Johnson Creek Covered Bridge
Robertson County, near Mount Olivet. Built 1874, 114 ft. long. The only known example of Robert Smith's truss system in Kentucky.
Johnson Creek Covered Bridge sits four miles north of Blue Licks Battlefield State Park in Robertson County, crossing Johnson Creek on its way to the Licking River. It was built in 1874 by Jacob N. Bower and is the only known surviving bridge built by him — and the only covered bridge in Kentucky known to use the Smith "Type 3" truss system patented by Robert Smith, making it structurally unique in the state. The bridge runs 114 feet long and 16 feet wide.
Around 1912, Jacob's son Louis Bower added an arch to each side to help the bridge handle heavier traffic, and at some point the structure was partially destroyed by fire and rebuilt in 1910. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976 and underwent a full reconstruction in 2007-2008. Long closed to vehicle traffic, Johnson Creek stands today as one of eleven authentic covered bridges left in a state that once had more than four hundred.
