Why were the Madison County bridges covered?

To protect the wooden floors and beams

Madison County Bridges Quiz: Iowa's Roseman and Holliwell

This Madison County bridges quiz drives the gravel roads around Winterset, Iowa. Play 10 interactive questions on the 19 bridges once built and the six that remain, Robert James Waller's 1992 novel, the 1995 film with Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep, the Roseman and Holliwell bridges, the rebuilt Cedar Bridge, the October festival and John Wayne's birthplace.

Start Madison County Bridges Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

State
Which state is Madison County in?
Count
How many historic covered bridges remain there?
Novel
Who wrote The Bridges of Madison County?
Film
Who starred in the 1995 film version?
Roseman
Which bridge is central to the story?
Longest
Which is the longest of the remaining bridges?
Cedar
What happened to the Cedar Bridge?
Fest
When is the Covered Bridge Festival held?
Star
Which movie star was born in Winterset?
Roof
Why were the Madison County bridges covered?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which state is Madison County in?
Answer: Iowa
Its county seat is Winterset.
Q2: How many historic covered bridges remain there?
Answer: Six
There were once 19.
Q3: Who wrote The Bridges of Madison County?
Answer: Robert James Waller
It was published in 1992.
Q4: Who starred in the 1995 film version?
Answer: Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep
Eastwood also directed it.
Q5: Which bridge is central to the story?
Answer: Roseman Bridge
It was built in 1883.
Q6: Which is the longest of the remaining bridges?
Answer: Holliwell Bridge
It crosses the Middle River.
Q7: What happened to the Cedar Bridge?
Answer: It burned and was rebuilt
Arson destroyed it twice.
Q8: When is the Covered Bridge Festival held?
Answer: October
Visitors tour the bridges.
Q9: Which movie star was born in Winterset?
Answer: John Wayne
His birthplace is a museum.
Q10: Why were the Madison County bridges covered?
Answer: To protect the wooden floors and beams
Roofs lengthened their life.

Roseman, Holliwell and a Famous Love Story

Madison County, Iowa, once had 19 covered bridges, and six historic bridges remain near the county seat of Winterset. They were covered to protect the wooden beams and floors from weather, helping them survive more than a century on quiet country roads.

Robert James Waller's 1992 novel The Bridges of Madison County made them world famous. In 1995 Clint Eastwood directed and starred in the film version with Meryl Streep, shooting scenes at the Roseman Bridge, built in 1883. The Holliwell Bridge, crossing the Middle River, is the longest that survives.

The Cedar Bridge was destroyed by arson in 2002 and again in 2017, and the community rebuilt it each time. Every October, the Covered Bridge Festival brings visitors to Winterset, where they can also tour the birthplace of movie star John Wayne.

What This Quiz Teaches

Movie and history fans will enjoy these questions.

How many bridges remain
Which book made them famous
Who starred in the film
Which bridges stand out
What else Winterset offers

Did You Know?

Some of the bridges were moved to new sites.
The Imes Bridge is the oldest surviving one.
Visitors often leave messages inside the bridges.
The Roseman Bridge is said to be haunted.
Sales of the novel reached millions of copies.