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 ...
located in
Watauga County
Watauga County ( ) from the North Carolina Collection's website at the ,
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
, United States. The community lies at the North Carolina/
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 ...
Zionville is the location where the Old Buffalo Trail and Daniel Boone's Trail intersect before reaching
Trade, Tennessee
Trade is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Tennessee, United States. The easternmost community in the state, Trade is located between the towns of Mountain City, Tennessee, and Boone, North Carolina, along US 421. Generally considere ...
, just across the border. In 1836, the Zionville Baptist Church was established. In 1866,
Tom Dula
Thomas C. Dula (June 23‚ 1844 – May 1, 1868) was a former Confederate soldier who was convicted of murdering Laura Foster. National publicity from newspapers such as ''The New York Times'' turned Dula's story into a folk legend. Although Lau ...
stopped at the home of Colonel James Grayson and worked at his farm for a few days; soon after, authorities from Wilkes County arrived to arrest him for the murder of Laura Foster. He was finally found west of Mountain City and was sent back for trial.
In 1921, NC 60 was established, following Daniel Boone's Trail from Zionville to Boone; the highway then continued east to Castle Hayne (near Wilmington). From 1930-'32, the route overlapped with
US 321
U.S. Route 321 (US 321) is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for from Hardeeville, South Carolina to Lenoir City, Tennessee; with both serving as southern termini. It reaches its northernmost point at Elizabethton, Tennessee. Because ...
, it was soon replaced in 1932 by
US 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Carol ...
. In late 1934, NC 60 was decommissioned. In 1962 or 1963,
US 421
U.S. Route 421 (also U.S. Highway 421, US 421) is a diagonal northwest–southeast United States Numbered Highway in the states of North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Kentucky, and Indiana. The highway runs for from Fort Fisher, North Carol ...
was moved east to its current alignment, bypassing Zionville.