In 1842, a one-room brick building, known as the Seminary, opened in the Fall Branch Community. At the close of the Civil War, the building was destroyed by fire and facilities were provided by local churches. In 1889, the Fall Branch Educational . . . — — Map (db m114009) HM
5.0 miles. This pioneer Baptist Church, established in 1779 by the Rev. Tidence Lane, was the first Baptist Church on Tennessee soil. The church itself has been moved to Gray's Station: the cemetery remains. Here is buried the Rev. Johathan Mulkey, . . . — — Map (db m67817) HM
This land brought about the historic court case of Ford v. Ford. Loyd Ford (1748-1843) freed his five enslaved individuals and gave them his farm located here. His children challenged the will and the five who were freed fought the case up to the . . . — — Map (db m206791) HM
Sculpted by American sculptor Ernest Moore Viquesney, this statue depicts a World War I American soldier known as the Doughboy, walking through shattered tree stumps strung with barbed wire, his rifle in his left hand and his right above his head . . . — — Map (db m309161) HM
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) is one of the best-known examples of a "narrow-gauge" railroad. This term refers to the width between the steel rails; the rails on a standard-gauge railroad are 4' 8.5" inches apart, . . . — — Map (db m184091) HM
Civil War Dead
An estimated 700,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died in the Civil War between April 1861 and April 1865. As the death toll rose, the U.S. government struggled with the urgent but unplanned need to bury fallen Union troops. This . . . — — Map (db m126463) HM
(Side one)
From 1785 to 1796, French botanist Andre Michaux, the foremost European botanist of his day, traveled throughout eastern North America. On assignment from the French monarchy, Michaux studied and collected North American plants, . . . — — Map (db m69628) HM
The double crib barn is believed to have been built sometime in the early 1850s by Landon Carter Haynes. A November 1857
Harper's New Monthly Magazine drawing of the site shows Haynes having a barn in this location. Unfortunately, there is . . . — — Map (db m295159) HM
The failed State of Franklin was formed in August of 1784 and comprised the area of then western North Carolina, present-day Northeast Tennessee. John Sevier was elected governor of Franklin while Colonel John Tipton became a leading loyalist to . . . — — Map (db m295180) HM
About 1 ½ miles southwest, this
Christian church was organized
1825 by Rev. Jas. Miler. Here, Aug.
17, 1829, was held the first recorded
conference of Christian churches
in East Tennessee. Other elders
present were Jeriel Dodge, Robt. . . . — — Map (db m22860) HM
Created as a peaceful gathering place for the East Tennessee State University campus, Fred P. Borchuck Plaza was dedicated in 1999, concurrent with the opening of the new Charles C. Sherrod Library. It is a place for quiet reflection as well as a . . . — — Map (db m227742) HM
On September 2, 1811, James Nelson deeded to trustees William Nelson, William Duzan, James King, Jacob Hoss and John R. Boring, 4 acres and 8 poles to be used by the Methodist Episcopal Church for a house of worship. For many years a campground for . . . — — Map (db m47230) HM
Long before the Tipton or Haynes families, the landscape before you was the stomping grounds for animals such as buffalo and elk. These small herds once roamed along the Appalachian Mountains from New York to Florida. The habitat at the base of . . . — — Map (db m295062) HM
Shortly after the Revolutionary War, Colonel John Tipton moved to then Washington County, North Carolina. He purchased over two thousand acres of land in 1784 in what is now Johnson City and nearby Elizabethton, Tennessee. He constructed a simple . . . — — Map (db m295173) HM
This 1889 structure, originally "the Colored Christian Church," now West Main Street Christian Church, was also Johnson City's second school building (1889-1891) for "Colored" children. It is the oldest church building and school building still . . . — — Map (db m22866) HM
The corn crib was built by Landon Carter Haynes in the early 1850s. The November 1857 Harper's New Monthly Magazine drawing shows the Haynes corn crib. Corn was a major cash crop for the area during the mid-1800s. The 1850 . . . — — Map (db m295157) HM
