Living Well 60+ July-August 2014

Historic Clay’s
Ferry Bridge
Still in Use
Some drivers like
to take the scenic
route
by Sandra W. Plant, Staff Writer
Before 1946, when U.S. 25 was
a major north-south highway,
travelers had no choice but to
cross the Kentucky River between
Fayette and Madison counties on
the old Clay’s Ferry Bridge.
All that changed when the
first section of the bridge on I-75
opened to traffic. The new Clay’s
Ferry Bridge, at 200 feet above the
river, dwarfs the classic structure
of the former Clay’s Ferry Bridge
far below.
The old Clay’s Ferry Bridge is
still regularly inspected by the
state and is open to local traffic
and sightseers who enjoy the
JULY/AUG 2 0 1 4
scenic beauty of the old highway
as it makes its way down the
incline on the river’s north side.
The descent offers a fine view of
the river and palisades. The climb
back up on the south side includes
more spectacular views plus a harrowing
horseshoe curve that must
have been a thrilling experience
in a pre-1946 auto or a horse and
buggy.
Construction of the old bridge
began in 1868 and continued until
the one-lane span opened to traffic
in 1870. The total length of the
steel truss bridge is 442.8 feet with
a vertical clearance above the deck
of 16.4 feet. The builder, William
Gunn of North Carolina, erected
a masterpiece that has served well
for 144 years, although several
renovations have been made over
time.
As the bridge’s name implies, a
ferry existed at the site as early as
1792. A thriving community with
a shipyard, warehouses and mills
had been catering to river traffic
for several years before the ferry
began operations.
The community and the bridge
are named after the prominent
Clay family that owned much of
the land in the area. Green Clay,
father of abolitionist Cassius Clay,
bought the ferry in 1798 from its
first owner, Valentine Stone.
Elizabeth (Tish) Carr, who has
lived near Clay’s Ferry since 1954,
has hiked with family to the site
of one of the old grist mills at a
place called the “wattle hole” on
Callaway Creek on the Madison
County side of the river. When
her children were young, she
invited their school classes to visit
the site of an old pioneer cabin
at Callaway Creek on the family
property.
Her sister-in-law, Betsy Ann
Carr Smith, has lived near Clay’s
Ferry for most of her life. She
recalls hearing her grandfather,
Bernard Madison Igoe, tell about
crossing the river on the old ferry.
“When I was growing up, we
thoroughly enjoyed the river,”
Smith said. “It was nice and clean
back then. I used to swim the
river. And we’d swing out over the
river on a grapevine and drop in.”
At age 13 or 14, Smith and
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JANUARY 2O12
5
two friends jumped off the Clay’s
Ferry Bridge. When she told her
grandfather, he said, “That was a
courageous thing to do. But it’s
a good thing you didn’t hit a log
under there.” Smith decided she’d
never jump off the bridge again.
But it wasn’t her last risky encounter
with the bridge.
During the flood of 1938, Smith
and her friends made their way
onto the deck of the bridge. “We
could lie down on the bridge and
touch the water,” she said. “It was
a stupid thing to do because the
water was way over the road.”
Nancy Ross of Richmond
remembers when the replacement
bridge was built. “When they built
the new bridge on the interstate, it
was so high some people said they
didn’t know if they were going to
go over it,” she said. “There was
also a rumor going around that
the bridge had a crack in it and it
would fail.”
The good news is that both
the old and the new Clay’s Ferry
bridges are safe, still standing and
serving the traveling public very
well.
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