The 50' covered bridge was built in 1912 across Sinking Creek in Giles County using the Queenpost truss system. It was bypassed in 1949, repaired 1995, and took damage from tropical storm Gaston in 2004. It is no longer open to vehicle traffic and located on private property.
The bridge is easily visible from Mountain Lake Road as you travel to Mountain Lake Lodge, site of many of the scenes from the 1987 iconic Dirty Dancing movie starring Patrick Swayze & Jennifer Grey. I wonder if they took time to stop and take a picture at this bridge during their time filming the movie.
A right turn onto Zells Mill Road will lead you to a second larger covered bridge known as Sinking Creek Covered Bridge.
PLEASE NOTE Link Farm covered bridge is indeed on private property, which we did not realize during our visit. The area surrounding the bridge is well taken care of and it did not appear owners had any problems with visitors stopping to admire the bridge. We didn't see any warnings or notices to stay away. Only an American flag flying on the front side of the bridge. One Facebook post from June 23rd, 2020 said the bridge was "recently pressure washed and soon to receive a fresh coat of paint." It did not appear painted during our July 11th visit, but considering the life developments soon after that post, its easy to understand why.
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CONDOLENCES
Another recent post on the Facebook page of Link Farm Covered Bridge read:
It's with great sadness we share that James Barry Link, of our Link Farm Covered Bridge, has passed away. In honor of his memory, we are accepting donations for continuous renovations to this place - special to Barry's heart - June 28, 2020 @ 12:03 AM
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FINAL THOUGHTS
The obituary says James Barry Link passed away on Friday, June 26, 2020 and was born on November 20, 1957. It describes him as one of the most intelligent country boys you'd ever meet. He was quick-witted, life of the party, and never met a stranger.
May you rest in peace Barry.
Covered Bridges of Virginia featuring Link Farm - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du7NucwgwnY&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0KTaD3lpKAvtE-L7iGTGXeHfjRpWaJMR-bDS2typ0qjRKrBTawULr2ry4
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