Tri-State Corner is the local name for the

tripoint A tripoint, trijunction, triple point, or tri-border area is a geographical point at which the boundaries of three countries or subnational entities meet. There are 175 international tripoints as of 2020. Nearly half are situated in rivers, l ...

between the U.S. states of

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 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. The tripoint is located at the base of a mountain about south of

Nickajack Lake Nickajack Lake is the reservoir created by Nickajack Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority. The lake stretches from Nickajack Dam to Chickamauga Dam, passing through the city of Chattanooga. The Tennessee River Gorge, commonly referred ...

, an impoundment of the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names, ...

. It is accessible from a nearby cemetery via a short trail. AL-GA-TN Tripoint Stone

Location

In addition to being the tripoint between Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama, the marker is also the northwesternmost point in Georgia and the northeasternmost point in Alabama. The portion in Tennessee is on land owned by the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina ...

(TVA), and the Georgia and Alabama portions are on private land. The marker is located in

Marion County, Tennessee Marion County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in East Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,837. Its county seat is Jasper. Marion County is part of the Chattanooga, AL– TN– GA Metropol ...

Dade County, Georgia Dade County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. It occupies the northwest corner of Georgia, and the county's own northwest corner is the westernmost point in the state. As of the 2020 census, the population is 16,251. The county seat and ...

, and

Jackson County, Alabama Jackson County is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2020 census, the population was 52,579. The county seat is Scottsboro. The county was named for Andrew Jackson, general in the United States Army and afterw ...

, and about west of downtown

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. In addition, the portions of the tripoint in Tennessee and Alabama are located within

Central Time Zone The North American Central Time Zone (CT) is a time zone in parts of Canada, the United States, Mexico, Central America, some Caribbean Islands, and part of the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Central Standard Time (CST) is six hours behind Coordinate ...

and the Georgia portion is located in

Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...

. The tripoint is the western end of a short segment where the boundary between Central and Eastern Time follows the Tennessee-Georgia border.

History

The present location of the tripoint is the result of an erroneous 1818 survey, led by mathematician and

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

professor James Camak, that was commissioned by the state of Georgia to determine the exact location of the border between Georgia and Tennessee after the Alabama Territory had been created by Congress the previous year. The southern border of Tennessee was declared to be located on the

35th parallel north The 35th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 35 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America and the Atlantic Ocean. In the United States, the parall ...

when Tennessee was established as a state by Congress on June 1, 1796, which is approximately north of the present-day tripoint. This would have allowed a small portion of the Tennessee River to be located in Georgia. As a result of this error, Georgia continues to dispute the location of the border with Tennessee. A second survey was conducted by Camak in 1826, which resulted in little difference from the 1818 survey. During this survey, Camak placed a stone at the tripoint, which became known as the "Camak Stone". This stone disappeared in the fall of 2009, believed to have been stolen. A new marker was placed at the tripoint on March 1, 2011. This marker consists of a short concrete piling with a round brass placard on the top denoting the location of the tripoint and the state boundaries. This marker was stolen during the first quarter of 2021. Currently, the monument consists of a square set stone with the respective state lines denoted without labels. An identification sign placed by the owners of "Paradise Pointe Resort" is nearby.

References

{{coord, 34.98468, -85.60516, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US, display=title Border tripoints Borders of Tennessee Borders of Georgia (U.S. state) Borders of Alabama Geography of Marion County, Tennessee Geography of Dade County, Georgia Geography of Jackson County, Alabama Tourist attractions in Marion County, Tennessee Tourist attractions in Dade County, Georgia Tourist attractions in Jackson County, Alabama Buildings and structures in Marion County, Tennessee Buildings and structures in Dade County, Georgia Buildings and structures in Jackson County, Alabama 1810s establishments in Tennessee 1818 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) 1818 establishments in Alabama Territory Monuments and memorials in Tennessee Monuments and memorials in Georgia (U.S. state) Monuments and memorials in Alabama Buildings and structures completed in 2011 Chattanooga metropolitan area East Tennessee Northwest Georgia (U.S.) North Alabama

Location

History

See also

References