November 2005

Clinton County OH - Martinsville Covered Bridge
2900 Martinsville Rd
Martinsville, OH 45146

Another decent weekend on November allowed us to cruise to some more bridges.  We decided to hit a couple of bridges on the east side of town.  We began by heading east on I-275 and then north on I-71 to State Route 123 exit.  We quickly turned east on State Route 350.  This is a road we have traveled many times in the past, it is known as the Little Dragon, in reference to the Tail of the Dragon in Deal's Gap NC.  While it is really no comparison to the granddaddy of all twisty roads it is not bad.  The road drops down the cliffs to the Little Miami River  climbing back up more gradually where Fort Ancient resides.  Fort Ancient features 18,000 feet of earthen walls built 2,000 years ago by American Indians who used the shoulder blades of deer, split elk antler, clam shell hoes and digging sticks to dig the dirt. They then carried the soil in baskets holding 35 to 40 pounds. Portions of these walls were used in conjunction with the sun and moon to provide a calendar system for these peoples.  Once past the park the road twists and turns toward the town of Clarksville.  Once through the town the road drops to the south of Cowan Lake and into the town of Cuba.  There we went south on Martinsville Road and before long came upon Martinsville Bridge.  It spans 72' over the Todds Fork of the Little Miami River.  It was built in 1871 using a multiple kingpost truss construction.




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