Russellville is a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...
in
Hamblen County, Tennessee
Hamblen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 64,499. Its county seat and only incorporated city is Morristown. Hamblen County is the core county of the Morristown Metropolitan St ...
, United States.
Located along
U.S. Route 11E-
Tennessee State Route 34
State Route 34 (SR 34) is a state highway located in East Tennessee. The route traverses several cities through eight counties from the Knoxville area to the North Carolina state line via Greeneville and Bristol. The portion from Carter to Br ...
(US 11E/SR 34), it is situated approximately at a midpoint between
Whitesburg and
Morristown.
Demographics
History
Russellville was founded by George Russell in 1784. He had been granted a large tract of land in Greene County, North Carolina.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
,
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Lieutenant General
James Longstreet established a headquarters in the Nenney House in Russellville just after the
Battle of Bean's Station
The Battle of Bean's Station (December 14, 1863) was a battle fought in Grainger County, Tennessee, during the Knoxville campaign of the American Civil War. The action saw Confederate forces commanded by Lieutenant General James Longstreet attac ...
in December 1863. His Confederate army used Russellville for their winter camp of 1863-64. The house still stands and has been converted into The General Longstreet Museum.
Also during that winter, General
Lafayette McLaws was in quarters at a house now called "Hayslope", a house that also still stands and was originally a
tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...
built by the early settlers. It was originally called the ''Tavern with the Red Door'', while General
Joseph B. Kershaw
Joseph Brevard Kershaw (January 5, 1822 – April 13, 1894) was a prominent South Carolina planter and slaveholder. He was also a lawyer, judge, and a Confederate general in the American Civil War.
Early life
Kershaw was born on January 5, 182 ...
was at the nearby Taylor plantation. The nearby
Bethesda Presbyterian Church was used as a hospital during the Civil War and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. It has many wartime burials, 80 of which are unidentified.
In the mid and early twentieth century, Russellville was a hub for production and distribution of bootleg whiskey.
As of 2020, portions of the Russellville community, including an
industrial park
An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...
, have been
annexed into the city limits of
Morristown.
References
Further reading
* Emma Dean Smith Trent (1987), ''East Tennessee's Lore of Yesteryear''.
* Rebecca Dougherty Hyatt (1970), "History Around Russellville".
External links
The History of HayslopeHamblen County TNGenWeb site
Populated places established in 1784
Unincorporated communities in Hamblen County, Tennessee
Census-designated places in Tennessee
U.S. Route 11
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