A08 Columbus, Georgia USA 1828

The city contains multiple structures built by the enslaved architect, engineer, and accomplished builder Horace King. King constructed the first bridge crossing the Chattahoochee River here in 1833. The bridge was rebuilt by King three times due to flood and destruction by the Union army. After buying his freedom and establishing the King Brothers Bridge Company, King went on to construct the City Mill, the Muscogee County Courthouse, and other prominent structures in the south, including a bridge in Columbus, MS.    

His eulogy stated,

Horace King’s life soars above the murky waters of historical limitations, of human bondage and racial prejudice. He did not change the currents of social history, but he did transcend them.

back to All