Emert's Cove Historic Covered Bridge — Attraction in Pittman Center

I love covered bridges and was excited to visit this one, though it is a "modern" bridge that was completed in 2000. It only has 9'6" clearance so I did not try bringing the Sprinter van across. There is parking on the east side but not the west, so I left the van on the side of the road briefly.

Note that the bridge IS open for vehicular traffic and there is a well-worn path down to the waterside if you want to try for a side photo.

The historical marker gives context. It reads, "This bridge is named in honor of Frederick Emert who came here with his family in 1790 as the area's first settler.

In 1997, under the leadership of Mayor Judy Perryman the Mayor and Board of Aldermen provided local funds to go with state and federal money. In the spring of 2000 the bridge was constructed by the team of Steve McCarter and Garry Shultz for the town of Pittman Center in its continuing effort to provide improvements within the town that further its vision, which is:

“To create and perpetuate a quality living environment and to encourage quality development that supports that end. To encourage development that supports a tourist-oriented economic base that relates to and magnifies our unique relationship to and with the Great Smoky Mountains.”

"The bridge spans the waters of the Middle Prong of the Little Pigeon River which was designated an “outstanding national resource water” in March 1998 by the State of Tennessee. At that time, this was the only stream outside a national park to receive this designation. Environmental stewardship has played a prominent role in achieving this designation. Special thanks goes to the “Save the Middle Prong” organization whose members spent time and money and were ultimately willing to go to court to maintain the integrity of this outstanding natural treasure for future generations."

While it looks like a Tennessee marker, it does not have the seal or other identifying...

I'm a "covered bridge guy" (whatever that means) and whenever I visit new places, one of the first things I do is check to see if there are any local bridges. To those odd bridge-minded people like me, I just want to let you know that this bridge lacks any historical merit in it's construction as it was built in the year 2000 using modern technology. There are no classic arches or trusses, just plywood and steel I-beams. To everyone that could not care less about how this bridge was constructed or when it was built, this bridge is placed in a picturesque location and provides awesome photo opportunities. There is a ton of graffiti on the inside, which is to be expected when the bridge is built next to a tourist destination and made for the aforementioned tourists. Save for that, the view of the creek from the bridge is peaceful and the walkway is an intriguing feature that is absent from almost every other covered bridge. For nerds like me, go to Harrisburg Covered bridge after this one, it's not...

I took my daughters to this beautiful bridge a couple years ago and was able to take the most beautiful pictures of them. We just went back last week and there are big boulders placed all along the side of the road blocking every blade of grass and edge of the road. There was even a rude man that came out and insisted that we leave and then proceeded to video tape our car as we left. The bridge is owned by the county and there should be a public right-of-way on the side of the road. We were only there a matter of about five minutes and were treated very rudely. Its a real shame that this beautiful piece of history and this peaceful place is surrounded by such rude people. I only wish more people could experience what we did...