0.2 miles along this road is the
waterfall under which Boone hid
himself from raiding Indians;
the falls were then about 4 feet
high. 1.1 mile along the road, a
marker indicates the site of
the beech tree where "D. Boon
Cilled a bar in . . . — — Map (db m83060) HM
In January 1956, Eugene Caruthers, a teacher a Langston High School in Johnson City, became the first black student enrolled in East Tennessee State College's graduate program. In August 1958, Elizabeth Watkins Crawford, Clarence McKinney, George L. . . . — — Map (db m173432) HM
Ordained by Boones Creek Christian Church in 1866, Dr. Hezekiah B. Hankal established five churches in the region. A physician, his medical practice was confined to the African-American and the Cherokee-Dutch communities until the 1873 cholera . . . — — Map (db m157821) HM
This stone manor and mill were built in 1778 by Jeremiah Dungan on property purchased
from the Watauga Association. It was taxed in 1779 by North Carolina in the first year
the state levied a property tax. Dungan's family ground grain until 1866, . . . — — Map (db m158267) HM
Constructed in 1891 as a union depot for the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad (nicknamed “Tweetsie”) and the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad, the building served as a passenger railway terminal until 1940. . . . — — Map (db m47301) HM
Created by the legislature in 1909, East Tennessee State Normal School was built on land given by
George L. Carter. Official state flag was first raised at dedication ceremonies on October 10,
1911. The school became a teachers college in 1925, a . . . — — Map (db m303591) HM
Born approximately one mile from the bridge in a house near the Elk River, Elbert Columbus “E.C.” Miller was an acclaimed, self-taught musician, who mastered his three-finger style on the five-string banjo. Miller had his own line of . . . — — Map (db m157805) HM
1883-1965. Civic leader and
Suffragist. State Chair,
Congressional Union for Woman
Suffrage and National Womans
Party 1916-1920. Lived here. — — Map (db m220130) HM
Charlie Bowman, Hall of Fame fiddler, vaudeville performer, and writer of Nine Pound Hammer and East Tennessee Blues, toured with the Hill Billies and other music groups, once performing for President Calvin Coolidge. Two daughters, . . . — — Map (db m45590) HM
On Feb. 23, 1778, 0.6 mile NE at the house of Col. Charles Robertson, Trustee, on the east (Catbird) branch of Sinking Creek was held the First Court of the newly formed County of Washington, North Carolina, with John Carter, Chairman; John . . . — — Map (db m83061) HM
Daughters of
the American Colonists
“1673 — James Needham & Gabriel
Arthur, first English-speaking
visitors, passed here en route
to the Cherokee towns on the
Little Tennessee River.”
“1700 — Daniel . . . — — Map (db m157847) HM
At his death in 1843, Lloyd Ford, Sr. freed his
five enslaved children, John, Peg, Edward, Larkin
and Rhoda, and left them land and a home near
this location. Fords son, Lloyd Ford, Jr., contested
the will. To fight for their inheritance and . . . — — Map (db m273968) HM
The 1860 Census indicates there were three enslaved residents in a cabin when this was the property of Landon Carter Haynes. Their names and ages were Charlotte (60), George (35), and Cornelia (9). Besides their names and ages, there is no other . . . — — Map (db m298445) HM
Side A
Erected to the memory of
Henry Massengill
and his pioneer family came from North Carolina to the Watauga settlement in 1769. His plantation near the mouth of Boone's Creek adjoined William Bean's, who was the the first . . . — — Map (db m234460) HM
About 0.3 miles east stood Twin Falls Grist Mill, belonging to Peter Range, an early immigrant from New Jersey. He bought this land in 1804-08 and built the 2-story & basement stone house, standing today. His limestone marker reads, “P. Range, . . . — — Map (db m47462) HM
This pioneer settler from Pennsylvania, a minister of the Church of the Brethren, built a two-story log house in 1793, which stands .2 mile northwest on the Old Stage Road. While not actually an inn, the house was often a stopping place for . . . — — Map (db m158255) HM
(Side one)
One of the first record companies to issue Bluegrass recordings, Rich-R Tone was also the first record company in East Tennessee.
