Ringos Mill Covered Bridge, Flemingsburg Kentucky
Ringos Mill Covered Bridge, as well as the surrounding community, developed in the mid-1800s as a result of the Ringos grist mill operation on Fox Creek. About 86 feet long, it is another example of the early agricultural economy. The bridge itself is in need of proper repair as incorrect measures have already caused costly damage.
At one time Kentucky had hundreds of covered bridges spanning her rivers. Just prior to World War II, sixty-five were still standing. By 1952, the numbers had shrunk to thirty-nine. Now only sixteen remain. These sixteen, which represent a variety of structural types, are concentrated in the central and northeast sections of the state in the small communities or rural areas of the state.
Thirteen point seven miles south of Flemingsburg in Fleming County on Ky. 158, 3.2 miles southeast of junction Ky. 158 and 111, is the Ringos Mill Covered Bridge. It was named for a grist mill about 50 yards downstream. Built on the popular Burr Truss design, it crosses Fox Creek in a single 90-foot span.
Still retaining its original double-walled yellow poplar siding over its yellow pine trusses, it rests on abutments of soapstone or nature's "red stone" covered with a concrete facing.
Bypassed with a newer concrete structure, it has since received little maintenance. Bottom chords have pulled apart and a bad list has developed in the walls.
It and the Hillsboro Bridge, downstream, are generally accepted to have had common builders and dates of origin.
Ventilation and light are effected by means of clerestory-like openings in the siding. Ringos Mill Covered Bridge in Fleming County is 86 feet in length according to Kentucky Department of Transportation measurements.
