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Emerson E. Parks Farm, Dyer County

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Inventory Number: TN/42-23-01
County: Dyer County
Township:
Town/Village: Trimble
Bridge Name: Emerson E. Parks Farm
Crosses: dry land
Truss type: King
Spans: 1
Length: 33'
Roadway Width:
Built: 1912 (M1997)
Builder:
When Lost: standing
Cause:
Latitude: N36 12.283
Longitude: W089 11.506
See a map of the area
Topographic map of the area
Directions: 0.2 miles east of jct TN211 in Trimble on TN105 and 340 feet left on Parks Plaza (Main St. extension).

Emerson E. Parks Farm Bridge, Trimble, Dyer County, TN Built 1910 (M1997)
Bill Caswell Photo, July 22, 2008

Comments:
Emerson E. Parks Farm Bridge over dry land was built in 1912. Moved 1997, formerly TN/42-66-01, now TN/42-23-01. According to Mr. Hamilton Parks of Trimble, his grandfather Emerson E. Parks built this bridge about 1904. Of Tennessee's four historic covered bridges, the Parks Covered Bridge is the only one in the western portion of the state. The Parks Covered Bridge is situated in south central Obion County. Originally, spanned a drainage ditch dividing two fields on Parks' farm between U.S. 51 (State Route 3 to the west) and State Route 211 (to the east) just north of the Dyer-Gibson County line, about one mile north of Trimble. Although the bridge's primary purpose was agricultural, local traffic used it until 1928, when the highway department built a state route with a modern bridge nearby. The bridge remained on the Trimble farm on private property and not open to the public, spanning the Obion River Drainage Canal, until its relocation in 1997. In 1997, due to erosion at the original site that had endangered the historic bridge, the community salvaged as much material as possible and rebuilt the bridge in a city park, Parks Plaza, in nearby Trimble. The bridge originally contained a 28-foot Kingpost truss and two approach spans, 15 and 16 feet long. Tin covered the diagonal lateral bracing that was extended outward from the center of the truss. The curb-to-curb width was 11.4 feet, and the out-to-out width was 12.4 feet (plus bracing). Weatherboarding covered the 10-foot high bridge, which had an open area at the eaves for light and ventilation. A gable roof initially covered the bridge, but a tornado destroyed the original roof in 1914. After the tornado, Mr. Parks replaced the gable roof with a flat shed roof. The Parks Covered Bridge is the only known Kingpost truss covered bridge in the state. After its 1997 relocation, it still retains its original Kingspost truss, but is covered in weatherboarding and a gable roof.

Sources:
http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/bridges/existing/Parksbridge.htm
National Society for the Preservation of Covered Bridges. World Guide to Covered Bridges, 2021, page 136

Compilation 2026 Covered Spans of Yesteryear

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