AMAZING HISTORY AT HIGH BRIDGE, KENTUCKY
Isn’t it amazing? At one time, it was the tallest bridge over a navigable waterway in North America. High Bridge Kentucky!
High Bridge spans over the Kentucky River, with Jessamine County on the north end, and Mercer County on the south end. Just a few hundred yards up river from the bridge is the mouth of the Dix River and the banks of Garrard County. This is a very historic spot in all eras of history.
Also, as the crow flies, it is very near the famous Shakertown, or also known as the Village of Pleasant Hill. The Shakers were a celibate religious group that would shake every time the Spirit came over them. The bridge was first proposed in 1851 by the Lexington and Danville Railroad, but the project ran out of money. In 1873, the Cincinnati Southern Railroad resumed the project and hired John A. Roebling, who had also designed the Brooklyn Bridge.
For you engineering types, the bridge erected was a cantilever design with a three-span continuous under deck truss. The bridge opened in 1877, it is 275 feet to the water and it is 1,125 feet long. Like it says in the opening of this article, it was the tallest bridge over a navigable waterway in North America and was the tallest railroad bridge in the world until the early 1900s. The bridge weighs more than 3.5 million pounds and the cost to build the bridge was $404,373.31.
President Rutherford B. Hayes and General William Tecumseh Sherman were present for its dedication. Around 1908, the area was a popular spot for Paul Sawyer, who was a famous local artist. He would paint portraits of the area and the beautiful landscape that he would find here, particularity the beautiful Kentucky Palisades which are well known in the area. In 1911, the bridge was rebuilt by Gustav Lindenthal. The foundations were reinforced, but railroad traffic was not interrupted because the track was raised 30 feet. How amazing is that? In 1929, an additional set of tracks were built.
The park here became a place of gathering in the 1920s, folks came down for the day from Lexington and other destinations. The park had large concerts, dances, all day events and even had some large religious revivals here. Folks would come spend a day or several days here, it was a well-known fun getaway to take a train to Highbridge. Recently, many people have visited here to use a metal detector and found all sorts of interesting things lost during those gatherings. It also should be mentioned that there used to be a wooden staircase that went all the way down the palisade, to the houses below.
Today the area is still a park with shelter houses and a quiet place to get away. You can read the historic signs and walk out on the observation deck. The area is breathtaking most any time of the year but especially in the fall. We encourage you to come check out this historic marvel, it’s well worth the trip. If you get lucky, you may even see a train pass over the bridge while you are here.
Be sure to check out the video below about the bridge! The views are breathtaking!
-Col. Russ Carson, Jr, Founder Family Tree Nuts