Spinning a Yarn

Jonesborough, Tennessee, made popular by famous frontiersmen Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket, is a time capsule through turbulent times — and a place where the art of storytelling was perfected.

f you love a good story, consider putting Jonesborough, Tennessee, on your list of places to visit. Jonesborough is not only Tennessee’s oldest town, but it is “the Storytelling Capital of the World.” Tucked away in the Appalachian Mountains in the northeastern corner of the state, the town sits between the Watauga and the Nolichucky Rivers and is surrounded by low hills and elongated ridges. Famous frontiersmen Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett once explored and hunted this land, and have become a part of Jonesborough’s history and culture.

The Chester Inn, the oldest commercial building in Jonesborough, actually housed former Presidents Jackson, Johnson and Polk.

At the time that Jonesborough was established as a town in 1779, the land belonged to North Carolina. A few years earlier, Daniel Boone mapped out a trail from Virginia across the Appalachian Mountains through the Cumberland Gap, allowing for expansion of new settlements in the area. By 1784, the settlers wished to pull away from North Carolina and establish a new state known as Franklin. Franklin actually functioned as the nation’s 14th state over a four-year period, but was never recognized by Congress; residents nowadays often refer to it as “the Lost State of Franklin.” In 1796, Tennessee became the nation’s 16th state, and Jonesborough became known as the oldest town in Tennessee.

In the early 1800’s, a Quaker, Elihu Embree, established The Emancipator, one of the first abolitionist newspapers in Jonesborough. Embree was a member of the Tennessee Manumission Society which was formed in 1815 to advocate for the abolition of slavery in Tennessee. At the time, most east Tennesseans were opposed to slavery and the abolitionist movement continued to grow. During the years of the Civil War, the townspeople of Jonesborough were divided, and the town was known as the “Center of the Abolitionist Movement.”

Historic buildings line the streets of Jonesborough — including The Christopher Taylor House, built in 1777 and the oldest surviving building in the city — placing the town on the National Register of Historic Places.

Today, Jonesborough attracts “heritage tourism” because it has done such a wonderful job of preserving many of its architectural structures, along with keeping its cobblestone streets. It was, in fact, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 due in no small part to its well-preserved historic downtown and Main Street. When you visit Jonesborough, be sure to see the Christopher Taylor House, built in 1777. This house is the oldest surviving building in the town and once provided lodging for Andrew Jackson before his presidency. Meanwhile, The Chester Inn dates back to 1779, and is the oldest commercial building in town. Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson and James Polk resided at this inn at some point in history, establishing the inn as a state historic site. The Chester Inn now houses a museum, which is also worth seeing. There is no admission charge to the museum and hours vary seasonally, so be sure to check its website at heritageall.org. The Historic Preservation Heritage Alliance offers one-hour walking tours of Jonesborough, March through October, for just $5 per person, with tours departing from the Chester Inn.

This Salt House dates back to the 1840’s and was used during the Civil War to store salt. The building now houses the Tennessee Hills Distillery, which offers tours and a tasting room for visitors.

Other notable buildings that are of significance in Jonesborough’s historic district include:

• The Blair-Moore House, built in 1832, now is operating as a bed and breakfast.
• The historic Salt House from the 1840’s, once used to store salt during the Civil War era, is now under ownership as the Tennessee Hills Distillery and offers tours and a tasting bar.
• The First Baptist Church of Jonesborough dates back to 1842.
• Started in 1790, the Jonesborough Presbyterian Church originated from the Hebron Church. Divisions in this congregation occurred during the Civil War, creating the northern and southern branches of the church. Eventually, the southern branch “bought out” the northern branch and built a sanctuary in 1845, which still stands on Main Street.
• The First Christian Church, built in 1870, eventually became known as the Parson’s Table Building. It later changed hands several times to become a casket factory, a restaurant and now operates as a special events venue for weddings and more.

Jonesborough is most famous for establishing the International Storytelling Center, located in the heart of historic downtown. The Center is an educational, arts and cultural institution dedicated to building a better world through storytelling and includes the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall and a 3-acre park adjacent to the hall. A National Storytelling Festival was started in Jonesborough in 1973 by a local teacher, Jimmy Neil Smith, who invited Appalachian storytellers to share their stories. This festival has been held annually on the first full weekend in October since its inception. Tents are pitched in parks around the town and stories are told throughout the weekend. This festival builds on the Appalachian cultural tradition of storytelling and draws people from around the world. If you can’t make it to the festival, you can also listen to famous (and some not-so-famous) storytellers sharing their tales each week at the Mary B. Martin Storytelling Hall, from May through October. More information can be obtained by going to storytellingcenter.net.

If you aren’t interested in history or storytelling and simply love the beauty of the great outdoors, Jonesborough offers an abundance of recreational opportunities. The town is bordered by the Cherokee National Forest, which offers hiking trails galore. For anglers, the nearby Nolichucky River offers opportunities to catch bass, catfish and several other species. Persimmon Ridge Park is a 130-acre city park in Jonesborough offering a scenic walkway/boardwalk and the Wetlands Water Park (open Memorial Day through Labor Day).

This log cabin once housed the Crockett family and their nine children. Davy Crockett was born in Limestone, Tennessee. A state park has been established here to memorialize this famous frontiersman.

One of the closest campgrounds is the Jonesborough/Cherokee National Forest KOA Journey (koa.com/campgrounds/jonesborough/)which offers a variety of full hook-up sites with 50/30-amp electric service; the longest site is 65 feet long, with some sites directly on the banks of the Nolichucky River. Nightly rates average between $85-95. Another nearby facility, the Riverview Campground (riverviewcampground.org), is a privately-owned campground with 25 water and electric sites with 50/30-amp service, and some pull-throughs. It offers riverfront camping and has a dump station.

One other nearby campground is in the David Crockett Birthplace State Park (tnstateparks.com/parks/david-crockett-birthplace), located in the town of Limestone, about 10 miles from Jonesborough. Whether or not you choose to stay overnight in this campground, you should make it a point to spend at least a day visiting this lovely state park. Frontiersman Davy Crockett was born in Limestone on August 17, 1786. Crockett lived most of his life in northeastern Tennessee and was known for his skills as a hunter and woodsman, but he also went on to serve in the Tennessee Militia, earning the rank of colonial. Following his military career, Crockett was elected to the Tennessee State Legislature and eventually went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. At the age of 49, Crockett was called back into the militia to serve in Texas and was killed while defending the Alamo. Stories of Crockett’s bravery spread all the way back to Tennessee, where stories and songs were written to remember him, and he became known as “Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier.” Crockett’s log cabin and other personal items are on display in a small museum in the park.

The area is rife with history. This stone marker, memorializing Davy Crockett reads: Pioneer, Patriot, Soldier, Trapper, Explorer, State Legislator, Congressman, Martyred at the Alamo. It’s surrounded by a stone wall with markers for the states that existed at the time.

One of the few markers that you will find that refers to Jonesborough as the “Capital of the State of Franklin.”