Horace King (architect)

Horace King
Horace King during the mid-19th century
Born	(1807-09-08)September 8, 1807 Chesterfield County, South Carolina, US
Died	May 28, 1885(1885-05-28) (aged 77) Lagrange, Georgia, US
Occupation	Architect, Engineer, Contractor

Horace King (sometimes Horace Godwin) (September 8, 1807 – May 28, 1885) was an American architect, engineer, and bridge builder. King is considered the most respected bridge builder of the 19th century Deep South, constructing dozens of bridges in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi. Born into slavery in South Carolina in 1807, King became a prominent bridge architect and construction manager in the Chattahoochee River Valley region of Alabama and Georgia before purchasing his freedom in 1846.

He also constructed lattice truss bridges in the style of Ithiel Town at every major crossing of the Chattahoochee River and over every major river in the Deep South between the Oconee and Tombigbee.; King also became active in politics, being elected and serving as a Republican member of the Alabama House of Representatives from 1868 to 1872.

Horace King was born into slavery in 1807 in the Cheraw District of South Carolina, in present-day Chesterfield County. King's ancestry was a mix of African, European, and Catawba. Mid-20th century biographer F. L. Cherry described his complexion as showing more "Indian blood than any other." Taught to read and write at an early age, he had become a proficient carpenter and mechanic by his teenage years.

Records indicate King spent his first 23 years near his birthplace, with his first introduction to bridge construction in 1824. In 1824, bridge architect Ithiel Town came to Cheraw to assist in the construction of a bridge over the Pee Dee River. While it is unknown whether King assisted in the construction of this bridge or its replacement span built in 1828, Town's lattice truss design, used in both Pee Dee bridges, became a hallmark of King's future work.