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Covered Bridges Evoke Nostalgia, History
Tennessee’s longest covered bridge is the 150-foot, Bavarian-style covered bridge in Elizabethton. Built in 1882, it spans the Doe River.
Covered bridges in Tennessee – once common sights spanning rivers and creeks – have all
but disappeared, replaced by bridges of iron and steel. Maybe that’s why they evoke
such nostalgia.
Of the dozens of covered bridges constructed throughout the state in the 19th and early 20th centuries, only four of these historic structures remain.
The mid-1800s marked the height of innovation in wooden truss bridge design, and architects, engineers, builders and farmers erected bridges large and small to span crossings along public roadways and private lands.
In those days, bridge coverings were needed to protect wooden trusses from the weather. They also afforded privacy for romantic moments, which led
to their nickname: “kissing bridges.”
Tennessee’s longest and perhaps best known is
the 150-foot, Bavarian-style covered bridge at Elizabethton. Built over the Doe River in 1882,
it survived a 1901 flood that destroyed every other bridge on Carter County’s major rivers – despite being battered by floodwaters and debris and even having a barn smash into it. Today the Elizabethton bridge remains the pride of area residents.
“It’s the center point for our community,” says
Larry Gobble, the city’s tourism director. “It sits at
the foot of our historic downtown, and it’s the most photographed landmark in the county.”
About 10,000 people turn out for the city’s Covered Bridge Celebration Days, which is held in honor of the bridge during the first full week of June each year.
Located 40 miles southwest of Elizabethton, the Bible covered bridge near Greeneville spans Little Chucky Creek. Built by the E.A. Bible family in
1923 for private use, the bridge was purchased by Greene County in 1940 for $750.
County Mayor Alan Broyles remembers when
the bridge provided sole access to the Bible farm.
Story by Carol Cowan
