Arthur is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

Claiborne County, Tennessee Claiborne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 32,043. Its county seat is Tazewell. History Claiborne County was established on October 29, 1801, created from Grainger and Hawki ...

, United States. It is located along State Route 63 southwest of

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

, and a few miles south of the

Cumberland Gap The Cumberland Gap is a pass through the long ridge of the Cumberland Mountains, within the Appalachian Mountains, near the junction of the U.S. states of Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is famous in American colonial history for its r ...

. Its zip code is 37707.

History

In 1870,

land developer Land development is the alteration of landscape in any number of ways such as: * Changing landforms from a natural or semi-natural state for a purpose such as agriculture or housing * Subdividing real estate into lots, typically for the purpose ...

Alexander A. Arthur moved to the area from

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

, Canada. He laid out a town, based on consolidated land parcels. In 1876 the area was called Butcher Springs and with the creation of a post office the town became known as Arthur in 1890. Alexander Arthur was key in having a railroad from

Knoxville Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...

Middlesboro, Kentucky Middlesboro ()Rennick, Robert. ''Kentucky Place Names'', University Press of Kentucky (Lexington), 1987p. 196 Accessed 26 August 2013. is a home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 10,334 at the 2010 U.S ...

be installed through Arthur, allowing his namesake to develop into a

railroad town A railway town, or railroad town, is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site. North America During the construction of the First transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, temporar ...

. The town shipped coal, ore and other minerals. As of 1901, a school, Wester College, was located in Arthur. The school was operated by Dan Wester and all grades were taught. The school burned down in the 1910s.

Geography

The Powell River travels through the Arthur. The river flooded the area in March 1826.

Amenities and attractions

Arthur Methodist Church was organized and the first church built in 1914. Located on Old Highway 63, the current church was built in 1947. As of 1986, the church had 56 members. The community has two cemeteries: Chumley Cemetery, which is maintained by a board of trustees comprising six Arthur residents, and Sowder Cemetery, which is located on private property and primarily serves as the final resting place for the Sowder family.

Notable people

* Milton Estes, early country singer

References

External links

* Unincorporated communities in Claiborne County, Tennessee Unincorporated communities in Tennessee {{ClaiborneCountyTN-geo-stub