Furs to Factories Heritage Trail

Furs to Factories Heritage Trail

One of the most compelling stories in the Tennessee Overhill is how the Industrial Revolution played out in this part of the Southern Appalachians. In the 1700s the Cherokee fur & hide trade opened this part of the southern mountains to the world market. European traders arrived, and were soon followed by settlers. By the mid-1800s the abundant water, timber,…

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Tellico Plains Ranger Station

Tellico Plains Ranger Station

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…

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Old Copper Road

Old Copper Road

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…

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Ocoee Flume Line and Dams

Ocoee Flume Line and Dams

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…

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Monroe County Courthouse

Monroe County Courthouse

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…

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Little White House

Little White House

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…

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GEM Theatre

GEM Theatre

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…

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Burra Burra Copper Mine

Burra Burra Copper Mine

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…

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Bethsalem Church

Bethsalem Church

This small frame church is all that remains of Bethsalem, a small farming community that was founded by freed slaves after Emancipation. The church began in a brush arbor. Later a log building was built that was replaced in the 1920’s by the current frame structure. For many years Bethsalem was a favorite site for camp meetings. A cemetery sits…

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Reliance Historic District

Reliance Historic District

Wind alongside the Hiwassee River on Hwy 30 till you reach Webb’s Store at the junction of Highway 30/Highway 315. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the district includes Webb Brothers General Store, the 1898 L&N Railroad Watchman’s House, Hiwassee Union Church, and the Higdon Hotel. The store is open seasonally. The Watchman’s House has been restored and…

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