Tennessee Covered Bridges - Sevier Co.

Harrisburg Covered Bridge, Sevier County, TN. 7/12/23 dwm

We didn't visit Tennessee for the covered bridges but it was a bonus to see some.

There are four bridges still standing, two of them were close enough to see.

The Harrisburg bridge is the closest to the Great Smoky National Park, north of Pigeon Forge in a rural setting that now has more houses than farm fields.

Conveniently there was a place to park off the narrow road that crosses the East Fork Little Pigeon River. (far end of bridge in photo on right).

It was built in 1875 after another bridge on the site was washed out in a flood. The county kicked in $25 while locals raised $50 and others cut down trees to provide lumber.

The East Fork Little Pigeon River and bridge.

The area was bustling in the late 19th century with local mills and blacksmith shops. Progress developed a bypass which took traffic out of the area and Harrisburg steadily lost people after 1915.

Private homes surround the bridge now. There didn't seem to be a way down to the river until I noticed a worn path near the north end of the bridge.

It's not always possible to get pictures of the bridge over water but it's special when it works out.

The old bridge was stabilized in 1952, then in the early 1970s money was raised to rehabilitate the structure.