The Bulls Gap Historic District is located in the town of Bulls Gap in the southeastern corner of

Hawkins County Hawkins County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 56,721. Its county seat is Rogersville, Tennessee, Rogersville, Hawkins County is par ...

in East

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. The town of Bulls Gap is located near a pass or "gap" in

Bays Mountain Bays Mountain is a ridge of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, located in eastern Tennessee. It runs southwest to northeast, from just south of Knoxville to Kingsport. Its southern segment is relatively low in elevation (up to about ). In some ...

. Two major rail lines pass through the Town of Bulls Gap, one running in a northeast-southwest direction and the other in a northwest-southeast direction. The two lines are connected by a number of spur lines that form a triangular area. The commercial section of old Bulls Gap is centered along this triangular area of tracks. The majority of the buildings in the district are located along South Main Street, a long winding road that runs primarily in a north-south direction. The northernmost end of South Main Street begins at

U.S. Route 11E U.S. Route 11E (US 11E) is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The U.S. Highway, which is complemented by US 11W to the north and west, runs from US 11, US 11W, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee north and ea ...

and

Tennessee State Route 66 State Route 66 (SR 66) is a state-maintained highway in eastern Tennessee, including a six-lane divided highway segment in Sevier County, a four-lane expressway in Hamblen and Jefferson counties, and a two-lane segment through mountainous terrain ...

and continues downhill. The northern end of South Main Street is primarily residential and the residential section extends a short way beyond the bridge until the second major turn in the road. At this point the commercial area begins with several store buildings centered around the tracks and the site of the former train depot. After South Main Street crosses the tracks and Church Street, the district once again becomes residential. Forty-eight buildings and eight structures are considered as contributing resources to the Bulls Gap Historic District. Contributing buildings include twenty-two residences, two churches, ten commercial buildings, and fourteen outbuildings. Contributing structures include three water towers, two bridges, and three outbuildings. In 1792 John Bull, a gunsmith, received a North Carolina land grant for fifty-five acres of land on Bays Mountain near an important east-west passageway over the mountain. Bull operated a stageline through this passageway which became known as Bull's Gap. Little information is known about the early settlement of Bulls Gap. Because of the important railroad line through the mountains, Bulls Gap became a strategically important location for both sides of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. Bulls Gap became a fortified town and between 1863 and 1865 many battles were fought to gain control of the town and its railroad. Throughout most of the war, the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

retained control of Bulls Gap and the railroad.

List of historic structures

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Hawkins County, Tennessee Geography of Hawkins County, Tennessee Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Tennessee National Register of Historic Places in Hawkins County, Tennessee