• Built in 1885
• Constructed by W. (Washington) W. King
• 229 feet long on its original site
• Supported on 4 piers
• Is on the National Register of Historic Places
• Most of the wood used is mature heart pine

Where did Watson Mill Bridge get its name?
When the bridge was built, in the late 1800s, there was a grist mill several hundred feet down river from the bridge. The mill was owned and operated by Gabriel Watson, thereby the bridge became known as Watson Mill Bridge. In fact, many of the old covered bridges of the past picked up their namesake from the local mill nearby.

During the late 1800s, the area around Watson Mill Bridge was quite a community. There was a furniture shop located on the bottom floor of the mill, a blacksmith shop near the mill, a cotton gin, and a general store. The Watson Mill "community" was only 2 miles from Carlton, which in its day was a thriving town due to its location along the railroad. Gabriel Watson is buried, along with his wife, at the old Fork Cemetery on Watson Mill Park Road near the entrance to the parkís horse trails.