From 1932 to 1969, the Zumbrota Covered Bridge stood at the Goodhue County Fairgrounds as a multi-purpose building. Placed on the north side of the fairgrounds next to the barns, it housed poultry exhibits for several years. Beginning in 1959, the Isaak Walton League used the old bridge for wildlife exhibits and conservation programs, and in 1960 the league planted evergreens beside it that remain at the fairgrounds. After the fair ended each year, windows and doors were put in place so the space could be rented for storage. For several years it also served as the fair's beer garden, earning the nickname "The Longest Bar in Goodhue County," and it was also called "the holiest floor" in Goodhue County because patrons dropped coins that children liked to gather from beneath the bridge. In 1934, U.S. Department of Interior Undersecretary Harold Ickes recognized the bridge as possessing exceptional historical and architectural interest and as worthy of most careful preservation, encouraging continued efforts to maintain the aging structure. In 1964, the Covered Bridge Society was organized and began actively promoting its preservation. In 1965, the City of Zumbrota purchased 40 acres on the south side of the Zumbro River for a community park, and in 1970 local contractors Howard Flaten and Don Ramstad were paid $2,000 to move the bridge one mile to its new home in Covered Bridge Park.