Concord Covered Bridge — Unsigned Drawing with Photos (ca. Early 1960s, from Lou Erickson Cartoon Box)

Unit: N/A (Historic Civil War site)
Photographer: Period photographs included in Erickson’s box, one featuring Frances Hoepner
Date / Range: ca. early 1960s
Dimensions / Medium: Pen and ink on thin sketch stock

Description:
Line drawing of Concord Covered Bridge spanning Nickajack Creek, Smyrna, GA. The sketch was found in a box of Lou Erickson cartoons and staff work, accompanied by two period photographs taped together on the reverse board: a downstream view and an entrance view showing Frances Hoepner standing beside the bridge portal. A caption strip fragment, also affixed to the reverse, shows partial Atlanta Journal text with editorial crop/test marks, highlighting Erickson’s working process.

Historical Context:
The Concord Bridge site figured prominently in the 1864 Atlanta Campaign, when Sherman’s forces flanked Johnston’s defenses at Kennesaw Mountain. By the 20th century, the bridge was a well-known local landmark. Its Civil War significance connects naturally to Erickson’s broader Civil War–themed work, including The Battle of Atlanta illustrations (William Key), Reconstruction imagery for Hugh Park’s columns, and his satirical Cyclorama sketches with Leo Aikman. Together, these works reveal Erickson’s engagement with Atlanta’s wartime past and its ongoing place in public memory, from battlefield history to Reconstruction to the 20th-century Cyclorama debate.

Verso / Notations:
Caption strip fragment affixed with paste residue; text misaligned, suggesting editorial crop/test.

Paper:
Thin, off-white sketch stock.

Condition:
Handling wear, light toning, tape residue.

Provenance:
From a box of Lou Erickson cartoons and staff work, with two associated photographs (one featuring Frances Hoepner).

Additional Images:
– Downstream view of Concord Bridge (Erickson box)
– Entrance view with Frances Hoepner (Erickson box)
– Caption strip fragment taped to board
– Verso notes with editorial markings

Artist:
Pen and Ink — Interior Page — Unpublished Art — Erickson (probable, unsigned)

Suggested Tags:
Lou Erickson, Civil War memory, Concord Covered Bridge, Kennesaw Campaign, Smyrna GA, Cyclorama Linked Works

CAF Gallery Cross-Reference:
– The Battle of Atlanta (William Key, illustrated by Lou Erickson)
– Came South 2 Years After Civil War (Hugh Park column, 1976; Erickson illustration)
– Why Not Move Cyclorama, Too (Leo Aikman column, ca. 1970s; Erickson sketch)