Roane County Communities 

Harriman

The City of Harriman has a unique history.  Known as "The Town that Temperance Built," Harriman was established by Frederick Gates, a former Methodist minister and Chattanooga Land Company representative, who envisioned a town of social temperance and industry that could be commercialized for business, profit and the betterment of mankind.  In 1890, Gates held the Great Land Sale in which he sold 575 lots in 10 hours for a total of $604,000.  The American Temperance University, founded in 1895, moved into the building previously owned by the Land Company. Today, the magnificent Temperence Building still graces Main Street Harriman as a reminder of the past, and visitors can enjoy artifacts and photos in the Harriman Heritage Museum.  Some of the original homes built after the Grand Land Sale can still be seen in the Cornstalk Heights Historical District in Harriman.  Over 100 structures are listed on the National Historic Register.

Kingston

The rich and fascinating history of Roane County begins in 1797 with the establishment of Fort Southwest Point on a high bluff overlooking the Clinch and Tennessee Rivers.  The Fort was the genesis of Kingston and Roane County.  Settlements, complete with trading posts and inns, grew up around the Fort. By 1799, the Fort's garrison numbered over 400 men; it had become one of the most important military posts on the American frontier.  That same year, just three years after Tennessee was admitted to the Union, the Tennessee legislature chartered the town of Kingston.  Two years later, the legislature created Roane County with Kingston as its seat.

Oak Ridge

Roane County experienced dramatic changes during the 1930s and 1940s. The Tennessee Valley Authority started programs to develop a new economy, additional electricity and a year-round navigable waterway to Knoxville. One of the most important changes in the county occurred when Oak Ridge was the site chosen by the United States Government to develop materials for the Manhattan Project during World War II, and the military-constructed community was born.

Today, visitors can take historic train rides on the Secret City Excursion Train through the rolling hills of Roane County and learn about the history of the Manhattan Project. The Wheat Community African Burial Ground reminds visitors of the once thriving farming community that was displaced by the Project. A monument marks the entrance to a slave cemetary that was located in the Wheat Community.

Oliver Springs

Oliver Springs originally known as Winter's Gap, was founded in 1830.  Richard Oliver, for whom the town was renamed, was the first to commercialize the natural mineral springs in the area which attracted travelers from all over the United States.  Mineral springs were widely regarded as alleviating a variety of physical ailments.  To accommodate these travelers, Oliver opened a beautiful, 150 room luxury hotel known as The Richards House, which catered to wealthy visitors who came to drink and bathe in the springs.  Sadly, the hotel burned down in 1895, though the original hotel ticket booth remains in the Oliver Springs Railroad Depot Museum.  Around the turn of the century new commercial buildings were constructed to serve the growing economy based on coal and tourism. 

Rockwood

The City of Rockwood was established after the Civil War when Union officer and geologist John T. Wilder discovered iron on Walden Ridge.  He returned with northern industrialists to begin mining and milling operations in 1868.  Rockwood began as a company town serving the employees of the Roane Iron Company.  The town gets its name from the company's first president, William O. Rockwood.  As the company and the town prospered, other businesses moved into the area, thus expanding and diversifying Roane County's economic framework.  Today, visitors enjoy the antique shops, specialty stores and restaurants that have moved into the renovated buildings of downtown Rockwood.  One of these renovated buildings also is home to Yonder Hollow, an "old timey and bluegrass" music venue presented every Friday evening.  Rockwood hosts a "Thunder Road Festival" in April and a "Fall Family Festival" in October.