Oldtown Bridge - Greenup County, KY - USA - Covered Bridges on Waymarking.com

One of two covered bridges in Greenup County, KY.

The 187 foot Oldtown Covered Bridge crosses the Little Sandy River which flows into the nearby Ohio River. Built on a Burrs patented design, it was completed in 1880 at a cost of $4,000. Commissioners in charge of the project were J.C. Irvin, John Conley and W.A. Womack. It has withstood the floods of 1913 and 1937. It was restored in 1972-73 by the Green Thumb Program.

There is no traffic on the bridge.

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.

(visit link)

Current Condition of Bridge: Restored. Description of Covered Bridge: 187-foot double post and brace bridge. Appears to be out in a field. There is ample parking in the field near the bridge. It is best to park near the road and walk to the bridge if it has been raining as it can get pretty muddy. Year Built: 1880 Parking (If not at the bridge):: in field near the bridge Location (Road - City - State - Country): Frazier Road - Oldtown, KY - USA Web Address: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/30/2008 Wallyum visited it 08/11/2008 BS & SIR visited it 04/06/2007 BluegrassCache visited it 04/08/2004 pinkbison visited it

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