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Roane County ....
In the late 1700's, hunter Peter Avery was commissioned by the mother state of North Carolina to blaze a trail through
the wilderness. The trail became known as the Avery Trace. Early settlers found rich pasture land surrounded by mountains
and rivers in the area that is today Roane County.
Created 1801 from Knox County and Indian lands; named in honor of Archibald
Roane (1760-1819),1796 Constitutional Convention delegate, Superior Court of Law and
Equity judge, Supreme Court Judge, Governor of Tennessee.
The Avery Trace was replaced by Interstate 40 and makes the towns of Harriman, Kingston, Rockwood, and parts of
Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs easily accessible to many major metropolitan areas and within a day's drive to many major United
States markets.
The beauty of Roane County is highlighted by the Appalachian Mountains and Watts Bar Lake, made up of the Tennessee,
Clinch and Emory Rivers. Each year, water recreation draws many visitors to Roane County.
After Peter Avery established the Avery Trace, connecting the cities of Knoxville and Nashville, the early settlers constructed
Fort Southwest Point on a high bluff overlooking the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers. Today, visotors can walk through a
partial reconstruction of the Fort, rebuilt on its original site. The Visitors Center houses a museum containing artifacts
excavated under the supervision of the Tennessee Department of Archeology. The history of the Fort comes alive during the
Living History Days as staff members dress in period costumes and recreate activities from the past.
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