Founded in late 1945 Rich R-Tone (pronounced "richer tone") was based in Johnson City during its early . . . — — Map (db m292512) HM
Named for Tennessee's first governor and promoted as the finest hotel between Roanoke and Chattanooga, the John Sevier opened on August 5, 1924. The hotel was planned in three stages, with a second section completed in 1929. The third section was . . . — — Map (db m157840) HM
This is the former site of the Tri-City Beverage Corporation, of which Charles O. Gordon was the owner-president. In 1954 the Tri-City Beverage became one of the first to bottle "Mountain Dew", a clear lemon-lime flavored drink. Four years later . . . — — Map (db m177924) HM
The town was formerly known as Green Meadows, Blue Plum, Johnson's Depot, Haynesville, then Johnson City. It is situated on land grants of 1782 to Robert and Joseph Young and in 1792 to Joseph Tipton. The town charter was repealed in 1879, but . . . — — Map (db m292520) HM
The Johnson City Post Office building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in September 2021. From its opening in January 1911, it functioned as a U.S. Post Office until it was relocated in 1937. It was the first Postal Savings . . . — — Map (db m308068) HM
Founded in 1961, the center was originally located at 607 E. Myrtle Avenue, with the mission to engage adults 50+ in active life through active living. On March 31, 2000, it was the first senior center in Tennessee to be accredited by the National . . . — — Map (db m309159) HM
Frank Walker, head of Columbia Records “hillbilly” recording division, conducted recording sessions in Johnson City in 1928 and 1929. Walker was a pioneer in the art of remote recording, which was deemed more effective than bringing . . . — — Map (db m157839) HM
In October 1928 Frank Walker of Columbia Records hosted recording auditions at 334 East Main Street. Charlie Bowman and his brothers, Clarence Greene, and the Roane County Ramblers were among the artists recorded. These sessions pioneered the art of . . . — — Map (db m145900) HM
Built between 1858 and 1859 for Joseph Keebler by various artisans, the original home consisted of two large rooms on each floor with a hallway and staircase. The walls were four bricks thick with windows of hand-blown glass. The kitchen, a separate . . . — — Map (db m158254) HM
Organized circa 1799 by Elder Samuel Garber of Virginia, the Knob Creek Church of the Brethren was the first Brethren congregation in Tennessee. Isaac Hammer was the first minister. Daniel Bowman preached in English and Michael Krouse preached in . . . — — Map (db m157802) HM
This was the home of Landon Carter Haynes, a distinguished lawyer and politician who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives before the onset of the Civil War. Haynes was born in Carter County on December 2, 1816. He attended nearby . . . — — Map (db m69684) HM
This building housed Johnson Citys first African-American public high school. Named for U.S. Congressman John Mercer Langston, an educator, lawyer, and the first African-American elected to public office in the United States (Ohio, 1856). Langston . . . — — Map (db m83062) HM
Landon Carter Haynes became known as the "silver-tongue orator" for his political speeches, but practicing law was his main passion. After graduating from Washington College in 1838, Haynes began studying law
under Thomas A. R. Nelson and was . . . — — Map (db m295182) HM
For the first thirty-nine years of its existence, Johnson City had dirt streets, which turned into muddy quagmires when it rained. In 1908 the City sold $49,000 worth of bonds to fund a contract with Kelly Brothers of Portsmouth, Ohio, to surface . . . — — Map (db m157836) HM
Dedicated in 2013, this fountain tells a story of hope, inspiration, and courage. It pays tribute to the first African American students to enroll at what was then East Tennessee State College. These pioneering students integrated the campus in an . . . — — Map (db m173436) HM
National Home
