The Elizabethton Covered Bridge continues to add an extra bit of allure to the heritage of Carter County.
Just months after holding the 50th Annual Covered Bridge Celebration, the historic landmark recently earned the nod as the USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice winner as the top Covered Bridge in the United States for 2016. The Elizabethton Covered Bridge earned the accolade after being voted the best by readers out of a pool of 20 covered bridge nominees.
“We were very excited to hear the announcement,” Elizabeth ton/Carter County Chamber of Commerce Director Tonya Stevens said. “It’s such a significant part of our history. You can see all the different people that stop by and have taken photos of the bridge over the years. It attracts so many people from across the county.”
Known as the “Queen of Landmarks,” the bridge was created back in 1882 by Dr. E.E. Hunter with the assistance of George Lindamood and a host of carpenters. The cost from contraction surpassed $3,000 and has seen renovations over the years to help keep it in a quality state. While no longer accessible by a vehicle, residents and tourists alike are able to walk through and experience the historic piece of Elizabethton.
The nominees were selected by a panel of experts by USA Today. The panel included the likes of Bill Caswell, who serves as the president of the National Society
of the Preservation of Covered Bridges.
According to information provided by USA Today, the list is promoted across USA Today Travel Media Group’s digital and mobile products, along with social media. Nominees are also announced and/or promoted across the publication’s relevant departments, and through Gannett media outlets, including the websites of its 81 local newspapers and 43 television stations.
“It’s such an honor to be selected out of so many different covered bridges across the country,” Stevens said.
The honor is just one of many that landmark has received, and the accomplishment in USA Today only helps the site moving forward.
“There’s already so many people that stop by,” Stevens said. “This only broadens our reach to show what our area has to offer.”
The county’s tourism director Kayla Carter also noted how key the honor was and expressed gratitude by thanking individuals for voting on the bridge.