It lead us out to Turkey Fork, just at the Wirt County line. I knew this country--in the early 1980's I'd been a substitute rural mail carrier and this was part of Rte 3 Sandyville. It was fun to try to remember the names of the people who lived in the houses along the route. I remembered that another road turned off to the left that was a pretty drive, and that was the way we went.
This road is called Sarvis Fork. That name might be derived from the Sarvisberry tree, or (more likely) from a family name in the area. In the photo above, you can see a small burley tobacco field in full flower. Now that brought back memories! The tobacco flower is lovely, rather like a petunia. If you've ever grown Nicotiana in your flowerbed, you'd recognize that its a dwarf version of the tobacco plant.
Further up Sarvis Fork, we came to the real reason I wanted to go that way--the covered bridge. This bridge was built in 1890 in the Angerona area of Jackson County, but was moved in 1924 to its present site. That was no small feat, as Angerona was a good distance away (probably 20 miles?). There is an interesting history of the bridge here.
When I subbed for the Rte 3 mail carrier I often stopped on the bridge to eat my lunch. It was cool and shady inside the structure, and I could hear the water trickling in Sand Creek below me. I often wondered about the people who had crossed the bridge over the years--the wagons, horses,
and people on foot. Yesterday I thought, how amazing that something built so long ago endured everyday traffic, and still is sturdy and beautiful. Built to last. Do you suppose those long-ago builders thought their work would extend into the 21st century?
Finally we came to the end of Sarvis Fork, and out onto Rte 21. More photos tomorrow of the rest of our trip home from the auction--a trip that should have taken less than an hour but ended up being 3 hours long.
Just love the road trips....keep driving....LOL
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