Bridging deep south rivers
Subtitle: the life and legend of Horace King
By: John S. Lupold and Thomas L. French, Jr.
Contributors: French, Thomas L.; Historic Chattahoochee Commission.; Troup County Historical Society.
Publisher: University of Georgia Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Athens
Language: eng
Number of pages: 335
Subjects: King, Horace, 1807-1885.; King, Horace, 1807-1885 -- Influence.; African Americans -- Biography.; African American engineers -- Biography.; Civil engineers -- United States -- Biography.; Bridges -- Southern States -- Design and construction -- History -- 19th century.; African American legislators -- Alabama -- Biography.; Slaves -- South Carolina -- Biography.
Genres: Biography.
Description: "Horace King (1807-1885) built covered bridges over every large river in Georgia, Alabama, and eastern Mississippi. That King, who began life as a slave in Cheraw, South Carolina, received no formal training makes his story all the more remarkable. This is the first major biography of the gifted architect and engineer who used his skills to transcend the limits of slavery and segregation and become a successful entrepreneur and builder." "As a slave and then as a freedman, King built bridges, courthouses, warehouses, factories, and houses in the three-state area. The authors separate legend from facts as they carefully document King's life in the Chattahoochee Valley on the Georgia-Alabama border. We learn about King's freedom from slavery in 1846, his reluctant support of the Confederacy, and his two terms in Alabama's Reconstruction legislature. In addition, the biography reveals King's relationship with his fellow (white) contractors and investors, especially John Godwin, his master and business partner, and Robert Jemison Jr., the Alabama entrepreneur and legislator who helped secure King's freedom. The story does not end with Horace, however, because he passed his skills on to his three sons, who also became prominent builders and businessmen."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 313-320) and index.
"Published in cooperation with the Historic Chattahoochee Commission and the Troup County Historical Society."