The Battle of Athens, Tennessee, August 1 – 2, 1946 The battle was a rebellion of veterans and other citizens of McMinn County as a result of a culmination of events leading up to the August 1946 election. The G.I. Non-Partisan Ticket opposed the county leadership that was in power at the time. Election Day irregularities took place and were…
This 67-mile trail between Vonore, TN and Murphy, NC follows an historic trade and war path that predates written history. Along the way you can stop to visit historic sites and museums that reveal the many layers of history that unfolded along this ancient route. A restored 2-mile section of the original roadbed allows visitors to walk in the footsteps…
The Tellico Plains Ranger Station is a restored Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp. It was the first CCC camp in the southeastern United States, and one of the first in the nation. CCC Company 1453 from Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia established the camp, constructing the Ranger Station and associated buildings. The station is in use today by the Cherokee National Forest…
The Old Copper Road was painstakingly built in 1853 to connect the copper mines in southeastern Tennessee’s Copper Basin to the railroad terminus at Cleveland, Tennessee. John Caldwell hired local Cherokee Indians and whites to build the road, an arduous task completed in two years. Upon completion, copper haulers drove teams of oxen and mules over the road for two…
The Ocoee powerhouses, dams and flume line are part of an ambitious hydroelectric power project that began in 1910. Constructed by Eastern Tennessee Power Company, this series of historic hydroelectric structures are tucked into the narrow Ocoee River Gorge, all located within a stretch of only 12 miles. Ocoee Dam Number One was built over the site of the old…
The Monroe County Courthouse, designed by Baumann Brothers and Company of Knoxville, was built in 1897 to replace an earlier courthouse that sat on the same site. The construction of the new courthouse coincided with plans of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad to build a new rail line linking Atlanta and Knoxville which would pass directly through Madisonville, giving the…
Englewood, Tennessee is not a national capital. It is not a state capital. It is not even a county seat. Rather it is a charming little town in southeastern Tennessee that grew out of three textile mill villages. Yet it has its own “White House.” The “Little White House” is a wooden frame house that sits in the middle of…
Built in Etowah, Tennessee in 1927 as a movie house, the Gem Theater quickly became a social and entertainment hub for the town. In 1991 the City of Etowah acquired the building and turned it into a performing arts center. The Gem Theater is also home to the Etowah Arts Commission Gallery and Office and the Gem Players. The Gem…
The Donley Cabin is an authentic two-room 19th century primitive and historic cabin that displays an unusually wide range of log cabin construction styles, including Swiss, German, and English. According to local sources, the fireplace room, the oldest part of the cabin, was built during the early 1860’s by a man who used the cabin as a hideout to avoid…
Copper mining took place in the Ducktown Basin (Copper Basin) from 1850 to 1987, with more than a dozen mines operating at one time. The Burra Burra Mine, located in Ducktown, Tennessee, operated from 1899 until 1959. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the site includes the Mine Office, Shops, Change House, Hoist House, and Powder House. The…
