Mount Zion Covered Bridge, Mooresville Kentucky
The Mount Zion Covered Bridge over the Beech Fork is the last of seven such structures standing at one time in Washington County. It is one of the longest multi-span bridges remaining in the state.
The contractors were H. L. and William F. Barnes of Mount Washington; the original cost was $5,000. At the time the bridge was being built, the "Springfield and Chaplin Turnpike" had been surveyed and construction was underway. The bridge was an integral part of the Turnpike.
In April 1871 the President of Springfield and Chaplin Turnpike Road Company, Joseph Grigsby, and the Company's directors came into Court to order the construction of a bridge over the Little Beech Fork "at some point within one mile of the mouth of Hayes still house branch" and asked for an appropriation of $5000. The Court favored the petition and in October of the same year the Sheriff turned over ten percent of the money collected for the purpose (Order Book I, pp. 122, 165, 169). Soon after, the bridge was constructed of oak and yellow poplar with beech plank flooring and "a good Shingle Roof of yellow Poplar."
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.
Many reasons have been offered to explain the construction of covered bridges in Kentucky during the 19th century. The road across the bridges were kept dry and free of snow in winter. Most important, however, was the protection the covering over the bridges provided against the deterioration of the wood. It permitted the timbered trusses and braces to season properly and kept water out of the joints. The life of the bridge was, therefore, significantly prolonged, averaging, generally seven to eight times that of one left uncovered.
Bridge Description
The Mount Zion Covered Bridge of Washington County is on Kentucky Route 458 across the Little Beech Fork, 2.2 miles north of the junction with Kentucky Route 55.
Utilizing the Burr truss design, Court records of 1871 show it "to be 280 feet long and 18 feet wide with two abutments and middle pier... The exterior walls to be built vertically of oak and yellow poplar plank, the floor to be laid with Beech plank, two and one-half inches thick...The bridge to be covered with a good shingle roof of yellow poplar."
The bridge is still open and maintained by the state with repairs forthcoming.
As measured by Kentucky's Department of Transportation, Mt. Zion Covered Bridge in Washington County is 211 feet in length.
