Erwin in Unicoi County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Unicoi County
⎯⎯⎯
The Town of Erwin

Unicol County Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, September 26, 2009

1. Unicol County Marker

Inscription.
(side 1) Unicoi County Unicoi County was formed during the Reconstruction era from parts of Washington and Carter counties on March 23, 1875. Representative Alfred A. Taylor introduced a bill in the Tennessee Legislature and insisted that the county's name come from a Cherokee word representing the fog-draped Unaka Mountains. The first meeting for the elected officials was January 3, 1876, at the Indian Creek Baptist Church. For the Centennial in 1975, the motto on the new seal of Unicoi County was "The Valley Beautiful."
Continued)

(side 2) The Town Of Erwin The town was laid out in March of 1876 on land donated by David J.N. Ervin, William Love, and G. Garland for the creation of a county seat. Vanderbilt was the town's first name. In 1879, the state approved a new name of Ervin, but a United States Post Office mix-up gave the town its lasting name of Erwin. Earlier postal designations of Greasy Cove, Unaka, and Longmire identified the area. In 1891, Erwin was incorporated and the Board of Mayor and Aldermen met in 1892.

Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1A 130.)

Topics and series.

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This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Historical Commission series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1788.

Location. 36° 8.746′ N, 82° 24.951′ W. Marker is in Erwin, Tennessee, in Unicoi County. It is on North Main Avenue near Tucker Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Erwin TN 37650, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee

and in the Tri-Cities Area.

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 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 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Blue Ridge Pottery

The Town of Erwin image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, September 26, 2009

2. The Town of Erwin

Reverse Side of the Unicol County Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); To the Women of the Confederacy (approx. half a mile away); Greasy Cove Racetrack (approx. 2.1 miles away); The Battle of Red Banks / Reunion for the Boys in Blue (approx. 2.3 miles away); Keystone Pottery (approx. 5.1 miles away); Camp Cordell Hull (approx. 5.4 miles away); Jacob Brown (approx. 5.4 miles away); Plum Grove (approx. 6.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Erwin.

The Gathering Place image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, September 26, 2009

3. The Gathering Place

Dedicated June 2005
Welcome to
Unicol County
As You Explore My Mountain
Secrets, Relax, Unwind And Let
These Wild Wilderness Places
Become the Laboratory
Of Your Soul
By Pat Alderman

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, September 26, 2009

4. The Gathering Place

Photographed by Stanley and Terrie Howard, September 26, 2009

5. The Gathering Place

Unicoi County Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mike Wintermantel, October 18, 2023

6. Unicoi County Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,204 times since then and 121 times this year. Last updated on May 5, 2015, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 28, 2009, by Stanley and Terrie Howard of Greer, South Carolina. 6. submitted on October 22, 2023, by Mike Wintermantel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Unicoi County⎯⎯⎯The Town of Erwin

Unicoi County
⎯⎯⎯
The Town of Erwin