Birthplace of John Wayne

Madison County is known for it's covered bridges.  There was also a book and movie entitled, "The Bridges of Madison County".

The night of the 4th, we saw the Madison County Courthouse; still with it's Christmas lights. The courthouse was built in 1876.  It has a room from the 1800's that has graffiti written by prisoners of that time.

To start out the morning of the 5th, we went to the Winterset City Park to see one of the bridges; the Cutler-Donahoe Bridge. It was snowy and slushy out so we didn't walk around as much as we would have otherwise. The park also has a log cabin that was built in 1852, and a monument erected in honor of the first Delicious Apple tree, which was in Winterset.

Next we went to the Northside Cafe, which was established in 1876, the same year the courthouse was built.  It was pretty cool because it has a lot of really old furnishings.  It has been in the same spot on the town square since it was established.

After that, we went on to the John Wayne birthplace and museum.  The house is small with 4 rooms; a walkway leads to the gift shop.  The house is full of memorabilia.  The gift shop has a bronze full life statue of The Duke, plus an informative video that runs the whole time.

I also took a picture of a house that was a stop on the Underground Railroad.  Now it is an art center.  It has a display of George Washington Carver.  We didn't stop inside.

Later in the day we went to another covered bridge; the Imes bridge in St. Charles.  It was built in 1870.  Also in St. Charles is the old Presbyterian Church, built in 1916.  It has the original plate glass windows, exept for one that had to be repaired. The original ceiling is in the basement, which is made of an interesting metal design.

I am planning on going back again this summer to see the rest of the bridges and some more sights. The people are very friendly and helpful. There are many more things to see and do there.  I was very impressed.