Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Department of Highways District 9
For Immediate Release
July 1, 2011 / Contact: / Allen Blair

606-845-2551
606-748-3716
Goddard Covered Bridge historical marker replaced
Sign funded through Transportation Enhancement grant
FLEMINGSBURG, Ky. – The official sign that marks Fleming County’s historic covered bridge at Goddard is back.
Thanks to a partnership between the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Kentucky Historical Society and local agencies, and funding from the cabinet’s Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant program, highway crews recently installed a replacement historical marker for the Goddard Covered Bridge – also known as the Goddard “White” Bridge.
The new marker replaces the original stolen several years ago and stands alongside KY 32 at Goddard where the bridge crosses Sand Lick Creek.
The Historical Society applied for a Transportation Enhancement grant that covered 80 percent of the sign’s replacement costs. The Fleming County Museum Society, which operates the Fleming County Covered Bridge Museum, and Fleming County Tourism provided the remaining 20 percent in matching funds.
“Preserving transportation heritage is a major goal of the cabinet’s TE program, and a priority of Gov. Steve Beshear’s administration,” said Transportation Secretary Mike Hancock. “We are proud to have helped the Historical Society and these dedicated community groups make the state’s history once again accessible to highway travelers.”
The highway marker program, administered by the Historical Society in cooperation with the Transportation Cabinet, commemorates the Goddard bridge and more than 2,000 other historical sites, events and personalities throughout the Commonwealth, said Becky Riddle, program coordinator.
“These markers are on-the-spot history lessons that add drama and interest to the countryside for native Kentuckians as well as tourists,” Riddle said. “Through this program, the wealth of Kentucky history is made accessible to the public as they travel along the state's roadways.”
The 63-foot “lattice truss” Goddard Covered Bridge dates to the early 1800s and once carried KY 32 traffic between Morehead and Flemingsburg. Today, it connects KY 32 traffic to local roads, and is one of only 13 covered bridges still standing in Kentucky. It is the state’s only surviving example of Connecticut engineer and architect Ithiel Town’s lattice truss design, which he patented in 1820. And, it’s one of three covered bridges in Fleming County.
“This bridge is our jewel in the crown,” said Brenda Plummer of the Fleming County Museum Society and covered bridge museum.
“We have people tell us all the time how many cars are there every day, and having that sign is a necessary thing. It’s a way to showcase what we have,” she said. “We’re so thankful of everyone who helped find a way to make this happen.”
State Rep. Mike Denham, D-Maysville, and State Sen. Walter Blevins, D-West Liberty, called the historic marker’s replacement a worthy use of the state’s transportation enhancement grant program and a great example of state government working together with local communities to enhance tourism and, ultimately, future commerce.
“It’s truly an historic site, and I appreciate the Transportation Cabinet and local agencies whose efforts have resulted in restoring the sign and promoting our corner of northeast Kentucky,” Denham said.
“It’s one of the most photographed bridges in Kentucky,” Blevins said. “I think it’s terrific to see the sign back where it needs to be so generation after generation can learn more about what is truly a proud part of our area’s history.”
The history of the Goddard bridge is witnessed by many today, as it remains open to traffic thanks to past restorations – the most recent undertaken in 2005 by the Transportation Cabinet, which cost $1 million and utilized bridgewrights familiar with historic preservation and covered bridge building techniques of the past.
The bridge is also the centerpiece of Fleming County’s annual Covered Bridge Festival, celebrated the fourth Saturday each August, this year Aug. 27, at Goddard.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: The following is the text found on the Goddard “White” Bridge marker, Kentucky Historical Society Marker No. 1559…
This covered bridge is the only surviving example of Ithiel Town Lattice design in Ky. The timbers are joined with wooden pegs (tree-nails); its date of construction and original builder are unknown. The 63-foot span was restored in 1968 under the supervision of L. S. Bower of Flemingsburg. Goddard Bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1975. (Reverse) Covered Bridges - Covered bridges were first built in the 1790s but did not become widely popular until after 1814. They were covered to protect them from the weather. At one time there were more than 400 covered bridges in Ky. The timbered spans have played a romantic role in our history. Some were destroyed during the Civil War. The remaining ones are a nostalgic link with the past.