According to the May 2, 1883, minutes of the Early County Board of Commissioners, a commission was appointed to inquire into the practicability of constructing a bridge across Coheelee Creek at McDonald Ford, but the construction contract was not let until July 7, 1891. Labor cost $490.41, with J. W. Baughman serving as supervisor and W. C. Sheffield as chairman of the 1891 commissioners. A picnic area adjacent to Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge on Old River Road is maintained by the Early County Board of Commissioners. The land was made available to the county in 1959 by the late John H. Williams of Blakely and bears the name of his first wife. The Peter Early Chapter DAR serves as custodian of the park.