Before the Harrisburg Bridge was built in 1875, the McNutts Bridge, which was washed away during a flood, existed in the same place. In March of that year, the
Sevier County Court ordered a panel to be used to carry out and organize the construction of a new bridge. Panel members were J.H. Frame, A.E. Murphy, and D.W. Howard. As usual at the time, the local population contributed to the financing, or provided them with construction material, or worked as an assistant in building the project. The voluntary cash donations totalled $50, with the county's $25 contribution. In the late 19th century, the population around Harrisburg was growing, and life in the area flourished with the many local mills and blacksmith workshops. After 1915 a bypass was built around Harrisburg, and the community slowly disappeared as many people moved away. In 1952, the bridge was stabilized with the help of a concrete bridge pillar attached to the building framework. In the 1970s, the overall state of the bridge had deteriorated so much that it was thought to demolish it, until the organization
Daughters of the American Revolution raised the necessary financial resources to rehabilitate the bridge. It was also the organization that made the request to include the bridge in the
National Register of Historic Places, which succeeded in 1975. In 1983, the bridge was repaired with a load limit of three tons. In 2004, various repairs were carried out on the bridge, and the permissible total weight was increased to 15 tons. As of 2010, an average of 20 vehicles per day crossed the bridge. ==Construction==