Boone Covered Bridges

Boone County is rich in creeks and waterways, which has been essential to developing a successful agricultural community. To move people and product easier, dozens of bridges were constructed. However, they would have to be rebuilt frequently as the average age of a wooden bridge was about 20 years. To extend the life of these lifelines, a roof was built spanning the entire bridge...the covered bridge. Covered bridges, now extinct in Boone County, were once an everyday sight here.

Covered bridges began popping up in Kentucky in the late 1700s. By 1900, there was reported as many as 400 in the state. In 1871 the longest wooden covered bridge in the world was constructed in Northern Kentucky, spanning the Licking River in Pendleton County. The Butler Station Covered Bridge, an impressive 465 feet in length, suffered severe damage during the 1937 flood and had to be demolished.

In Boone County, there existed at least three covered bridges: two spanning Woolper Creek on Idlewild Road, and one crossing Taylor Creek on KY- 20. The Woolper Creek bridges, each measuring about 40 feet in length, were built in 1851 by Henry Mallory, a respected Boone County resident and carpenter. Both of these historic gems fell victim to the elements, ultimately being replaced by dependable, though charmless, concrete structures. The bridge over Taylor Creek, circa 1859, was at once painted red, surely a lovely sight for travelers. This bridge eventually disappeared as well, presumably due to flood damage and/or deterioration.

Pictured is a photo of a covered bridge thought to have been located in Boone County.

("Burlington Bridge" from the Boone County Public Library Collection)