Whatever Happened to Kentucky’s Old Covered Bridges?

I'm a big fan of covered bridges. Cruising through Iowa several years ago, I stopped in Winterset and visited the Roseman Bridge, which was used in The Bridges of Madison County. And there's the Huffman Mill Covered Bridge on the Spencer County/Perry County line in Southern Indiana.

Kentucky's Covered Bridges

But, to my recollection, I've never seen one in Kentucky. Recently, I've learned that there may be a good reason for that. I also learned that the Commonwealth was once home to more than 400 of the historic old structures, but that number has dwindled to 11 today because of decay, fire, flooding, and demolition for the purposes of replacement.

Of course, looking on the bright side, if you wanted to visit all of Kentucky's covered bridges, it's much easier now, even if the majority of them are in the eastern half of the state.

The closest one to where I am right now is the Switzer Bridge in Franklin County, named the Official Bridge of Kentucky in 1998.

Interesting Facts About Kentucky's Covered Bridges

In Bourbon County, the Colville Bridge once charged a toll, unless you were crossing because of a funeral or if you were going to school. Plus, it's rumored to be haunted.

The Dover Bridge in Mason County, built in 1835, is considered Kentucky's oldest covered bridge and is in a state of disrepair.

The Goddard Bridge in Fleming County is the only example of a wooden truss bridge using what's known as Ithiel Town's lattice design, which was patented in 1820.

And Bennett's Mill Bridge in Greenup County wouldn't have survived the Civil War but for a group of locals who talked Captain John Hunt Morgan out of burning it.

Kentucky Living has conveniently listed these beautiful bridges, along with the other six, from east to west, just in case you want to make a fun and historic summertime road trip out of it.