Created in 1806, the county is named in honor of Arthur Campbell.
The Society maintains a genealogical library at its headquarters in cooperation with the LaFollette Public Library. The collection contains books on genealogy and local history. It also includes an extensive microfilm collection of court records, deeds, marriage records, census schedules, and back issues of the LaFollette Press. These materials are non circulating.
Listed on the NRHP in 1975 for its local significance as an excellent example of Victorian Era architecture and for its association with Harvey LaFollette, the founder of the town which bears his name. Prior to 1889, the area comprising present-day LaFollette consisted of wooded areas and farmland owned largely by John Douglas. In 1889, a group of Kentucky investors purchased Douglas’ lands in order to capitalize on the region’s iron and coal reserves. The initial town was called Big Creek, but changed to LaFollette following the arrival Harvey LaFollette who purchased the lands purchased by the developers. In order to encourage growth and development, LaFollette ordered the construction of eleven miles of railroad track to link the town to Vespar, Tennessee. LaFollette’s railroad provided merchants and developers with access to the Southern Railway, which allowed the town to grow from a population of 366 in 1900 to 3,056 by 1920.
Listed on the NRHP in 1997 for its local significance as an excellent example of Colonial Revival architecture. Originally constructed in 1850 by James Williams as a simple, two-story frame house, the building was acquired by local businessman Alexander Early Perkins in 1930 who proceeded to renovate the building to reflect the highly fashionable Colonial Revival style. The house features an impressive two-story portico supported by a series of classically inspired columns and includes an intricate floor plan that is highlighted by handcrafted fireplace mantles.
Kirby Smith Invades Kentucky – The marker is located on U.S. 25 W and describes the movement of Confederate Major General Kirby Smith through Roger’s Gap.
Listed on the NRHP in 1997 for its local significance as an excellent example of Colonial Revival architecture. Originally constructed in 1850 by James Williams as a simple, two-story frame house, the building was acquired by local businessman Alexander Early Perkins in 1930 who proceeded to renovate the building to reflect the highly fashionable Colonial Revival style. The house features an impressive two-story portico supported by a series of classically inspired columns and includes an intricate floor plan that is highlighted by handcrafted fireplace mantles.
Listed on the NRHP in 1976 for its architectural significance. Originally constructed in 1840 as a two-story, center hall plan house, the building was later altered in the 1890s in the popular Victorian Era Queen Anne style. The name of the house derives from several owners, the first of whom was Frank Smith, whose slaves constructed the house. After the Civil War, Joshua Little, a circuit preacher of the Powell Valley region, purchased the house and later sold the house to his son, Silas, in the late 1890s. Silas Little amassed a small fortune in the Knoxville clothing industry and is responsible for transforming the house with its Victorian Era architectural embellishments. According to the NRHP nomination form, this house has been linked to other brick antebellum homes constructed in Campbell and Claiborne counties as having been constructed by slaves belonging to John Kincaid II. In fact, the date “1840” and initials purported to be from the slaves who built the house are said to be carved into wood beams under the house.
Due to its abundance of national resources, this Appalachian region once produced most of the nation's coal. In the late 1800s, new rail lines meant new coal lines near Coak Creek (now Lake City). With opportunity soon came tragedy; the worst mining disaster in Tennessee history occurred on May 19, 1902. An unexplained explosion trapped the men in the mines. Most died instantly, and the trapped miners who survived the initial explosion scribed their epitaphs and farewell wishes into the walls of the cave. Some of the inscriptions were later transferred to the headstones of the miners' graves, found at Longfield Cemetery and others nearby.
Visit one of America's top 10 Hampton Inns to see the llamas grazing alongside the like and mountain vistas; décor and memorabilia tell the true story of an East Tennessee bootlegger's final, fatal run-in with revenuers.
Learn about the historical communities along the Byway, and get visitors information.
