For more information:
• Kentucky Covered Bridge Association, 62 Miami Parkway, Fort Thomas, KY 41075, (859) 441-7000

Producer: Marsha Hellard
Videographer: David Brinkley
Editor: Dan Taulbee

Covered Bridges of Fleming County (and Others)

The first segment of this first Kentucky Life is a nostalgic road trip to visit several of Kentucky’s remaining covered bridges. Host Byron Crawford interviews Walter Laughlin of the Kentucky Covered Bridge Association, who describes or visits the 13 covered bridges still standing in Kentucky at the time of our 1995 visit:

• Colville Bridge, Bourbon County
• Walcott Covered Bridge, Bracken County
• Ringo’s Mill Covered Bridge, Fleming County
• Hillsboro Covered Bridge, Fleming County
• Goddard Covered Bridge, Fleming County
• Bennett’s Mill Covered Bridge, Greenup County
• Switzer Covered Bridge (pictured), Franklin County
• Oldtown Covered Bridge, Greenup County
• Cabin Creek Covered Bridge, Lewis County
• Dover Covered Bridge, Mason County
• Valley Pike Covered Bridge, Mason County
• Johnson Creek Covered Bridge, Robertson County
• Beech Fork Covered Bridge, Washington County

At one time in the 19th century, Kentucky had hundreds of covered bridges, whose roofs protected their complicated support systems from the elements to lessen the need for maintenance. Tailored to fit individual roads and streams, each bridge was a unique piece of rural architecture. Upkeep was usually a local affair, too, with every able-bodied man in the community expected to put in his share of hours. The Kentucky Covered Bridge Association was formed in 1964 to help preserve the last remaining examples.

The University of Kentucky’s online Kentucky Atlas has a map of the state’s covered bridges, with links to photos and descriptions.

Watch This Story (10:39)

For more information:
• Stan Schu, (502) 863-5883

Producer: Charlee Heaton Pagoulatos
Videographer: Frank Simkonis

He Came, He Sawed, He Sculpted

Chainsaw Artist Stan Schu

For a different look at what can be done with wood, our next segment visits the workshop of chainsaw artist Stan Schu of Georgetown. His dangerous, noisy, yet rewarding artistry yields totem poles and eagles as well as his popular Halloween jack o’ lanterns.

When he first began carving, Stan says, he was afraid of the chainsaw and kept backing away from it. Now, he says it feel like an extension of his hand, which he uses merely to “brush away” the wood.

Watch This Story (4:49)

For more information:
• Cathedral of the Assumption, 433 S. Fifth St., Louisville, KY 40202, (502) 582-2971. The web site includes a history of the restoration with background on the cathedral itself.

Producer, videographer: Frank Simkonis
Editor: Dan Taulbee

Looking Heavenward

Cathedral of the Assumption

One of two cathedrals in Louisville, the Cathedral of the Assumption was completed in 1852. At that time, Louisville was one of America’s largest cities, bigger than either Washington, DC or Chicago, and renowned church architect William Keely crowned its new Gothic-style cathedral with a 287-foot spire that was then the tallest in the country.

Redecorating schemes over the years—including some “undecorating” mandated by the Second Vatican Council reforms aimed at reducing pomp and ornateness in Catholic rites—and the simple ravages of time had taken their toll on the cathedral by the late 20th century. In the mid-1980s, the Cathedral Heritage Foundation was formed to design and carry out a restoration plan. The next decade saw everything from the repainting of thousands of gold-leaf stars on the dark-blue ceiling to the completion of a new altar built partly from marble salvaged from the old one, which had been tossed during the 1970s reforms. Our tour shows some of the literally awe-inspiring results.

Located at 443 S. Fifth Street, the Cathedral of the Assumption is the third oldest cathedral in the country in continuous use. It is also the fourth oldest building in downtown Louisville, surpassed in age only by Christ Church (Episcopal), which was built in 1822 and itself achieved cathedral status in 1894; the Actors Theatre building, which started life as the Bank of Louisville in 1837; and the Jefferson County Courthouse, built in 1838.

Watch This Story (6:00)

For more information:
• Carter Caves State Resort Park, 344 Caveland Drive, Olive Hill, KY 41164-9032, (606) 286-4411, reservations (800) 325-0059

Producer, videographer: Gale Worth
Audio: Gary Mosley
Editor: Dan Taulbee

Down Under

Carter Caves

In our last segment, we turn from man-made to natural wonders, as cave guide Jason Griffey and naturalist John Tierney point out some of the highlights of Carter Caves State Resort Park in Carter County. The park offers scenic beauty both above and below ground, with 26 miles of hiking trails and 20 caves—some charted and some not. One features a 30-foot underground waterfall; another, the Bat Cave, is home not to caped crime fighters but to a colony of rare bats.

For those with a spirit of adventure, one of the events to watch for is the annual Crawlathon in January, which gives visitors the chance to help explore some of Carter Caves’ lesser-known (and usually considerably narrower) passages.

Watch This Story (6:02)