James Bridge
Jennings County, Lovett Township, near Lovett. Built 1887, 124 ft. long Howe truss over Big Graham Creek; nicknamed the "Kissing Bridge" for carved courting initials inside.
James Bridge was built in 1887 after Jennings County commissioners, petitioned by more than 160 area residents seeking a route to rail connections, ordered a crossing at James Ford on Big Graham Creek in Lovett Township. The 124-foot Howe truss span rests on native limestone abutments with wrought-iron tie rods and cast-iron angle blocks; lumber reportedly came from an adjacent sawmill. It takes its name from landowner Thomas S. James and is also known locally as the "Kissing Bridge," for the initials of courting couples carved into its timbers over the decades. Along with the nearby Scipio Bridge, it is one of only two surviving historic wooden covered bridges in Jennings County, both once part of the county's rural crossing network before modern bridges replaced most others. The bridge underwent rehabilitation study and repair work in the 2000s to shore up its aging structure. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 2022. Today it continues to carry light automobile traffic on its county road southeast of Vernon, a rare working survivor of Jennings County's covered-bridge era.
