Hamblen County, home to the Bridge to Bridge Trail and Morristown, Tennessee is nestled in the lush, fertile valley between the Great Smoky Mountains and the rugged Clinch Mountain. It is surrounded by gently rolling hills and two of the most beautiful lakes in all of the United States. Come see the world-famous "overhead" sidewalks of the Central Morristown Business District. History was made here. Morristown is where Davy Crockett grew up. It was a center of some of the more strategic battles of the Civil War. It is and was the "Crossroads of Dixie," where the main roads from Knoxville to Baltimore and the famous Buffalo Trail from Cumberland Gap cross. Morristown is also the home of Rose Center, the regional cultural and performing arts center, Crockett Tavern and Museum and the brand new lakeside Citizen-Tribune/Jefferson Federal Amphitheatre at Cherokee Park.
The Forks of the River Blueway Quilt Trail winds boldly along the southern edge of this area. At Paint Creek, fishing, wading and picnicking are popular activities. Other water-based opportunities include driving along scenic Brush Creek or warm-water fishing in Allen Branch or Paint Creek ponds. The area's wooded mountainsides and creek gorges are linked by an extensive road and trail system. The nearest towns are Greeneville, TN, Newport, TN and Hot Springs, NC. The main routes into this vicinity are TN 70 and TN 107.
Our blessings come in threes and fours. Four natural and breathtaking state or national forests (the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Martha Sundquist Forest, the Appalachian Trail and the Cherokee National Forest) three recreational rivers (the Nolichucky, the Pigeon and the French Broad) and 34,000 of the friendliest folks around are all here and waiting for you! Visit Swaggerty Fort, Del Rio and the Christy Mission on your journey.
One of the oldest Tennessee counties, Hawkins County was first established as a separate North Carolina county on January 6, 1787. The Hawkins Heritage Quilt Trail passes through the county seat of Rogersville, a town that was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett. Rogersville is the second-oldest town in the state and was named for its founder, Joseph Rogers.
The area of the Cumberland Gap Heritage Quilt Trail is remembered in history books as the pass where Daniel Boone first crossed the mountains into Kentucky. From the one of a kind Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Harrogate to the hiking trails and quaint shops of the town of Cumberland Gap to the 800 miles of shoreline of Norris Lake and the challenging 18-hole championship Woodlake Golf complex, visitors are sure to find that coming to Claiborne County is a trip worth making. Hiking, fishing, golfing, hunting, boating, exploring, and tubing are just a few of the many reasons to experience the Cumberland Gap loop in Claiborne County.
Discover the first frontier, an area rich in history, brought to life by historical reenactors, pioneer homesteads, and museums. It was at Sycamore Shoals between present-day Elizabethton and Watauga that the first independent government, called The Watauga Association, was established. Pioneers successfully negotiated a treaty for land with the Cherokee, however, the treaty was considered illegal by the British Crown. King George's Proclamation of 1763 preemptively barred colonization west of the Appalachian Mountains. Rather than evacuate as commanded, a semi-autonomous, temporary government was formed and the Articles of the Watauga Association were written four years prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. After the start of the Revolutionary War, the settlement was annexed into North Carolina and the Watuaga Association was quickly dissolved. This would not be the last act of the Wataugans. Fearing post-Revolutionary war debts would result in the sale of a large portion of what is now East Tennessee to Spain or France, the Wataugans would later become involved in an unsuccessful regional attempt to break from North Carolina and establish the "State of Franklin". The region did break from North Carolina but not until 1796 would it became part of the new state of Tennessee. Known as the oldest settlement in the state of Tennessee, the Elizabethton area was also the first permanent settlement west of the Continental Divide, earning it the title, "The First Wild West".
