This bridge allowed residents of Sand Mountain a better means of access to nearby Oneonta as well as to Horton's mill and a general store which were located along the east side of the Calvert Prong.

This crew included foreman Zelma C. Tidwell, who helped in building three other prominent covered bridges in Blount County (Easley, Nectar, Swann).

The Horton Mill Covered Bridge was reported closed to motor vehicle traffic on September 27, 2007, due to unsafe conditions.

According to a member on the photo website Flickr as well as a report from the Blount Countian, vandals attempted to remove some of the roof supports on the west side of the bridge by tying a cable or chain around them and attached the other end to either a tow hitch or hook ... using a vehicle to try to pull them out, causing significant damage.

The other two historic covered bridges remaining in Blount County, Easley and Swann, were closed to motor vehicle traffic in 2009 for unsafe conditions after routine inspections.

Wooden structural pieces were repaired or replaced as needed and new tin roofs were put on all three bridges in order to keep the weather off vital supporting timbers.

In January 2022, the Blount County Commission voted in their monthly meeting to have the Horton Mill Covered Bridge closed to motor vehicle traffic beginning on April 1, 2022, due to ongoing safety concerns and recent costly repairs.