Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve
Contact Information
SC Department of Natural ResourcesHeritage Trust Program
PO Box 167
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 734-3886 (Columbia)
Hours of Operation
Hours of operation dawn till dusk. Public access is being developed.
Contributions to the Endangered Wildlife Fund on the South Carolina Income Tax Form help to make the identification and management of these preserves possible.
Photographs
Description
The preserve comprises 120 acres and contains Poinsett Bridge, a 183-year-old arched stone bridge named for Joel R. Poinsett. It is believed to be the oldest surviving bridge in South Carolina. Poinsett, a Charleston native, was a prominent early resident of Greenville and a U.S. ambassador to Mexico. The poinsettia flower, which Poinsett introduced to the United States from Mexico, was named for him. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Poinsett Bridge was part of the State Road from Charleston through Columbia to North Carolina designed in 1817-19 by Poinsett, then director of the South Carolina Board of Public Works. Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument and many significant South Carolina buildings, may have designed Poinsett Bridge.
Parking and picnic areas and an interpretive walking trail are planned for the site.