MADISON COUNTY, Iowa– During Tuesday night’s Madison County Board of Supervisors meeting, the beloved Holliwell Covered Bridge took center stage.
County leaders voted to apply the bridge for Preservation Iowa’s 2026 “Most Endangered Properties” program, due to the deterioration of the roughly 145-year-old structure, a lack of funding to restore it, and a potential threat that public access could be cut off within ten years if major repairs are not completed.
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The bridge, which was built in 1880 and is one of five remaining original covered bridges in Madison County, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was one of two local bridges featured in the 1995 film The Bridges of Madison County starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.
The estimated cost to fully restore and stabilize it is more than $1.2 million, according to county records. The application filing notes that the timber-truss bridge is in serious decline with shifting structural members, decaying roof and floor supports, and eroding abutments.
According to the county tourism website, the structure was last renovated in 1995 for $225,000 through a federal restoration grant. During Tuesday’s meeting, County Engineer Mike Hackett said federal grants have been “frozen” recently, and that the county has explored all possible avenues for funding.
The county’s covered bridges are a major driver of Iowa tourism, with Winterset attracting between 100,000 and 150,000 visitors each year. According to the application, travel-related spending in the county climbed to $20 million in 2023, up from $13.58 million in 2016, and tourism now supports 95 jobs, $2.7 million in labor income, $20.1 million in business sales, and $2.5 million in state and local tax revenue…