The ninth of eleven branches of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (NHDVS), the Mountain Branch was authorized in 1901. The first resident arrived in 1903, a year before the home officially opened. Civil War . . . — — Map (db m128258) HM
The National Pan-Hellenic Council, Incorporated, (NPHC) is composed of nine international Greek letter sororities and fraternities that are sometimes referred to as the "Divine Nine." Each organization is represented in the plaza by a column . . . — — Map (db m227771) HM
Approved by an Act of Congress on Jan. 28, 1901, the Mountain Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers was created through the work of Tennessee Congressman Walter P. Brownlow (1851–1910). Known locally as Mountain Home, the . . . — — Map (db m2711) HM
The use of a primitive restroom can be found in the history of different civilizations for thousands of years. This outdoor restroom had many labels: necessary, outhouse, latrine, privy, and the loo. The families that lived at Tipton-Haynes during . . . — — Map (db m298485) HM
The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) was primarily constructed to provide freight service between Johnson City and the iron ore mines of Cranberry, NC, but passenger and mail service became important as well. The railroad . . . — — Map (db m184076) HM
Tennessee became the Perfect 36 on August 18, 1920
when the state legislature voted to ratify the 19th Amendment, which guarantees that
the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged on account of sex. . . . — — Map (db m274049) HM
This pig sty or hog pen was reconstructed in 1967. Nearly a year after John Tipton, Jr. died in 1831, an inventory of his estate was recorded. Listed in the recording was 2 sows (adult female pigs)
and their piglets, 5 first choice head of hogs, 2 . . . — — Map (db m295044) HM
James Hobart (Hobe) Stanton founded Rich-R-Tone Records in Johnson City. An independent label, it was the first label dedicated to recording bluegrass music. Located at 113 West Main Street from 1946-1952, over half of the 220 songs on the . . . — — Map (db m214591) HM
The oldest standing dwelling in Johnson City. Built in 1776 on property near Bush Creek later held by the U.S. Government. Restored in 1938 by the Veterans Administration and John Sevier Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. Relocated to . . . — — Map (db m152048) HM
William T. Graham built this house in 1890. Robert Love Taylor bought it in 1892 and named it. He went from here to his third term as Governor. His brother, Alfred Alexander Taylor, bought it in 1900, living here until 1903. The latter was Governor . . . — — Map (db m47412) HM
Constructed on this site between 1933 and 1935 by the Works Progress Administration, Roosevelt Memorial Stadium was home to the Science Hill Hilltoppers and the Langston High School golden Tigers Football Teams. The Burley Bowl football game . . . — — Map (db m309160) HM
Culminating his career as an attorney, teacher, codifier of law, and justice of the State Supreme Court, Judge Samuel Cole Williams the Dean of Tennessee Historians provided in the 1940's the leadership and inspiration for a reawakening of . . . — — Map (db m83063) HM
Tipton Jobe, on Feb. 14, 1867, gave land on this hill above Nobb Spring where members of Science Hill Literary Society then built the first brick building in the area to house this school. It was dedicated Oct.27, 1867. The dedicatory sermon was by . . . — — Map (db m22905) HM
The November 1857 Harper's New Monthly Magazine Magazine drawing of the site shows the Landon Carter Haynes smokehouse
behind his house. The smokehouse or meat house was an essential structure used for preserving fish, poultry, beef, and . . . — — Map (db m298483) HM
Located within this small structure is an ancient spring that has been an invaluable water source for hundreds of years. Animals such as buffalo, elk, and deer were drawn to the cool spring water. This food source, along with clean water and a . . . — — Map (db m295053) HM
In 1905 the Legislature adopted as the state flag one which was designed by Colonel Le Roy Reeves, a native and resident of Johnson City. The three stars represent the three grand divisions of Tennessee. The flag was first raised by Company F of the . . . — — Map (db m47234) HM
