In observance of Presidents’ Day, this week’s #MarkerMonday looks at the Reed Bingham State Park Bridge historical marker and its connection to President Jimmy Carter. Although the marker was erected after his inauguration as US President, the Georgia General Assembly created the marker to commemorate President Carter’s time as Governor of Georgia (1971-1975).
Split between two counties by the Little River, Reed Bingham State Park includes 983 acres in Colquitt County, with the remaining 629 acres in Cook County. Reed Bingham State Park was promoted primarily by a local man named Amos Reed Bingham as a place to provide a recreational space for the community. In 1952, almost twenty years after his original proposal, he finally convinced local officials to create plans for the park. Colquitt and Cook counties purchased the land for the park in 1958 and in 1965 built a dam on the Little River to create a lake.
With the two sides of the park separated, Governor Jimmy Carter worked closely with the Georgia Department of Transportation and local officials to build a bridge connecting them. Governor Carter dedicated the new bridge on July 13, 1974, and continued his interests in the park’s arboretum. Because of his interest in the park and as a reflection of Carter’s significance to the state of Georgia, the General Assembly requested the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Department of Natural Resources to work together to erect the Reed Bingham State Park Bridge historical marker.
Explore the links below to learn more:
History of the Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites Division
The Jackson progress-argus. (Jackson, Ga.) 1915-current, September 08, 1966, Image 3