Cox's Mill Covered Bridge

The first indication of a covered bridge over Broad Creek at Cox's Mill is found in the Maryland State Archives Session Laws of 1833, Chapter 204, passed on March 12, 1834:

An act for building a Bridge over Broad Creek, at or near Cox's Mill, in Harford county. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, that David G. McCoy, John McFadin and John Galbreth, be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners, to fix upon a site at or near Cox's Mill, on Broad Creek, for building a bridge over said creek, and the said commissioners are hereby authorized to erect or cause to be erected a good and substantial bridge, with two stone abutments to be raised sufficiently high to save the bridge in time of freshets, the bridge to be weatherboarded or covered with cedar or pine shingles, and done in a workman-like manner, and for a sum not exceeding four hundred dollars.

The Commissioners for the bridge were to be paid $200 in 1834 and another $200 in 1835 and were trusted that if the bridge did not cost that much to build, they would return excess money to the county.

It is likely the bridge was never built until 1838-39, or it may have been built and quickly lost, for the Session Laws of 1837 provided another act for the building of a bridge at Cox's Mill. The law was passed on March 15, 1838. The wording of the act was nearly identical to that of the act of 1833 including the appointment of said commissioners and the payment of $200 each, (now in the years 1838 and 1839). However, the act referred to the mill as Cox's "old" mill and changed the wording for the description of the weatherboarding and roof to, "The said bridge to be weather-boarded and covered with a roof of cypress or pine shingles."

On October 25, 1838, the Harford Madisonian included an article asking for bridge builders to submit proposals for building the bridge at Cox's Mill:

Bridge Builders - Proposals will be received on Saturday, the 10th of November next, for building a Bridge over Broad Creek at or near Cox's Old Mill. The undersigned Commissioners will meet at said place at 10 o'clock on that day. (John Galbreath, John McFadden, David G. McCoy.)

Cox's Mill eventually became McCoy's Mill. The Macton Bridge, also known as Broad Creek Bridge, likely replaced this bridge sometime during the last half of the 1800s.

Location of Covered Bridge at Cox' Mill. Original map is Simon J. Martinet, 1865.

Cox's Mill Covered Bridge is one of four known covered bridges over Broad Creek which also include Macton Bridge, Old Red or Flintville Bridge, and Pyle's Mill Bridge or Pylesville Bridge.