Rogersville, TN, has been suggested as a place for TAP to visit by a couple of folks who thought it would be an interesting place to learn more about. I wasnt overly familiar with town previously but to say Rogersville is full of history is comparable to saying the Appalachian Mountains are full of trees - I am just not sure it is a strong enough statement. Rogersville was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of the legendary Alamo participant and frontiersman Davy Crockett (a man we will cover in more detail in a future post) and is considered to be the second oldest town in the State of Tennessee. The Crocketts would eventually sell much of their property to Colonel Thomas Amis following an American Indian attack that resulted in several family members dying in the massacre. Colonel Amis built a fort just outside of town and much of his property still stands today as a tourist attraction. An Irish immigrant named Joseph Rogers came to town and was smitten with Colonel Amis daughter, Mary, whom he would eventually wed. Colonel Amis gave the newlyweds a large grant of land and Joseph Rogers became very politically active in helping to map out a plan for for the development of the downtown area. Rogers was appointed the first postmaster in 1792 and was instrumental in having the post office built in 1815 which still stands today as the oldest in the State of Tennessee. The town was eventually named Rogersville in honor of Joseph Rogers to recognize his efforts in founding the town. Joseph and Mary had quite the love story as they would go on to have fourteen children; furthermore, Mary is said to have grieved herself to death after Josephs passing as she only lived a month past him. In 1791, George Roulston established the Knoxville Gazette in Rogersville as the first published newspaper in Tennessee prior to relocating it to its Knoxville destination. This began a long and storied history in printing in Rogersville as home to The East Tennessee Gazette, The Rogersville Gazette, The Western Pilot, The Rogersville Herald, The Rail-Road Advocate and the still printed The Rogersville Review to name a few. The Tennessee Newspaper and Printing Museum was established to celebrate this history in an old train depot that dates back to the 1890s. Like much of East Tennessee and Appalachia, Rogersville was bitterly divided during the Civil War. Many residents were strongly loyal to the Union while others were pro-Confederacy feeling that President Lincolns invasion was an overreach of Federal authority. The Battle of Rogersville was fought on November 6, 1863, with a Confederate force under the command of the notoriously cantankerous (and aptly nicknamed) William E. Grumble Jones surprising the occupying Union troops of Col. Israel Garrard and driving them from the town. Other local points of interest are the Hawkins County Courthouse which is the oldest currently used courthouse in Tennessee, the Rogersville Volunteer Fire Department is one of the oldest in the United States, and the oldest continuously-operated Masonic Lodge in Tennessee, the Overton Lodge. My personal favorite attraction was the Hale Springs Inn built in the 1820s which is quite an eye-catching attraction as it recently underwent a multimillion dollar renovation. The Inn has hosted Presidents Andrew Johnson, Andrew Jackson and James Knox Polk with President Jackson making a speech from the balcony addressing the townspeople. The Union troops used the Hale Springs Inn as their headquarters prior to the Battle of Rogersville. In addition to the historical sites there is gorgeous architecture in the downtown commercial district and a residential area full of well-maintained historic homes. The trip to Rogersville was yet another trip made to a town where I felt I was strongly connecting with early Appalachia - along with Jonesborough and Greeneville, Rogersville helps form an axis of history in East Tennessee that I highly recommend checking out. - Shane I hope you enjoy TAPs travels throughout Appalachia as it is an expensive and time-consuming endeavor but a labor of love. Our goal is to give you a glimpse of places you might otherwise not get to see or, hopefully, maybe learn a little something that you might not already know about a local town. Keep the suggestions coming, theyre greatly appreciated.
Posted on: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 23:54:22 +0000
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