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Johnson Creek, Robertson County

If you find errors in the data please contact Bill Caswell.

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Inventory Number: KY/17-101-01
County: Robertson County
Township:
Town/Village: Blue Lick Springs
Bridge Name: Johnson Creek
Crosses: Johnson Creek
Truss type: Bower Isometric
Spans: 1
Length: 110'
Roadway Width: 16'
Built: 1882
Builder: Jacob Bower
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N38 28.912
Longitude: W083 58.695
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 1.3 miles north of jct US68 on KY165, then 2.1 miles right on Blue Licks Rd. (KY1029). On a bypassed section of the old road.

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Bill Caswell Photo, February 2009

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Bill Caswell Photo, July 2007

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Bill Caswell Photo, April 2002

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Bill Eichelberger Photo, November 1986

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Traugott Keller Photograph, March 28, 1953, NSPCB Archives

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Bill Caswell Photo, November 25, 2011

Johnson Creek Bridge, Blue Lick Springs, Robertson County, KY Built 1874
Jenn Caswell Photo, November 25, 2011

Comments:
Although it has been traditionally thought that the Johnson Creek Bridge was built in 1874, it was actually constructed in 1882 by Jacob Bower. According to the Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin of December 14, 1882, “Jacob H. Bower, who built the bridge across Limestone creek, has just finished another over Johnson creek, on the Blue Licks and Sardis turnpike, in Robertson county. It is said to be a good and strong bridge. It was put up at a cost of $1;700.” The bridge has vertical siding. It was partially destroyed by fire in 1910 and was repaired and strengthened by Jacob's son, Louis, who added iron rods and wooden arches in 1912 or 1914. The off-center pier was added in 1925 due to sagging at that point. The bridge had been classified as a variant of the Smith truss. It’s design, developed by Jacob Bower, is now being referred to as a Bower Isometric truss. The bridge crosses Johnson Creek over an old Buffalo Trace, near Blue Licks Battlefield. It was closed to traffic in 1966 and survived minor structural damage in a 1968 arson attempt. That damage was not repaired until 1972. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 29, 1976. It was restored in 2007/2008 by Arnold M. Graton Associates. During the restoration, it was raised 18” to reduce the potential for flood damage. It was open to traffic after the restoration, but closed again on December 11, 2015, to protect it from oversized vehicles.

Sources:
Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin of December 14, 1882, page 2
White, Vernon. Covered Bridges, Focus on Kentucky, 1985, pages 103-107
National Society For the Preservation of Covered Bridges. Covered Bridge Topics, Volume VI, No. 1, March 1948, page 10
Database of Kentucky covered bridges compiled by Robert W. M. Laughlin
Laughlin, Robert W. M. and Melissa C. Jurgensen. Covered Bridges of Kentucky, 2007, page 116
Wood, Miriam F. & Simmons, David A.. Covered Bridges: Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, 2007, pages 245, 250
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 34

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