In 1968, the Tennessee Historical Commission and the Tipton-Haynes Historical Association reconstructed the still house. Colonel John Tipton is believed to have had a still house in
this general vicinity. In a sworn deposition of August 20, 1788, . . . — — Map (db m295048) HM
In 1875 Ario Pardee formed the Cranberry Iron & Coal Company to bring iron ore 34 miles from Cranberry, NC to Johnson City for smelting. A 3-foot gauge line was completed to Hampton by 1881 and to Cranberry in 1882. The first locomotives were named . . . — — Map (db m174734) HM
Summers Hardware operated under different names in several locations as early as 1888 before moving to this building in 1911, and was reorganized as Summers Hardware in 1915. The company originally sold farm, construction, office, and mill . . . — — Map (db m157807) HM
(Side one)
Colonial Period
The first men of the English speaking race to tread the soil of Tennessee, James Needham and Gabriel Arthur, passed this site in June, 1673. They followed a great buffalo trail. Crossing the Alleghenies . . . — — Map (db m83134) HM
The ell or back portion of the Tipton-Haynes home was built sometime in the late 1840s to early 1850s by Landon and Eleanor Haynes. This addition replaced a detached Tipton built kitchen. A 2008 archaeological dig between the house
and law office . . . — — Map (db m295160) HM
Andrι Michaux was born in France in 1746. He became interested in botany as a young man and studied plants in England, France and Persia (Iran). In 1785 he went to America with his young son to study how forest trees could be transplanted to . . . — — Map (db m295060) HM
The limestone cave has existed since the Pleistocene period, or Ice Age, of two million to ten thousand years ago. Biological deposits from an ancient sea that once covered this area formed the sedimentary rock. The newly formed limestone became . . . — — Map (db m295058) HM
From the 1820s, when the first commercial railroads were developed in the United States, railroads were built across the country at an astonishing rate. By the time the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad (ET&WNC) was completed in . . . — — Map (db m184103) HM
This cemetery contains the remains of Revolutionary War soldier and legislator John Tipton (1730-1813) and his second wife, Martha Denton Moore. Also buried here are newspaper publisher Lawson Gifford (1810-1879) his wife, Mary Taylor Haynes . . . — — Map (db m157845) HM
Site of the home occupied by John Tipton, a Revolutionary War officer, legislator, and opponent of the State of Franklin. A skirmish between supporters and opponents of Franklin was fought here February 27-29, 1788. The house was later owned by John . . . — — Map (db m83135) HM
The Tipton-Haynes home had three major transformations between the late 1700s to the mid-1800s. Colonel John Tipton bought the property in 1784 and built a simple story and a half cabin with a basement
kitchen. After his father's death, John . . . — — Map (db m295177) HM
The sedimentary rocks along the trail between Johnson City and Elizabethton consist of, from oldest to youngest, the Honaker dolomite (a modified limestone), Nolichucky Shale, and Knox Group limestones. They range in age from 542-488 million years . . . — — Map (db m184068) HM
James T. Young built the first house of record around 1780 and established a burial ground beside the log cabin. In 1812, he constructed a colonial-style brick house in
front, at 1117 Cedar Place. It remains the oldest occupied house in the . . . — — Map (db m157806) HM
This small domestic outbuilding has been attributed to being built by Samuel and Lawson Simerly sometime in the late 1800s to early 1900s. Limited documentation exists of how the Simerly brothers used the structure, but it may have been for storage . . . — — Map (db m298488) HM
In honor of those who gave their lives in service to their country in Indo-China 1961-1973
Ayers Harold G. PFC
Ayers Charles H. 1st Lt.
Bacon Nilon K. PFC
Bowers Janes D. Cpl.
Bowman James E. S. Sgt.
