Lee's Creek Covered Bridge
Encyclopedia
Lee's Creek Covered Bridge is a historic wooden bridge on Lee's Creek Road 0.1 mile (0.160934 km) south of Kentucky Route 8 near Dover, Kentucky
. It is 61 feet (18.6 m) long with a double set of Queen post
trusses on each side.
It was built in 1835 as a toll bridge and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Major renovations were completed in 1926 by the Bower Bridge Company and in 1966 by the Kentucky Highway Department. It was raised to the current height by 15 year old Stock Bower in 1920. The latest renovation took place in 2001. Iron support beams were added to the bridge during the course of these renovations.
Many reasons have been offered to explain the construction of covered bridges in Kentucky during the 19th century. Roads across the bridges were kept dry and free of snow in winter. The protection the cover provided against wood deterioration was likely most important. The cover allowed timbered trusses and braces to season properly and kept water out of the joints, prolonging the life by seven to eight times that of an uncovered bridge.
The bridge was bypassed in 2005, but remains open to local traffic.
Dover, Kentucky
Dover is a city in Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 316 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Maysville Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Dover is located at ....
. It is 61 feet (18.6 m) long with a double set of Queen post
Queen post
A queen post is a supporting post designed to span longer openings than a king post. A king post uses one central supporting post, whereas the queen post uses two.-Architecture:...
trusses on each side.
It was built in 1835 as a toll bridge and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Major renovations were completed in 1926 by the Bower Bridge Company and in 1966 by the Kentucky Highway Department. It was raised to the current height by 15 year old Stock Bower in 1920. The latest renovation took place in 2001. Iron support beams were added to the bridge during the course of these renovations.
Many reasons have been offered to explain the construction of covered bridges in Kentucky during the 19th century. Roads across the bridges were kept dry and free of snow in winter. The protection the cover provided against wood deterioration was likely most important. The cover allowed timbered trusses and braces to season properly and kept water out of the joints, prolonging the life by seven to eight times that of an uncovered bridge.
The bridge was bypassed in 2005, but remains open to local traffic.