Morristown in Hamblen County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Conestoga Wagon

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 22, 2018

1. Conestoga Wagon Marker

Inscription. It took Virginia and North Carolina settlers from 1607 until almost 1750 to settle as far as the Appalachians. The surge of road building between 1790 and 1840 made the Trans Allegheny accessible for further settling. During this time, development of the Conestoga wagon in Pennsylvania helped spur travel and settlement. The wagon, developed in Conestoga Valley in Lancaster, Pennsylvania was able to carry large loads. Better roads had to be built to accommodate this advancement in transportation. The Conestoga wagon was 16 feet/4.9 meters long and was 4 feet/1.2 meters wide. It had 6-inch/15.24-centimeter to 1-inch/2.5-centimeter wide wheels, sometimes banded with iron rims. Wooden staves were bent in arcs over the wagon. Canvas cloth was stretched over the staves. The wagon bed was shaped like a john boat with the ends higher than the middle to keep goods from falling out on steep hills. Able to carry up to 8 tons/7.3 metric tons, covered wagons were used by people who settled from the Appalachians to California.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 36° 13.283′ N, 83° 16.047′ W. Marker is in Morristown, Tennessee, in Hamblen County. It can be reached from Morningside Drive, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located at the Crockett Tavern Museum. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Morristown TN 37814, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself

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in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

the State of Franklin,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Young David Crockett (a few steps from this marker); John Crockett: Frontier Ranger (a few steps from this marker); David Crockett – A Tennessee Legacy (within shouting distance of this marker); Crockett Tavern (within shouting distance of this marker); Erected in Memory of the 22 Hamblen County Boys Who Made the Supreme Sacrifice in the World War (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hannah J. Price (approx. 1.2 miles away); Phillips House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Morristown College (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Morristown.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 22, 2018

2. Conestoga Wagon Marker

Conestoga Wagon image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 22, 2018

3. Conestoga Wagon

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 22, 2018

4. Conestoga Wagon

Credits. This page was last revised on November 26, 2018. It was originally submitted on November 20, 2018, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 749 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 20, 2018, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.