| Bridges to the Past Kentucky's Remaining Covered Bridges by John Hultgren |
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| Photo
of the interior of Ringos Mill Covered Bridge, taken Fall 1998 ©1998 John Hultgren |
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| Bridges to the Past Kentucky's Remaining Covered Bridges by John Hultgren |
|
| Photo
of the interior of Ringos Mill Covered Bridge, taken Fall 1998 ©1998 John Hultgren |
|
In the late 1700, Kentuckians began to build covered bridges across their rivers and creeks. Some were the work of nationally-known bridge architect Lewis Wernwag. The bridges were covered to keep their main timbers dry and protected from the elements.
The longest wooden covered bridge in the world was once in Kentucky. The Butler Station Bridge was located in Pendleton County, 7.5 miles north of Falmouth in Butler over the Licking River. 456 feet in length, the bridge consisted of three spans 152 feet each. Built in 1871 for $18,450, it was severely damaged by winds and flood waters in 1937 and torn down.
During the Civil War, many of Kentucky's covered bridges were burned by both Union and Confederate troops. More were lost in the 1900s, victims to modern replacement, arson, and neglect. A statewide program to repair and preserve Kentucky's covered bridges wasn't begun until 1996. All of Kentucky's remaining covered bridges are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
There is probably one additional surviving covered bridge in Kentucky. At the bottom of Herrington Lake near the Boyle-Garrard County Line lies the King's Mill Covered Bridge, which was covered by the man-made lake as it was built in 1925. Since the bridge (and mill) are completely immersed in fresh water, it is likely that this 175-foot span remains intact.
For more information about covered bridges in Kentucky, see Covered Bridges: Focus on Kentucky by Vernon White (Berea, Ky. 1985), or Kentucky Covered Wooden Bridges and Water-Powered Mills by Robert A. Powell (Lexington, Ky. 1984). In March, 2003, Dr. Patton said that after 38 years, the Kentucky Covered Bridge Association was going to disband.
This page is part of a frame. If you reached this page without the frame listing all of Kentucky's covered bridges, click here.
Please E-mail corrections or additional information to: john@hultgren.org
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