Rogersville

Founded in 1786, Rogersville is Tennessee's second-oldest town. Rogersville has been a part of both North Carolina and the lost state of Franklin. Tennessee's oldest courthouse sits on the town square, the historic Hale Springs Inn is just down the street, and Confederate general Alexander Peter Stewart was born here. The graves of Joseph and Mary Amis Rogers, for whom the town was named, and those of the grandparents of legendary Davy Crockett, who were among Rogersville's first settlers, are in the Rogers Cemetery, a small graveyard next to Crockett Springs Park. The Rogers Tavern, Joseph Rogers's business and home, is just across the park. Mary Amis Rogers's homeplace, the Amis House, sits just outside of town. A remarkable number of historical sites and structures have survived in and around Rogersville. Some are gone, preserved only in memories and in photographs.

Randy Ball is a Rogersville native and has photographed the southern mountains for over 30 years. Rodney Ferrell is the Hawkins County historian.