| Sources |
- [S94] Sevier County, Tennessee Census, 343B, 1880.
Census Place: Harrisburg, Sevier, Tennessee
Source: FHL Film 1255277 National Archives Film T9-1277 Page 343B
Relation Sex Marr Race Age Birthplace
A. UMBARGER Self M M W 66 VA
Occ: Farmer Fa: PA Mo: PA
B. A. UMBARGER Wife F M W 46 VA
Occ: Keeping House Fa: VA Mo: VA
C. R. UMBARGER Son M S W 19 VA
Occ: Works On Farm Fa: VA Mo: VA
A. K. UMBARGER Dau F S W 14 VA
Fa: VA Mo: VA
D. C. UMBARGER Son M S W 9 VA
Fa: VA Mo: VA
A. UMBARGER Son M S W 6 TN
Fa: VA Mo: VA
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 1 Nov 2010.
Upland Chronicles: Harrisburg bridge has rich history in county
by BRANDON BARNES
The Harrisburg Covered Bridge as it stood before its 1976 renovation. The Harrisburg Covered Bridge today. A detailed drawing of the plans for the bridge.
Though there are numerous bridges in Sevier County, the most unique is by far the Harrisburg Covered Bridge. To fully appreciate the importance of the Harrisburg Covered Bridge, its history must be explained.
Initially, the Harrisburg Covered Bridge was simply known as the McNutts Bridge. Located off what is now Old Covered Bridge Road near Sevierville, the McNutts Bridge was used by residents of the Harrisburg community as a means to reach the nearby general store and local mill until a major flood washed the old antebellum styled bridge away in February 1875.
With the McNutts Bridge gone, the residents of Harrisburg were in dire need of a new bridge. This is where the history and story of the Harrisburg Covered Bridge truly originate.
As a result the Civil War having ended only a decade earlier, many residents who had fought for the defeated Confederacy left Sevier County as a result of their Union neighbors and the various harassments they caused. Since so many residents decided it was better to move away from Sevier County and begin fresh, they traded their Sevier County homesteads and land with other men also searching for a brand new start.
Though there were no major battles fought in Sevier County, a skirmish did take place near the Harrisburg community, and guerilla warfare was a cause for some duress as Sevier County was mostly allied with the Union.
Ironically, if it had not been for men wanting to seek fresh starts after the Civil War, then it could be argued that the Harrisburg Covered Bridge as we know it today would have been rebuilt much differently.
Shortly following the conclusion of the Civil War, John McNutt, a Confederate officer for whom the bridge was originally named, exchanged his homestead with Alexander Umbarger of Virginia. With Umbarger’s arrival to the Harrisburg community, he decided to rebuild the mill and other structures lost during the flood. As luck would have it, Elbert Early and his brother, William, moved to Sevier County and formed Early Brothers, a carpentry business, in the Harrisburg community.
With the arrival of new residents, Harrisburg had hope and, in March 1875, the Sevier County Court appointed a committee of J.H. Frame, A.E. Murphy and D.W. Howard to oversee the rebuilding of the bridge. Although local citizens were only able to privately raise and contribute $50, Sevier County donated another $25 while the Newport Mill, adjacent to the bridge, provided the lumber. The community provided labor for the new bridge.
With the funds and materials acquired, the county hired Early Brothers to complete the task of reconstructing the gable-roofed Harrisburg Covered Bridge on a limestone pier above the East Fork of the Little Pigeon River. As a side note, this was Early Brothers’ first job in Sevier County.
In “The History and Architecture of Sevier County, Tennessee,” author Robbie D. Jones lists the dimensions of the bridge as spanning “83 feet long and containing one pony timber Queenposttruss span, 64 feet in length, and one steel I-beam span, 18 feet in length. The pony truss system is over 11 feet wide and 7 feet high and, covered with weatherboarding.”
With a new bridge finished for the residents and businesses of the Harrisburg community, the Early Brothers obtained many more jobs, including building Murphy Chapel as well as several local residences.
Throughout the 1800s, the Harrisburg community had many businesses, shops and residences; however, the county built a new main road in 1915 that missed Harrisburg by less than one mile. Shortly thereafter, with traffic going around Harrisburg, the bustling area no longer thrived and quickly faded away.
Though the community disappeared, Sevier County has actively fought for decades to preserve the Harrisburg Covered Bridge and keep it open for local traffic. There have been numerous issues to have plagued the bridge, but through them all, Sevier County has been steadfast in protecting it.