Bradford Kirby PFC . . . — — Map (db m309162) WM
About 1½ miles to the east on a knoll beside Boones Creek, a monument marks the spot near where William Bean, first permanent white settler in Tennessee, built his cabin in 1769. The site was previously used by Daniel Boone as a hunting camp. . . . — — Map (db m22862) HM
1 mi. N. was the home of William Nelson. A native of Virginia, he was one of the earliest settlers in this region and served in the Revolutionary War. Francis Asbury, early Methodist bishop, held annual conferences here in 1793, 1796, and 1797. . . . — — Map (db m22864) HM
Born January 1807, this native Tennessean became one of the areas most successful businessmen, achieving prominence as a financial agent for the East Tenn. & Va. Railroad, which he helped to found. During the Civil War he was appointed a brigadier . . . — — Map (db m45456) HM
On July 1, 1898, Lt. Ray planted the United States flag on San Juan Hill, Cuba, amid a hail of enemy bullets during the Spanish-American War. For his heroic courage in action, Ray received a battlefield promotion. He served in the U.S. Army from . . . — — Map (db m83136) HM
This 1778 landmark was the home of
Captain Christopher Taylor
Revolutionary War officer and a State of Franklin leader
Andrew Jackson
Seventh President of the United States
Boarded here in 1788 while practicing law in Jonesborough . . . — — Map (db m158251) HM
This Baptist church was organized the first Saturday in September, 1783. Here, the fourth Saturday in October, 1786, Holston Association was organized with Tidence Lane moderator and William Murphy clerk. Seven churches were represented. This was . . . — — Map (db m81253) HM
Built in 1797 by Dr. William P. Chester of Lancaster, Pa., it has been continuously occupied as an Inn, a hotel and an apartment house. Among the guests here have been three presidents of the United States, Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew . . . — — Map (db m22845) HM
About one mile southwest of this location,
this log house was built in 1777 by this
officer who was a veteran of the French
and Indian War and a major in the
American Revolutionary War. He is buried
in the family cemetery nearby. . . . — — Map (db m83137) HM
On this site, in 1819-1820, were published The Manumission Intelligencer and The Emancipator. Edited and published by Elihu Embree and printed by Jacob Howard, these were the first periodicals in the United States devoted exclusively . . . — — Map (db m22847) HM
Buried here July 4, 1979 on the two-hundredth anniversary of Jonesboro, Tennessee 1779 1979 to be opened on July 4, 2079 Town of Jonesboro Mayor Jimmy Neil Smith Aldermen Tobie Bledsoe • Sam . . . — — Map (db m267469) HM
Colonial and Revolutionary Service
A native of South Carolina; Founder of Browns Settlement on Nolachucky River, 1771; Merchant, Gunsmith and Blacksmith to the Cherokee Indians; purchased from those Indians two boundaries of land-a . . . — — Map (db m83139) HM WM
About one mile S.W., this pioneer from S.C. settled on Nolichucky River in 1771. Brown's purchase of 2 tracts of land from the Cherokee on March 25, 1775, was made beneath a great oak tree still standing nearby. His sandstone marker reads "Jacob . . . — — Map (db m121436) HM
Formally established in 1779, by the General Assembly of North Carolina, as county seat of Washington County, first county west of the mountains. In 1784, the State of Franklin was organized here, with Jonesboro as its first capital. — — Map (db m234534) HM
Washington District 1776; the first governmental division ever named in honor of George Washington; Washington County 1777; Jonesborough established by N.C. Act of 1779 laid out 1780; Capital of State of Franklin 1784-1785; Judicial Capital . . . — — Map (db m83153) HM
Jonesborough Veterans Park is dedicated to the men and women of Washington County who have served this nations military from the Revolutionary War to the present. — — Map (db m192757) WM
Eighty yards south. German immigrant Charles F. Decker opened the Keystone Pottery in 1872. Kitchen and household ware were produced in large quantities. The Decker family also crafted a variety of unique and beautifully decorated grave markers, . . . — — Map (db m83154) HM
An officer throughout the Revolutionary War, serving in North Carolina and this region; Second in Command of Washington District forces under Col. John Sevier.
"A man of elemental force and dignity, of essential honor and true worth." — — Map (db m281417) HM
1Ό Mi. is the site of the Immanuel Lutheran Church and cemetery. Organized about 1807; reported in 1811 to the North Carolina Synod, and became charter member of Tennessee Synod in 1820. In its early years, services were held in both German and . . . — — Map (db m158201) HM
