Imes Covered Bridge - Wilkins Mill Bridge, Saint Charles Iowa

Date added: December 15, 2023 Categories: Iowa Covered Bridges Town Lattice Truss

The Imes Bridge is one of two in the Winterset region built by J.P. Clark. It is also the oldest covered bridge in the area.

Between 1868 and 1884, Madison County erected nineteen wooden covered bridges. Over time, all but five of these structures were lost to floods, fires, progress, or willful destruction. In 1933, the Madison County Historical Society began campaigning to preserve the county's ten surviving covered bridges, but they faced strong opposition from progress-minded citizens and local farmers, who desired modern open spans. Controversy continued for nearly two decades, and during that time, several more covered bridges were lost.

In 1950, the Madison County Board of Supervisors finally agreed to maintain the county's seven surviving covered bridges as tourist attractions. One by one, the bridges were moved or bypassed over the next three decades, but the county upheld its commitment to preserve them. In 1970, the county held the first annual Madison County Covered Bridge Festival, a time-honored event that now draws thousands of visitors each year. Tourism increased dramatically in the 1990s following the publication and subsequent movie adaptation of Robert James Waller's novel, The Bridges of Madison County.

Unfortunately, the covered bridges are still threatened by vandalism and arson. McBride Bridge was burned in 1983, Cedar Bridge was burned in 2002 (and rebuilt in 2004), and there were subsequent arson attempts on Hogback and Roseman bridges. In cooperation with the Coalition for Advanced Wood Structures (USDA Forest Service Forest Products Laboratory and Iowa State University Bndge Engineering Center), Madison County is currently testing a remote-monitoring system to identify and mitigate potentially destructive activities at covered bridges. The ultimate goal is to develop tools for the long-term preservation of historic timber bridges across the country.

Bridge Description

Imes Bridge is a 127', single-span Town lattice truss covered wooden bridge with an auxiliary queenpost truss. The bridge has a gable roof and is covered with vertical plank siding. The structure is supported on timber piles and spans a shallow ravine next to the highway.

In January 1870, the Madison County Board of Supervisors voted to build a bridge at Wilkin's Mill on Middle River near Patterson. Constructed by local carpenter J.P. Clark in the winter of 1870-71, the county accepted the bridge in June 1871.

In 1887, Wilkin's Mill Bridge was moved to Clanton Creek in Hanley. At this site, it was known as Imes, or King, Bridge. The bridge carried traffic until 1977, when a new concrete span was built nearby. Imes Bridge was moved to a wayside park just east of St. Charles. The Madison County Covered Bridge Committee financed the move.