Matter of fact, in 1952 Bill Baker and a county road crew made further efforts to stabilize the bridge by placing at the center of the truss a concrete pier.
In the 1970s, the bridge had deteriorated and was on the verge of demolition; however, the Great Smokies Chapter and Spencer Clack Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution joined forces and were able to raise funds to save the bridge. Not only did they manage to save and repair it, but they also fought for its listing on the National Register of Historic Places which they were successful with obtaining in 1975.
Although the bridge was listed as a rare historic landmark, it again faced closure in 1983, but this time the county replaced the flooring as well as a number of timber beams to keep it open to traffic with restrictions being made for it to have a 3-ton weight limit.
In 2004, Sevier County, through a grant from the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program and through the Federal Highway Administration and TDOT, was able to further the efforts of maintaining the Harrisburg Covered Bridge. After hiring the Lichtenstein Consulting Engineers of Watertown, Conn., to develop renovation plans, Ray Bell Construction Co. of Nashville was hired to complete renovations which would allow up to a 15-ton weight limit.
On Dec. 2, 2004, the Harrisburg Covered Bridge was reopened for traffic and is still in use to this day.
At one time, covered bridges were common throughout Middle and East Tennessee. Sadly, by 1945 only a dozen remained. Since then, that number has continued to dwindle rapidly.
While the Harrisburg Covered Bridge has had a rough history, it has survived thanks to the efforts of local concerned citizens, the government of Sevier County, as well as state government agencies.
Currently, the Tennessee Department of Transportation has listed only four remaining covered bridges in the state: Bible (Greene County), Elizabethton (Carter County), Parks (Obion County), and Harrisburg. Of the remaining bridges, the oldest surviving one is Sevier County’s, which is 135 years old and still standing thanks to the efforts of so many people who want to keep its heritage and history alive.
— Brandon Barnes is a Sevier County native and aspiring writer who currently serves as a special events coordinator for the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or e-mail to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-mail to ron@ronraderproperiies.com.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 2 Aug 2011.
Historic covered bridge damaged
by STAN VOIT
Damage to one of the beams holding up the roof of the Harrisburg Covered Bridge is seen Monday. The historic structure was damaged on Saturday apparently by a truck hauling a backhoe trying to cross the bridge.
SEVIERVILLE — The state’s only historic covered bridge that is still open to traffic was damaged over the weekend apparently when a truck hauling a backhoe tried to cross it.
Road Superintendent Jonas Smelcer said Monday that a huge beam in the roof of the Harrisburg Covered Bridge was broken. He believes it is one of the original beams in the 1875 bridge and may be hard to replace.
The bridge remains open to traffic. Smelcer said there was no structural damage to the bridge, although the damaged beam does help hold the roof in place.
Smelcer said the damaged beam is notched to fit into other support beams and likely had been in place since the bridge was constructed.
“We have to repair it,” Smelcer said. “We’ll try to get things going on it. Hopefully we can find some beams that go back to that time.”
In the meantime Smelcer would like to know who was driving the truck that damaged the structure. Neighbors told Smelcer the incident happened Saturday night. They heard a noise and went to check on it, but the truck had gone.
Smelcer said charges might be filed against the driver, at least for leaving the scene of an accident and damaging government property. He’d like anyone who has information to contact the Sevier County Sheriff’s Office.
The Harrisburg Covered Bridge is located south of U.S. 411 just off Old State Highway 35 (Old Newport Highway). It spans the East Fork of the Little Pigeon River. The bridge was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 for its significance as a rare surviving example of a covered timber truss bridge.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 21 Apr 2013.
Upland Chronicles: Harrisburg was once a thriving community
- [S112] Census, 1870.
Name: Alex Umbarger
Estimated Birth Year: 1815
Gender: Male
Age in 1870: 55y
Color (white, black, mulatto, chinese, Indian): White
Birthplace: Virginia
Home in 1870: Virginia, United States
Household Gender Age
Alex Umbarger M 55y
Barbara A Umbarger F 35y
Ellen Umbarger F 30y
Mariah Umbarger F 25y
Clementine Umbarger F 23y
Sarah Umbarger F 19y
Charles Umbarger M 10y
Alberta Umbarger F 4y
Dick Umbarger F 4m
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 418.
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