Famed Iowa Bridge of Madison County Destroyed by Fire

The original Roseman Covered Bridge which was used in the filming of the movie Bridges of Madison County has destroyed in a fire early Saturday.

A caller reported around 6 am the Cedar Covered Bridge was on fire, The Des Moines Register reported.

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office said it believes the cause was arson.

This is the second time the Cedar Bridge has burned down. The first  time a fire leited in 2002 and destroyed the Bridge.

The historic covered bridge in Winterset, Iowa was built in 1883 over the Middle River, and renovated in 1992. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Brenda Hollingsworth, the Chair of the Madison County Historic Preservation Commission said “We came together as a community, and built and exact replica of the bridge.”

It is believed that at one point there were over 100 covered bridges in Iowa. However only 6 covered bridges are left. Many of them were lost to fire, floods, collisions or demolition over the years.