Switzer Covered Bridge
Franklin County, at Switzer. Built c. 1855, 126 ft. long. Franklin County's only remaining covered bridge, rebuilt after being washed off its foundation in 1997.
Switzer Covered Bridge was built around 1855 by George Hockensmith over North Elkhorn Creek in the small community of Switzer, not far from Frankfort — the only covered bridge left standing anywhere in Franklin County. At 126 feet long and 11 feet wide, it runs on a Howe truss, a design that combines wooden diagonal members with iron tension rods, and each entrance is finished with a distinctive sawtooth edge.
The bridge has had a couple of close calls. It was threatened with demolition in 1953 but was saved by local preservation efforts, and it was closed to vehicle traffic the following year. Its biggest test came in March 1997, when high water on North Elkhorn Creek knocked it clean off its foundation; rather than write it off, the community rebuilt it later that same year. Switzer was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and remains a well-loved local landmark just off Rocky Branch Road.
