Bridges of Madison County

 

We weren't starring in a big-screen romance. But we did have our own moment on The Bridges of Madison County.

A couple of weeks ago, Randy and I traveled to Iowa for a National Master Farm Homemaker convention. We enjoyed a visit with Jill's in-laws - Alan & Christy Ladd - in Atlantic, Iowa. It was more than bed and breakfast since we got supper, breakfast and lunch ... plus an after-supper tour and lots of good conversation.

Randy is used to my frequent requests for photo stops. Alan was willing, too, but I found it hard to translate the rolling 3-D hills to my 2-D camera screen.

 Iowa farm ground is so different from the flatlands of Kansas where we farm.

 

It was beautiful in a whole different way.

The next day, we went to church at the Atlantic United Methodist Church. 

It was nice to sit in the pews and not be responsible for the music or anything else.

Ceiling glass at Atlantic UMC

But back to the bridges ...

As we were driving from Atlantic toward Des Moines on Highway 92, I saw the Madison County sign. And I didn't want to come all the way to Iowa, drive into Madison County and not see the famous bridges.

Randy reminded me of our less-than-successful search for covered bridges near Morehead, Ky., when Brent worked there. But when we drove by the sign for the Roseman Covered Bridge, I again pled my case, and Randy turned around. 

There was no mileage sign to our destination. And after we drove down a twisted gravel road, we were beginning to have deju vu from our Kentucky search. But after 4.3 miles, we arrived at the Roseman Covered Bridge. 

As it so happened, two other travelers were there at the same time, so we swapped cameras and took photos of each other. Bonus!

Built in 1883 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster, the Roseman Bridge is 107 feet in length and sits in its original location. It was renovated in 1992 at a cost of $152,515. In Robert James Waller’s novel, The Bridges of Madison County, and the movie of the same name, Roseman is the bridge Robert Kincaid seeks when he stops at Francesca Johnson’s home for directions. It is also where Francesca leaves her note inviting him to dinner. 

There's also a connection to Eric's family at the Roseman bridge. Christy said her maternal grandpa, Roy Hatfield, and his family grew up south of the bridge. His initials and his brothers' are carved in the bridge. The last time they visited, they could still find the initials. (I didn't look.)

 

Christy says her Great Uncle Frank was interviewed when the Roseman Bridge came to fame after the release of The Bridges of Madison County movie.

I saw the movie and read the book, but I could probably stand to do both again after our visit. 

Also known as the “haunted” bridge, Roseman is where two sheriff’s posses trapped a county jail escapee in 1892. It is said the man rose up straight through the roof of the bridge, uttering a wild cry, and disappeared. He was never found, and it was decided that anyone capable of such a feat must be innocent.

Though only six covered bridges remain, there were many covered bridges that once dotted Madison County in the early 19th century - all built by local bridge builders, with each builder utilizing his own engineering design that uniquely separated the various construction styles of Madison County's six covered bridges still standing today.  

Many still ask the question, "Why did they cover the bridges?" They were covered to protect them from the weather and extend their longevity. In 1870, the Board of Supervisors adopted new rules for bridge construction that includes the required that they be covered, siting that "the expense of the roof is more than made up by the permanency of the bridge." The bridges ranged in cost from $900 to $1,900. One historian quipped, "Bridges were covered for the same reasons women wore hoop skirts and crinolines - to protect the beauty seldom seen, but nonetheless appreciated." These remaining covered bridges paint a story of pioneer people who took what they had and did the most with it. These structures ... are a tribute to the generation of pioneers who left a land better than they found it and leaves to us a link with a romantic past.

From the plaque at the Roseman bridge

The bridge spans the Middle River, which eventually empties into the Des Moines River near Carlisle in northern Warren County.

We only had time for one more bridge before we needed to leave for me to get to my meeting. It was located in the Winterset, Iowa, city park, and honestly, we had more trouble finding that bridge than the one 4.3 miles down a dirt road! My Google maps kept leading us astray. Randy had to do it the old-fashioned way and stop for directions.

Built in 1870 by Eli Cox, the Cutler-Donahoe bridge is 79 feet in length and features a pitched roof. Originally located over the North River near Bevington, it was moved to its present site in Winterset’s City Park in 1970.

I got a photo of Randy at that bridge ... and then I couldn't resist a photo of him by the Bridges of Madison County display at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines, one of our tour locations during the convention.

Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood weren't the only movie stars with an Iowa connection.

One of my favorite museum areas was Hollywood in the Heartland.

There, I couldn't resist a photo in front of a scene from one of my favorite musicals, "The Music Man." I had to text that one to my brother, who had the starring role in high school.

Since we'd just seen the pro baseball game played at the Field of Dreams on TV, we were also interested in that display.

Photo by Millie Dearden (her photo turned out better!)

We did have meetings in Iowa, too. Here's a photo of the Kansas ladies who attended.