The Camp Nelson Bridge over the Kentucky River at the Garrard – Jessamine County line is likely the best known of all of Kentucky’s covered bridges. The double barrel span was built in 1838 by Lewis Wernwag. At 240’ it was the longest single span wooden bridge in the world. <br><BR>During the Civil War the bridge was considered so important as one of only two highway bridges over the Kentucky River that a company of Union soldiers from the nearby army post were stationed at either end of the bridge to protect it from sabotage. <BR><BR> After nearly ninety years of continuous service, a heavily loaded truck from Lexington broke through one of the floorboards that had rotted due to a leaky roof. After being closed to traffic in 1926 efforts were made in vain to save the bridge. Lewis Wernwag’s Bluegrass masterpiece was intentionally collapsed during demolition on October 19, 1933. <b><font color=red><a href="http://www.kycoveredbridges.org">Return to KyCoveredBridges.org</a></font></B> http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonKHS3/127252291_tFhxt-Ti.jpg http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/gallery/2425198_PKT9J/ 2007-02-03T01:28:06Z Copyright 2009, the copyright holder of each photograph. Some portions copyright SmugMug. All rights reserved. SmugMug <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a><br />Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society</p><p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/2425198_PKT9J#127252291_tFhxt" title="Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society"><img src="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonKHS3/127252291_tFhxt-Th.jpg" width="150" height="117" alt="Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society" title="Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:07:16Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonKHS3/127252291_tFhxt-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a> </p><p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/2425198_PKT9J#127259460_JysKL" title="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s 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Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelson2/127259475_hxGpS-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a> </p><p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/2425198_PKT9J#127259492_q67Ph" title="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo"><img src="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelson3/127259492_q67Ph-Th.jpg" width="150" height="95" alt="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo" title="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:11:38Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelson3/127259492_q67Ph-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a> </p><p><a 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Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo" title="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:08:15Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelson2rosaliewells/127260353_VynNK-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a> </p><p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/2425198_PKT9J#127260366_J6ABN" title="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo"><img src="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonrosaliewells/127260366_J6ABN-Th.jpg" width="150" height="87" alt="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo" title="Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)'s photo" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:08:36Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonrosaliewells/127260366_J6ABN-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a><br />Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society</p><p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/2425198_PKT9J#127252271_DP3v7" title="Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society"><img src="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonKHS/127252271_DP3v7-Th.jpg" width="150" height="119" alt="Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society" title="Photo courtesy Kentucky Historical Society" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:12:07Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/campnelsonKHS/127252271_DP3v7-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a> </p><p><a 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height="103" alt="Abutments at Camp Nelson, 1951" title="Abutments at Camp Nelson, 1951" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:09:08Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/CAMPNELSON1951/127257957_pjjGT-Th.jpg <p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com">Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa)</a><br />Abutments at Camp Nelson, 1951</p><p><a href="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/2425198_PKT9J#127257970_cBge2" title="Abutments at Camp Nelson, 1951"><img src="http://csimelissa.smugmug.com/Covered-Bridges/Camp-Nelson-Bridge/CAMPNELSON1951b/127257970_cBge2-Th.jpg" width="103" height="150" alt="Abutments at Camp Nelson, 1951" title="Abutments at Camp Nelson, 1951" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-02-14T13:10:58Z Melissa Jurgensen (CSIMelissa) http://csimelissa.smugmug.com 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