The Dover Covered Bridge
20 miles west of Maysville just off of State Route 8 sits a beautiful but dilapidated relic of Kentucky history. Built in 1835, this 60ft Queen Post Truss bridge is the oldest left in the state. Named for the nearby town of Dover, she underwent major renovations in 1926, 1966, and 2001, before being bypassed by a modern bridge in 2005.
Although many relatively modern pictures exist showing the bridge in good condition, during my October 2021 visit I found her in a complete state of disrepair. The short detour route to reach her is heavily overgrown on both sides, and the bridge itself is shuttered to even foot traffic. I was however brave enough to at least peer under the metal awning, I found a bridge that seemed to be slowly crumbling and help up only by some still beams that have been added to keep it from collapsing into Lee’s Creek below.
Although I hope the steel reinforcements are a temporary solution to shore up the bridge pending repairs, the overall appearance of the area gave the strong impression that improvements to the bridge are not a high priority. The metal awning was showing dirt and rust that indicated that it had been there for a while, and the approach roads on both sides were significantly overgrown.
I would definitely consider this bridge on the endangered list. If like me, you hope to visit all of the remaining covered bridges that the Bluegrass state has to offer, I would highly recommend that you start with this one. It’s not the longest or grandest, but it might just be in the worst shape. Visit now, while it’s still there.
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