TN Dept. of Highways Roadside Park

In the earliest days of the highways, it was an era before fast food restaurants and service stations at every interstate exit. During that time, the state highway department would develop a roadside park and pull-offs for the convenience of the motorist as it was essential for there to be places to eat and take rest breaks. Most of the pull-offs in Tennessee would have a concrete picnic table, such as the two seen in this photo. Several of these parks can be found around the state, but only along the oldest routes. Most of these parks were linear, but the one seen here is triangular and located at a major intersection.

This highway Park was built in 1928 and is located along Main St. on the east side of Rogersville along highway TN347. At the time it was built, it was along the important State Route 1 at the intersection of TN70. TN1 was the states most important highway back then as the Memphis to Bristol Highway, and eventually became part of the Lee Highway and US11W. Tennessee Department of Highways was renamed Tennessee Department of Transportation in 1972.

Gilley's Hotel - Bull's Gap, TN

The Bull's Gap website has the full story on this railroad hotel which was rebuilt in 1884: www.bullsgaptn.us/index.php?option=com_content&view=a...

the Tennessee Preservation Trust added this to the 2014 Ten in Tennessee: a yearly list of threatened historic sites. Here is their write-up:
Historical Significance: Gilley’s Hotel is listed as a contributing resource of the Bulls Gap Historic District, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. It is described in Section 7 of the National Register nomination at items 29 and 30. The East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad constructed the first railroad tracks to serve northeastern Tennessee in the 1850s. The tracks came through what is now Bulls Gap. The Smith Hotel was built at that time to serve passengers and railroad employees. The original hotel was destroyed by fire and the building that stands today was constructed in its place. Rufus Henry Gilley acquired the property in the early 1900s and it was at that time that the building became known as Gilley’s Hotel. It stands as a monument to, and a reminder of, an era when the railroad served as the primary mode of passenger transportation in the United States. Gilley’s Hotel is associated with historic events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of the history of Bulls Gap.
www.tennesseepreservationtrust.org/ten-in-tn/2014-ten-in-...

Lyons Hospital old building - Rogersville, TN

Established in 1928, Lyons Hospital was for many years the hospital of the small town of Rogersville, TN. Located in the town's central business district, it is distinctive for the stone exterior. Now that it is no longer a hospital, it has been re-purposed as an apartment (although I wouldn't want the unit that used to be the ER.) It could have made a great haunted house this time of year!

The historical marker is for Civil War General Alexander Peter Stewart who was born in Rogersville. She the marker here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers%2...

Allandale Mansion Front - Kingsport, TN

The Allandale Mansion was the dream home of Ruth and Harvey Brooks. The mansion's distinctive portico has caused the mansion to be nicknamed "The White House of Kingsport." The mansion was built in 1953 and from the 500 acre property the Brooks raised Black Angus cows and Tennessee Walking Horses. In their will, they deeded the mansion to the city of Kingsport so that it could be used by the community.

The mansion is designed in a Georgian architecture style. There are four chimneys, formal fireplaces in each main room, and a hipped roof. A grand wooden curved staircase is the main feature in the foyer.

The Barn is located along US 11W (the old Lee Highway) in Kingsport, where the city extends into Hawkins County.

Abandoned House with Christmas Wreath

..at least I assume the house is abandoned. Despite the wreath on the front door, the picture was taken in September. I do not know if the house has any significance other than being old.

1805 Masonic Lodge - Rogersville, TN

The Overton Lodge facing the county courthouse is the oldest continually operating Masonic Lodge in Tennessee. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Rogersville Historic District. It is along Main St. which used to be US11W and TN1

For the full story: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_Lodge

Hawkins County Lee Highway Milestone Marker

Back in the earliest days of highways before the routes had numbers, the most important auto trails had names and one of the most important cross country route was the Lee Highway which connected Washington DC to San Diego. In many places along the Lee Highway (and at five places in Tennessee), there were Zero Milestone markers such as the one here. With such a marker, brochures and other place of interest could say how far they were from the zero milestone to help motorists find them. Few of these markers 90 year old markers still exist as they are obsolete as there are newer ways to mark distance, roadway expansion and widening cause them to be removed, and sometimes they are stolen as people wish to have a piece of roadside history.

Fortunately, the Hawkins County marker still exists as it is located on the east side of Rogersville at another obsolete highway feature, the Roadside Park. On the front of the marker is a plaque depicting an old stagecoach wagon. This marker had been stolen but was recently replaced. The small stone in front of it is a common USGS Benchmark from 1934. On the top of the marker is a copper compass. On the east side are the words: "To Commemorate John Carter, Sturdy pioneer, first merchant, after whom this valley is named." On the back, it says "This monument marks the route of the old East Tennessee Stagecoach line 1825-1855." On the west side, it says "To Commemorate Benjamin Hawkins of North Carolina, Senator of the United States, after whom this county is named."

See 7 States from Rock City

Here is an easily missed Rock City Barn located in Hawkins County just outside of Rogersville, TN. The barn used to be seen by southbound travelers along US11W, but now the two lane divided highway passes to the side of town. I have photographed this barn on two separate occasions and each time I missed the turn for main street because there was no sign, so I had to u-turn to get back to it. This barn with its imposing silo belongs to the Kersey family.

This brings my total to 82 different Rock City Barns I have photographed and uploaded to Flickr in my Rock City Barns set. People often ask me how I've found so many of them. I have drawn from many resources such as books and web sites and sometimes luck, but there's not really one "go to" place to find them all. Well, now on my website, I have tried to create a one stop source for the locations of all of the barns I've been to. On my Map of Rock City Barns page, I have plotted each barn on a Google Map.

Allandale Mansion - Kingsport, TN

The Allandale Mansion was the dream home of Ruth and Harvey Brooks. The mansion's distinctive portico has caused the mansion to be nicknamed "The White House of Kingsport." The mansion was built in 1953 and from the 500 acre property the Brooks raised Black Angus cows and Tennessee Walking Horses. In their will, they deeded the mansion to the city of Kingsport so that it could be used by the community.

The mansion is designed in a Georgian architecture style. There are four chimneys, formal fireplaces in each main room, and a hipped roof. A grand wooden curved staircase is the main feature in the foyer.

The Barn is located along US 11W (the old Lee Highway) in Kingsport, where the city extends into Hawkins County.

Boyhood Home of Archie Campbell

Archie Campbell was a country musician and a star of the Grand Ole Opry and the long running Nashville TV Show "Hee Haw." He was born in 1914 in Bulls Gap, TN (A small town with an important railroad history in the corner of Hawkins Co., TN). Next door to this homestead is the Bulls Gap city hall and the Archie Campbell Museum. Highway US11 in the area was renamed Archie Campbell Highway. Every Labor Day Weekend, Bulls Gap has an Archie Cambell celebration.