This Road Trip is Fully Covered!
Kentucky once had more than 400 covered bridges. Fleming County still has three, plus more than 50 barn quilts scattered across the countryside, which makes a backroad drive here feel a little like a history hunt.
Start With the Map, Then Find the Bridges
Begin in Flemingsburg at the Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum, where the county’s bridge history comes with the practical information needed to find what remains. The volunteer-run museum is open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. through December. Admission is free, although donations are appreciated.
From there, the countryside does most of the storytelling.
The Goddard White Covered Bridge is the only surviving example of the Ithiel Town lattice design in Kentucky, with heavy timbers joined by wooden pegs. Its exact construction date is unknown, though the bridge can be traced to the 1820s. Today, it is open to both pedestrians and vehicles, and its opening neatly frames Goddard United Methodist Church beyond it.
Grange City and Ringo’s Mill tell a different chapter. Both date to the 1860s and span Fox Creek. Grange City’s 86-foot bridge survived repeated flooding and has undergone extensive preservation work, while Ringo’s Mill developed alongside a grist mill operating in the community during the 1800s. Neither is open to automobile traffic, so visitors should observe posted restrictions and never cross barricades or caution tape.
A Kentucky Transportation Cabinet preservation project invested nearly $2.6 million in restoring the Grange City and Ringo’s Mill bridges, with specialists working to preserve as much original timber as possible.
Now Start Looking at the Barns
The bridges are only half the scavenger hunt. Fleming County began its Clothesline of Quilts project in 2006, and more than 50 painted quilt squares now hang on barns around the county. A downloadable guide is available through the Chamber, turning the drive into a hunt for bright geometric patterns tucked into farmland and backroads.
Before leaving Flemingsburg, download the routes, use the museum restroom and check current road or bridge conditions. Rural stops can be spread out, and restoration work may change access.
The bridges may be covered, but Fleming County’s backroad history is sitting in plain sight.
Keep digging into Kentucky’s local stories with museums across the state through the Guide to Kentucky directory at https://www.guidetokentucky.com/museums.
