Monroe County Stone Bridge Drive

     I was really excited when I read about a stone bridge tour through Columbia, Waterloo, and the surrounding area.  It sounded really neat and different.  Scattered throughout the countryside, the bridges are remote and a piece of local history.  I did a little bit of research about the bridges before I went, and it helped me get a little bit of their background story.

    All of the bridges are European-styled limestone arch bridges.  The German immigrants that settled in Monroe County brought with them this design.  Midway through the Eighteenth Century they started builiding these sturdy bridges that could stand up to the weather.  The bridges were built with local limestone and placed above creeks and streams.  Time has proven how sturdy they are because they still stand perfectly today.  I knew that I had to do this stone bridge drive!