Photo tour: The bridges of Madison County
In honor of this weekend's 46th annual Bridges of Madison County Festival, here's an at-a-glance look at the six surviving Madison County bridges, complete with new photographs from Register photographer Zach Boyden-Holmes.
Festival information:
When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 10 and 11
Where: Courthouse square, Winterset
Cost: $2; children 12 and under free
Info: http://mccoveredbridgefestival.org/
More: The characters you'll meet at the Festival
CEDAR
The bridge was rebuilt in 2004 after an arsonist burned down the original in 2003. The case remains unsolved. The reconstructed Cedar is the only covered bridge that allows vehicle traffic.
CUTLER-DONAHOE
This 79-foot long bridge is one of only two Madison County bridges, the other being the Imes, to have a pitched roof. The bridge once crossed the North River near Bevington, but was relocated to the Winterset City Park in 1970.
Related:Iowa's most-Instagrammed location? The Bridges of Madison County
HOGBACK
This 1884 bridge is 97 feet long and handled traffic until 1993, when a concrete bridge finally bypassed it about 200 feet south of the covered bridge. Two theories persist as to the origin of the Hogback name. (In contrast, most bridges are named for families who lived near the bridge.) One suggests it is named after its style of construction, which features a slightly pitched roof. Another says the moniker is courtesy of a nearby limestone ridge in the valley. The Hogback was damaged by an arsonist in September 2003, the same month the Cedar was destroyed by fire and another historic covered bridge in Delta was torched.
IMES
Built in 1870, the Imes is the oldest of the surviving Madison County bridges. The 81-foot pitch-roofed bridge has also moved the most. Now a mile off Interstate Highway 35 near St. Charles, the bridge originally spanned the Middle River near Patterson. In 1887, it was moved to a spot over Clinton Creek southwest of Hanley. Ninety years later, in 1977, it moved a final time to its home over a ravine near St. Charles.
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HOLLIWELL
This 122-foot bridge is the longest of the Madison County covered bridges. Built in 1880, it remains in its original site, spanning the Middle River.
ROSEMAN
Built in 1883, this 107-foot bridge is reportedly haunted. County lore says a fugitive on the run from a posse in 1892 was trapped inside the bridge, with deputies closing in on both sides. The escapee let out a blood-curdling cry and vanished straight through the roof of the bridge. The Roseman is the bridge Robert Kincaid, the male lead of Robert James Waller's book, is looking for when he stops at the home of lonely homemaker Francesca Johnson for directions. Francesca, in turn, pins a note to the bridge inviting him for dinner.
Other Iowa covered bridges
Five covered bridges dot the Iowa landscape outside of Madison County.
• Old Marysville, built in 1870, is in Knoxville.
• Attica is home to two, both built in 1870, the Wilcox Game Preserve-Marysville and the Hammond Bridge.
• The Owens Bridge, built in 1866, is in Easter Lake Park in Des Moines.
• The youngest covered bridge is in Wilkinson Pioneer Park in Rock Falls.
