Aerial survey · USDA NAIP · public domainAn 1900 Town Lattice covered bridge now preserved at Opelika Municipal Park, with legends of children killed in a car accident and a strangling that local police have partially confirmed.
Opelika Municipal Park, North 5th Street, Opelika, AL 36801
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public access at Opelika Municipal Park.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Paved park paths; bridge interior is flat
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1900 · Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage (1977) · Town Lattice truss construction — one of Alabama's surviving covered bridges · Reconstructed 2007 at Opelika Municipal Park
The Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge — also known as the Pea Ridge Covered Bridge — was constructed circa 1900 by Otto Puls using a Town Lattice truss design. The 76-foot original bridge crossed Wacoochee Creek on Shotwell Road (CR 252) near Salem in Lee County, Alabama, shortening travel between the communities of Salem and Shotwell. Materials included longleaf heart pine, white oak pegs, and cedar shakes.
The bridge was closed to motor traffic in 1994 and was listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on January 25, 1977. On June 4, 2005, a severe thunderstorm caused a tree to fall onto the bridge, collapsing it into Wacoochee Creek. The City of Opelika acquired ownership on October 31, 2005, and contracted J. Marsh Enterprises, Inc. to reconstruct the structure. Rebuilt at a shortened length of 43 feet (some original material was lost in the collapse), the bridge was reopened at Opelika Municipal Park on August 14, 2007.
Note: The Shadowlands seed for this location described the bridge as 'closed and out in the middle of the woods' — this was accurate of the original Salem location but has been out of date since 2007. The bridge is now in an active urban park.
Sources
According to Digital Alabama's documentation, the Salem-Shotwell Covered Bridge carried a legend of children killed in a motor vehicle accident near the bridge. The candy-on-the-bridge tradition — leaving sweets for the ghost children to collect — is a version of this lore. However, Digital Alabama also notes that 'many locals state that no such incident ever happened,' and no news archive documentation of a bridge collapse killing a family was found.
A separate tradition, partially corroborated, involves a young woman strangled at the bridge in the 1960s. Digital Alabama cites 'local police officers who had worked the crime scene' as confirmation for this incident, though no specific case documentation or news source was found in research.
According to the Southern Spirit Guide's documentation (citing the book Haunted Auburn and Opelika by Faith Serafin, Michelle Smith, and John Mark Poe), the earliest stories involved Native American spirits reaching up from the waters of Wacoochee Creek toward travelers crossing the bridge at night. A more recent tradition centers on the spirit of a young boy — 'one accident added a spirit to the bridge,' and this child's 'pitiful spirit often attracted ghost hunters and curious legend trippers who would leave small toys and gifts behind.' The Southern Spirit Guide also notes that children playing near the reconstructed bridge have reportedly seen 'a young boy that only they can see.'
The bridge's original isolated location near Salem would have made it a plausible setting for these stories. The 2007 relocation to a well-lit municipal park has arguably reduced its atmospheric qualities.
Media Appearances
Walk through the 43-foot Town Lattice truss bridge at Opelika Municipal Park. The bridge is constructed of longleaf heart pine, white oak pegs, and cedar shakes dating to 1900. Originally built over Wacoochee Creek near Salem, it was destroyed in 2005, reconstructed, and relocated to the park in 2007. The structure is accessible year-round.
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