Roane County, Tennessee
Roane County is located 48 miles northwest of Townsend and is made up of the five distinct communities of Rockwood, Oliver Springs, Harriman, Kingston and Oak Ridge. With the most lakefront footage in the region, Roane County has an abundance of tourist activities ranging from world-class fishing, boating and water activities to antique shops and horseback riding.
Kingston:
The City of Kingston was established in 1799 as a result of the growing population around Fort Southwest Point. An army garrison between 1792 and 1807, the fort was surrounded by several thriving trading posts and provided a protected environment for the convergence of Southeastern trade routes at the mouth of the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers. Soon, Kingston became a great stop over for travelers on their way to Nashville.
Ø Ft. Southwest Point: Fort Southwest Point is the only fort in Tennessee that has been reconstructed on its original foundation. The completed sections of the fort include a barracks, a blockhouse and 250 feet of palisade walls. Fort Southwest Point was constructed in 1797 and remained a working fort through 1811 when it was deemed that soldiers were no longer needed. At its peak, there were over 625 Soldiers stationed here.
Ø Courthouse and Roane County Museum of History: The Historic Roane County Courthouse was built in 1854 of native lumber and bricks made on the site by slaves. The courthouse is one of six courthouses remaining in Tennessee built before the Civil War. The courthouse has more than 750,000 hand-written court documents – all now stored in the archives of the building in an environmentally-controlled atmosphere. Also in the archives is one of the finest collections of historic photographs in the South, some of which date to the late 1860s. These archives, along with several other historic artifacts collected over the years from Roane County, make up the Roane County Museum of History.
Harriman:
Harriman, known as “The Town that Temperance Built,” was established by Frederick Gates, a former Methodist minister and founder of the East Tennessee Land Company, who envisioned the town as one of social temperance and industry where “no manufacture, storage, or sales of intoxicating liquor or beverages” would take place. He advertised his idea across the country, and thousands came to the 1890 Great Land Sale.
Ø Rocky Top General Store: Established over 65 years ago, the Rocky Top General Store remains a thriving business in Harriman. Before even entering the door, a visitor walks by Radio Flyer wagons, garden tillers, rolls of chicken wire, 50 pound bags of rabbit food stacked head high and general store veterans in their rocking chairs on the front porch. On the walls just below the ceiling hang antique farm tools – bow saws, push mowers and plows – and at the back of the room, past the Case knives and cast-iron cook stoves, there is an old-fashion drink machine that sells bottled Cokes.
Ø Temperance Building and Harriman Heritage Museum: Completed shortly after the founding of Harriman, the Temperance Building was built to house the general offices of the East Tennessee Land Company. Today, it houses the Harriman City Council Chambers, city offices and the Harriman Heritage Museum. The museum, which boasts several historic artifacts and documents that display the heritage of Harriman, is open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Ø Cornstalk Heights Historic District: The Cornstalk Heights Historic District contains over 150 homes, some over 100 years old. These homes are all listed on the national register and showcase the heritage of historic Harriman. A favorite pastime of Roane County residents is the home tour that takes place during Christmas in the Cornstalk Heights District.
Rockwood:
Rockwood was built on the land of the Cherokee Indians. In 1868, just after the Civil War had ended, Union General John T. Wilder's Lightening Brigade made an encampment that was to be the beginning of the development of the City of Rockwood. It was during this encampment that Wilder saw evidence of an abundance of iron and coal in the Walden Ridge area. Following the war, the Roane Iron Company was formed to mine and process the previously discovered iron deposits. The company prospered, and the population quickly grew.
The city was named Rockwood after William O. Rockwood, who was a major stockholder and first president of the Roane Iron Company. Rockwood was to become one of the first major industrial developments in the South following the war.
Rockwood has a unique historic downtown community where visitors can take a leisurely stroll and see old-timey storefronts and historic houses.
Ø Live and Let Live Drug Store: The Live and Let Live Drug Store is just as much a historical monument as it is a seller of pharmaceuticals. Established in 1890, Live and Let Live is still a main provider of pharmaceuticals to the Rockwood community. Customers enjoy the old-fashioned, family-like environment of the store more than anything. It is also one of the few drug stores to still have a functioning old-fashioned soda fountain.
Oliver Springs:
Located in Anderson, Roane and Morgan County, Oliver Springs was founded in 1830 as Winter’s Gap, named after the first white settler, Major Moses Winter. By 1826, Richard Oliver became the first postmaster, and the town was renamed Oliver’s. A resort hotel was built near the site of a natural mineral spring to attract wealthy guests from all over the nation who came to drink the water and bathe in the springs. The town was briefly called Poplar Springs before settling on Oliver Springs to honor Oliver and recognize the important role the springs played in the community’s history.
Ø Downtown-Candy Store "County Fresh Foods and Confections": Established in 1989 by Ed Stockton and his wife Pamela, this homegrown candy store has a national following through online sales, catalogs and cable TV. Country Fresh and its 15 employees have a growing market for their candy, especially Pamela's fudge. A sugar-free version of Pamela's fudge recently sold out on cable television's QVC in less than three minutes. Stockton has seen candy sales reach as much as a million pounds in years past.
Ø Railroad Depot Museum: The Southern Railway passenger depot at Oliver Springs is a late 19th century manifestation of the expansion of railroad freight and passenger traffic in the United States. The depot served to bring passengers by rail from around the nation to the tourist hotels located at the mineral springs, driving the local economy until 1905. Today, visitors can visit the depot and learn about how it was once critical to the railroad industry and the economy of Oliver Springs.
For more information, please visit www.roanealliance.org.