Kentucky: a road trip through the state - Part 44 - Orlando / Florida Guide
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Covered Bridges continued :-
The bridges of Fleming County are about an hour and a half drive from Lexington and are located to the northeast. Take US 68 north through Paris, turning right at KY 36 toward Carlisle. Once there you can see three of these old covered bridges.
The first is the Goddard Bridge, a 60-foot bridge spanning Sand Lick Creek, which is off KY 32 and about nine miles southeast of Flemingsburg. It is one of the most famous because it is a favourite with photographers. When viewed from the eastern side it perfectly frames the tiny Goddard United Methodist Church and makes a really good photo. The bridge is still open to traffic so you may have to wait a bit to take that perfect shot. The date of the original construction is not known but it was built using a design patented in 1820. The design was known as ' town lattice truss' because the phrase described the criss-crossing lattice of timbers that you can see inside the bridge. It is now the only bridge of this type remaining in Kentucky.
There are two covered bridges that still cross Fox Creek near Hillsboro to the south of Flemingsburg. Grange City Covered Bridge is in the middle of farmland off KY 111 about four miles south of Hillsboro. The 86-foot span was built in the late 1860s and features a ' multiple kingpost truss. ' This is a design where the bridge is braced with a series of upright timbers all inclined toward the centre post. Built to a similar design, size and age is the 89-foot Ringo' s Mill Bridge. To get to this bridge, turn off KY 111 onto KY 158 south from Hillsboro. The bridge takes its name from a grist mill that operated on the creek during the 1880s. Both the Grange City and Ringo' s Mill bridges are closed to cars, but foot traffic is allowed.
Fleming County is very scenic in fall which tends to be late October in this region. If you do go to the downtown area then look out for the Covered Bridge Museum on Water Street. However as with many smaller places it is only open from March to December from 12:00 to 4:00 p. m.
You need to head west to find Kentucky' s longest surviving covered bridge. It can be found about 60 miles west of Lexington in Washington County. The Mt. Zion Covered Bridge, it is also known as the Beech Fork Covered Bridge because it spans Beech Fork Creek. It is the longest multi-span bridge in Kentucky and is a total of 211 feet long. The bridge was built in 1865 and can be found just off KY 458. The bridge was built using yellow pine and features a ' Burr arch truss. ' This is a great arch of wood sandwiched between two king posts and is named after Theodore Burr who patented the truss design in 1804. The bridge is closed to vehicles but you can walk through it.
Covered Bridges continues in part 45.
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