Branch in Blount County, about three miles from the Cullman County line. In 1958 when a new road was built, Liddy Walker purchased the bridge for $50 and moved it to Liddy’s Lake, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. What happened to it is unknown.

Meadows Mill Covered Bridge

Built in 1902 by W.W. King, son of famed bridge builder Horace King, this 140-foot-long Meadows Mill Bridge was destroyed by arson Oct. 4, 1973. Dates built and location unknown.

Miller Covered Bridge

Miller Covered Bridge collapsed in July 1963. Dates built and location unknown.

Norman’s Covered Bridge

This bridge over Catoma Creek was built by Job Norman, who settled on land near the present-day intersection of East South Boulevard and South Court Street in Montgomery, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. “He constructed the bridge to facilitate visits with friends who had settled in southern Montgomery County,” the ADAH said. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Pea Ridge Covered Bridge

This bridge was located about three miles from U.S. Highway 280, south of Opelika. Pea Ridge Covered Bridge was constructed with wooden pegs over Wacoochee Creek. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Pintlala Creek Covered Bridge

This bridge was located on Old Selma Road in Montgomery County. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Standridge Covered Bridge

This 432-foot-covered bridge over the Locust Fork of Black Warrior River was located near Hayden in Blount County. Built in 1934, it was destroyed by arson on the night of Nov. 18, 1967, according to the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Talladega Covered Bridge

This span in the Talladega National Forest near Oxford, Ala., was located in Calhoun County. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Tallushatchee Creek Covered Bridge

This covered bridge was located in Jacksonville, Ala. Dates built and demolished unknown.

Wasden Road Covered Bridge

This bridge over Pintlala Creek was unusual because it had a flat roof. Dates built and demolished unknown.