Friendsville is a city in

Blount County, Tennessee Blount County is a County (United States), county located in the East Tennessee Grand Divisions of Tennessee, Grand Division of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 135,280. The count ...

. Its population was 896 at the 2020 census. It is included in the

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Friendsville was founded by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

from New Garden,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, who settled in the area in the 1790s. The town is still home to a Friends Meetinghouse. In 1854, a group of British Quaker elders stayed here whilst promoting the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

cause with American leaders. During this visit, abolitionist leader William Forster died and was buried here. In the 19th century, the Quakers wielded considerable influence in Blount County, and were partially responsible for the abolitionist movements arising in the county in the years leading up to the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, 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.J ...

. Along with nearby Greenback and possibly

Cades Cove Cades Cove is an isolated valley located in the Tennessee section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The valley was home to numerous settlers before the formation of the national park. Cades Cove, the single most popular destination ...

, Friendsville provided a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

. A cave (since filled in) near the Friends Meetinghouse was stocked with provisions by Quakers such as William J. Hackney to provide a stopover for fugitive slaves and later soldiers en route to join the Union army.Underground Railroad - Tennessee Stations
." The Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University (2005). Retrieved: December 29, 2007.

Friendsville today

K-5 education in Friendsville is provided by Friendsville Elementary School (part of Blount County Schools), which was once Friendsville High School. Boat launch facilities along

Fort Loudoun Lake Fort Loudoun Lake is a reservoir in east Tennessee on the upper Tennessee River, extending about along the river upstream from Fort Loudoun Dam, at Lenoir City, to Knoxville. Fort Loudoun Reservoir takes its name from the 18th-century British ...

can be found at Gallahar Creek and Whispering Cove. Friendsville is home to the Pellissippi State Community College, Blount County Campus.

Geography

Friendsville is located in western Blount County. The town is situated along State Route 333 (Miser Station Road) and stretches from

in the north to U.S. Route 321 (Lamar Alexander Parkway). It lies at an elevation of . According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the city has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 890 people, 362 households, and 271 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 395 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.42%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.22%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.90% Native American, 0.90% Asian, and 0.56% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population. There were 362 households, out of which 30.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 22.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city the population was spread out, with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $40,833, and the median income for a family was $48,000. Males had a median income of $32,232 versus $26,382 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the city was $16,871. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 8.9% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

City charter

Underground Railroad in Tennessee
{{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Blount County, Tennessee Populated places established in the 1790s