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A C C E P T I N G
New Patients!
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 concrete 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 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 its 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 onelane span opened to traffic in O W
N 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 taken place 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 her marriage in
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
youngsters, she regularly 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
N
Smith, has lived near Clay’s Ferry for O
most of her life. She recalls hearing her
grandfather, Bernard Madison Igoe,
who died in 1