LEXINGTON, Ky. — Just before World War II, covered bridges — also called kissing bridges — could be found all over Kentucky, spanning rivers and creeks. Now, only 11 remain.
Kentucky could count 65 such bridges prior to WWII, but as early as 1952, the number had rapidly shrunk to 39.
The bridges have been the subject of speculation over the passing decades, stoking debate about their exact purpose.
While some say the roofed-in bridges are more insulated from the elements and therefore longer-lived, others contend the bridges were made to avoid spooking horses when that was the most common form of transportation.
Though less than a dozen are still standing in Kentucky today, the bulk of them are concentrated in the northern and central parts of the state, which puts many of them within day-tripping distance of Lexington.
What follows is the story of the two closest such bridges to Fayette County, told with information from each bridge’s nomination application to the National Register of Historic Places.
Colville Covered Bridge, Bourbon County
Originally built in 1877, this is the last surviving covered bridge in all of Bourbon County. The bridge’s nomination form to the National Register of Historic Places inventory was received and stamped Nov. 1, 1974.
After one other covered bridge was destroyed by an arsonist at the time, and two others were replaced with modern spans, Bourbon County strived to save and preserve this last surviving covered bridge.
Saving the Colville Covered Bridge would prove to be a tall order for county officials, given the scarcity of materials and a lack of expertise on this particular style of bridge.
To solve this problem, Bourbon County tapped the talents of Louis S. Bower Jr. of Flemingsburg – with Fleming County itself home to three covered bridges that have survived into the present.
Bower Jr. himself was a scion of a notable bridge-building lineage in Kentucky, often described as “the last covered bridge builder in Kentucky.”
His father – the man who earlier repaired the Colville Bridge back in 1913 – was also called in to supervise his son’s work.
Bower Jr. was in fact the third generation of the family in the bridge business, having a grandfather who built the Switzer Bridge in Franklin County and one in Robertson County in 1874.
The Colville Covered Bridge is something of a local monument, as much as it is a functional bridge. Its interior walls bear carved or painted names and initials of visitors, the oldest of which date to 1883.
As for its setting, it’s a beautiful one. The northern banks of the Hinkston Creek it spans are lined with large, sheltering trees, while the southwestern bank is a wildflower preserve developed and formerly maintained by the Bourbon County Garden Club.
Approach from the west, and the road is straight, level and lined by trees. If you’re coming from the east, you’ll ascend a curve with the bridge gradually coming into view.
The bridge sits along Colville Pike in a rural area where traffic is mostly local residents and farm vehicles.
Exactly 124 feet long and 18 feet wide, the roadbed of the bridge is roughly 28 feet above the water level of the flowing creek. The bridge follows Burr truss construction, a style originally developed and patented by Theodore Burr in 1817.
Panel posts are generally spaced along the bridge 10 feet apart. Between each panel post, a diagonal timber brace is placed. These slope up toward the center of the bridge. A heavy timber arch is fastened to each side of the truss, with the arches themselves varying in height from 4 feet to about 12 feet tall. The posts are typically vertical, though some flare slightly with their top ends slanted toward the end of the bridge.
Bridge coordinates: 38°19′28″N 84°12′12″W
Distance from Lexington: About one hour.
Switzer Covered Bridge, Franklin County
LEX_05_220616SwitzerBridge_
Originally built sometime around 1855, the Switzer Covered Bridge is the only one of its kind still standing in Franklin County.
According to its nomination application to the National Register of Historic Places, apparently received in April of 1974 (though the stamp is somewhat faded), the Switzer Covered Bridge was built by a man named George Hockensmith.
The bridge spans North Elkhorn Creek, near the Switzer community.
While the application describes the bridge as 11 feet wide and as 60 feet long, it also references another estimate that puts it at 120 feet long. A Herald-Leader photographer who visited the site confirmed the bridge’s length leans more toward that latter estimate.
Notably, there’s a door in the bridge about midway.
Over the years, the bridge’s vertical side boards were knocked out by people looking for a convenient fishing spot. The door was added later in hopes people would fish from there, instead of damaging the bridge.
Walking inside the bridge, you can look up and see the exposed wooden supports.
The application describes the bridge’s romantic past: “Within the walls are held memories of midnight rides and stolen kisses. Posters found pasted on the sides of the Switzer bridge advertising Gibson Girl shows, circuses, sewing machines and corsets conjure up other pleasant recollections and images of days gone by,” the application reads.
Locals revere this bridge, the application document states.
It was in 1953, when the State Highway Department wanted to demolish the bridge and replace it with a new one, that Switzer locals fought to keep it.
They were successful in persuading the department to build a new bridge near the old one. Once the new bridge was completed in 1954, the Switzer Covered Bridge was closed to vehicular traffic.
That may have ultimately saved the bridge in the long run, lightening the wear and tear on it and allowing it to persist.
Bridge coordinates: 38°15′14″N 84°45′08″W
Distance from Lexington: About 50 minutes.
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