One of Kentucky's few remaining Covered Bridges was demolished in the 1980s
Sherburne Covered Suspension Bridge, Sherburne Kentucky
Sherburne apparently was a bustling community during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Two doctors and five grocers were on the Fleming County side, there was horse trading every Saturday, and there was also the activity of the mill.
Though it is not known who hired Isaac Kisker to construct the Sherburne bridge, it is known that the Fant family operated the first toll booth. A bridge over the Licking River proved advantageous for mill operations on the Fleming County side; in fact, the toll was free if one were going to the mill. Otherwise, the toll was a dime with a team of horses. Changes in the river bed and technology brought Sherburne to its present sleepy state.
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 Sherburne Covered Bridge, a 253-foot two-span bridge, crosses the Licking River at Sherburne on Kentucky Route 11 about 10.4 miles south of Flemingsburg. Attributed to Isaac Kisker and built on the Howe design, patented in 1840, the fourteen-foot-wide structure was constructed in 1868 at a cost of $3,500. It is horizontally sided with scalloped eaveboards and a total of twenty louvered windows. The flooring of 2x4s is vertically laid to reduce vibration. Battered abutments and a pier of native stone support the huge structure despite drastic changes in the river bed over the years.
By 1951, increased traffic on Kentucky Route 11 demanded action to be taken on the old bridge. Highway engineers decided on the usage of suspension cables and steel framework posts at the portals and pier. Cables and hangers encase the sides of the bridge, substantially adding to the bridge's longevity and creating a marriage of the structural concepts probably unparalleled anywhere.
The bridge gets heavy use and has a posted limit of five tons. Flood waters have damaged about three feet of the lower siding. Continued service to vehicular traffic will necessitate regular maintenance.
Present plans call for bypassing the covered bridge with a contemporary structure about 500 yards downstream, with the old bridge still to be in service.
The Sherburne Covered Bridge in Fleming County is composed of two unequal spans totaling 263 feet in length, according to covered bridge builder Louis S. Bower. The northern span is 106' 6" and the southern span is 156' 6" The toll booth that once stood near the entrance of the bridge is no longer extant.
