Kentucky: a road trip through the state - Part 45 - Orlando / Florida Guide
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Covered Bridges continued :-
In Lewis, Mason and Bracken counties which are all to the north of Lexington along the Ohio River you will find some more covered bridges. If you are in Lexington then to get to the general area you need to take US 68 to the north as far as Maysville which is about 67 miles.
At Maysville you take the local road KY 10 east to Tollesboro which is in Lewis County after which you take KY 57 north to where it meets KY 984. It’s on this road that about seven miles west you will find Cabin Creek Covered Bridge. It has a 114-foot span and was built in 1867, it is however in much poorer condition than most of Kentucky' s other bridges. It has been targeted as a priority for repair by the state and is under renovation, depending on when you are reading this those repairs may now be complete.
After seeing this bridge then you should return to Maysville by going west along the KY 8. This takes you along the Ohio River where you see the Dover Covered Bridge with its unusual queenpost truss design. Just before you get to the town of Dover you should turn left onto Lee Creek Road. The road is not marked, however there is a Kentucky highway marker about the bridge at the intersection. This 62-foot span over the Lees Creek is about 200 yards south of KY 8. It is Kentucky' s oldest covered bridge and was built in 1835. Despite this it is still open to traffic.
Once you have seen the Dover Covered Bridge then return to the KY 8 and go west to the KY 1159 in Bracken County. When you arrive at the KY 1159 you need to turn left to visit the site of the recently renovated Walcott Covered Bridge. This is only known covered bridge to have ever existed within the county. The 75-foot bridge spans Locust Creek is believed to have been built in the 1880s to replace a similar bridge that was built in 1824. It is thought that some of the timbers from the original bridge may have been reused as this was the custom at the time. It has long been closed to traffic but walkways do allow pedestrian use. The bridge has been maintained by the Murray family whose property adjoins the bridge since the 1950’s. It is also known as the White bridge because its siding is painted white.
A fourth covered bridge in the area is the tiny Valley Pike Covered Bridge of Mason County. It is only 23-feet long but this bridge is privately owned and still in use. It has been part of the driveway to the Bouldin family farm since 1864. The farm is located off KY 10 between Maysville and Germantown.
When you are in the Walcott Covered Bridge area you might want to take a side trip into Augusta. It is a historic river town with many restored homes but is also your gateway to covered bridge explorations in another state. If you take the Augusta Ferry across the Ohio River to Brown County, Ohio you can find another six covered bridges nearby.
However this brings me to the end of our covered bridge journey and now it was time for us the visit the Shaker village before we headed east to the National Park.
The next section continues in part 46.
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