Ritzy Resort - Basic Early Fort:East Tennessee Contrast

The fog cleared to a clear, bright view of the Cumberland rim as we left the motel and headed east on 70. Our first site was Whitestone, a resort area on Watts Bar Lake which is used extensively for weddings and special occasions. It is a beautiful area with Victorian buildings around a lovely lake. Golf courses, tennis courts, luxury hotel, manicured grounds, little church, farmhouse....everything added up to a beautiful place.










As we headed back down the mountain to US70, we noticed that the hay fields were much narrower than those up on the Cumberland Plateau. One stretch of road reminded me of a leaf cathedral as we passed under very tall trees forming a domed ceiling over the road that little bits of sunshine slanted through.

We passed a sign for the Historic Avery Trace, the first road to cross Tennessee to Nashville. Highway 70 covers much the same route today.

In Kingston we explored the only federal fort in Tennessee that is reconstructed on its original foundations. It is very much a work in progress. The barracks, a blockhouse, and about two-hundred-fifty feet of the walls have been reconstructed. Thirty years ago archaeologists from UT exposed the foundations of the building. Since then this has been an ongoing project. The City of Kingston actually operates Fort Southwest Point. Admission is free and there is a very helpful Fort Agent operating the visitor's center. Don Lawrence is a Cherokee Indian who was interesting to talk with.

Fort Southwest Point was built in 1792 overlooking the point where the Tennessee River and Clinch River come together. It was also near the Avery Trace. At first the role of the soldiers posted here was to help insure the safety of travelers through Cherokee territory but with the change of things through the years it was eventually became the fort active in protecting the Indians and their land. In 1807, the Indian agency was moved to Hiwassee. Southwest Point continued as a small security post until 1811.

Don Lawrence, the on duty Fort Agent, suggested we try Red Bones On the River for lunch. This was an excellent suggestion. The restaurant was in a large old two story white building overlooking the water. We ate upstairs. Klep had an excellent sirloin sandwich; I had a grilled sirloin salad. We could have lingered there watching the water, but we were due for a brief visit with cousin Elsie in Knoxville.





We left 70 and wound around until we found her house, spent an hour and a half catching up, and joined the afternoon exodus from Knoxville. Dandridge was our destination.
As we gazed out to the mountains in the East, we could see the range along which the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina runs. We took a drive though the old downtown area, saw the old hotel and the dike which keeps the town from flooding, and called it a day.