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When one thinks of a quiet mountain community, the "Mayberry" of the southern Appalachians if you will, Cosby, TN is it! The people are friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed. A quick stop and look in town and a chat with a few of the locals leaves one with the feeling of "being home." I'm guessing that a couple of weeks in Church, a few trips to the grocery and hardware store, and one would be surrounded by people that have been friends your whole life. It's amazing that being just down the road from Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Cosby has somehow missed the growth explosion. One is far more likely to find a bed & breakfast than a hotel, or a family diner rather than "fast food row."
The reader should bear in mind that I love old things, including maps... the map seen at left is from 1941. So the road and highway numbers above won't mean a lot as one tries to find them. For an up-to-date, basic road map, complete with all of the new road and highway numbers, click the link. There are two additional National Park Service maps of the Smokys on this page; Interesting because it shows many of the pre-park names, there is a 1941 map, and, there is a current 1997 map which has all of the new and improved info. The Library of Congress has high resolution originals of these maps. They're available at Maps of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
No one really knows the origin of the name "Cosby," although there are two noted and plausable theories. One theory is that it's named for Jonathan Cosby, a trapper, distiller, and early settler in the area. The other theory is that it's named for Dr. James Cozby (1752-1831), a Revolutionary War veteran and friend of Gov. John Sevier. He may have had post-war land grants or other claims to land in the area along the creek. What we do know is that the first Europeans settled in the early 1780s. And, although it was some 50 years after the county was originally settled, Cosby is mentioned in the minutes of the Big Pigeon Church as early as 1838. They were discussing the newly founded Bethany Church established along "Cosby Creek."
The Big Pigeon and French Broad Rivers merge just a short distance above the mouth of the Nolachucky, and the area's first Europeans began to be settle the area in 1783. It became known as the "Irish Bottom," so the leap of faith here is that these were some of the original Scots-Irish to settle in the Smokys. Soon thereafter, Pennsylvania Germans migrated into the area just north of the French Broad, which became known as the "Dutch Bottom." Just a short time later, Peter Fine became the first person licensed to operate a ferry in the county.
It was also in 1783 that raids by the Cherokee began. An old folk tale of the area is that after one particular raid where horses and cattle were stolen, Peter Fine and William Lillard put a posse of 30 men together and went after them. Eventually, they caught up with them, and after killing one indian and wounding another, they recoverd the stolen livestock and began to make their way back home. They weren't aware that the indians had followed them back. Making camp for the night, the indians returned the favor, and killed Vinet Fine (Pete Fine's brother) and wounded Thomas Holland. Legend is that the posse broke a hole in the stream's ice cover and placed Fine's body in the water. It's been known as "Fine Creek" ever since. Of course, this raid was over and "ancient" history when some 55 years later, all of the raids stopped with the infamous Trail of Tears.
Growth was fairly slow... The daily struggle to survive kept getting in the way of progress. The first church in the county, organized by the Baptists at Upper War Ford, wasn't established until just prior to 1794. Oddly, Cocke county itself wasn't established until three years later, in 1797. Then, just as now, transportation was key to a community's survival, and transportation meant the French Broad, Big Pigeon, and Nolachucky rivers. So, the "New Port" was established as the county seat around the location of Fine's Ferry.
The U.S. Civil War was often described as the war of brother against brother. East Tennessee, during the U.S. Civil War, was the epotme of families divided. And, the families of Cocke County were no exception... they, too, were fiercly divided between loyalties and sentiments to the Union and Confederacy. Cosby, and most other surrounding mountain communities, were subjected to raids by both sides throughout the war, but especially from Confederates.
When the Civil War began, the railroads had gotten to the edges of the county, but the war put a stop to any further progress. Soon after the war was over though, work began again, and it was completed mainly on the backs of prison labor. Estimates are that over 500 nameless prisoner laborers died during the completion of the railroad. But, finish it did, and on December 24, 1867, the Cincinnati, Cumberland Gap & Charleston Railroad was completed, and a train station was erected in Big Creek between what is now Newport and Cosby. The Norfolk & Southern Railroad built another train station a couple miles west of Clifton in the late 1860's, and the county seat, Newport, was moved there in 1884.
Life didn't change too much over the next few years. There were a couple of notable exceptions. In the 1890s, the Boice Hardwood lumbermill was built near Hartford, right along the border of North Carolina. Just as it was throughout all of the Smokys, virgin timber began to fall. The only areas that weren't clear cut were those that they simply couldn't get to. And, there was Lenora Whitaker, a 19 year old teacher that moved in to teach at the Presbyterian Mission School in Del Rio. She taught from 1910 to 1912 and was later immortalized in the factional (fiction based on fact) book "Christy" written by her daughter, Catherine Marshall.
By the turn of the century, most around the area either worked in the lumberyards or were farmers. Then came the Great Depression. Most of the lumberyards shut down and the farmers couldn't sell their crops. Hunting and farming became suvival and moonshining became income. In fact, in the first half of the 1900s, Cosby was known as the "The Moonshine Capital of the World". IRS "revanuers" and other forces put most of the stills out of business. One of those other forces was the partnership, of sorts, between the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Park Service. Many who were suffering the effects of the Depression were able and glad to give up what they believed to be the Devil's work for the opportunity of an honest day's wage building what would become the GSMNP.
Today, the Civil War, the Great Depression, moonshining, and other trials suffered along the way are only minor scars on what is now a proud heritage and history of some fine folks living in the shadows of the Smokys.
For more on the history of Cocke County and Cosby Creek, you can see the following: Goodspeed's History is an old world, pre-park history of Cocke County. It was first published in 1887, just after the Civil War, and long before the park was established. For something a little more contemporary, the Cocke County Chamber's history is a nice overview.
Beginning with a nice slow pace, Cocke County is the largest producer of apples in Tennessee. And, Cosby has the most orchards in the area. As you ride through and around town, take note... and pick one fresh from the tree. They're good. Just make sure you ask first. And, while you're takin' it easy, don't under estimate the wild life, the ice cold and pure mountain streams, or the beauty and majesty of the mountains. Life is good here in Cosby.
For those with a sense of history, some of the other things to see and do around the area include:
For those that are a little more adventurous, try these out:
Cosby is a gateway community into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and is located at the southern end of Cocke County, TN. Other local communities near Cosby include Bybee, Parrottsville, Newport, Del Rio, and Hartford. Amazingly, all of these other towns exhibit the same relaxed atmosphere and down home, southern charm that one finds in Cosby. For more information on these towns, see the Cocke County Chamber page.
"About Cocke County.", and linked articles. Cocke County: Your Natural Alternative.
<http://www.cockecounty.com/About.html>.
(02 Jul. 2007).
"The Biographies of Our Ancestors." TNGenWeb Project. 2004.
<http://www.tngenweb.org/bios/>.
(02 Jul. 2007).
"Cosby.", and linked articles. Cocke County Chamber of Commerce. 2001.
<http://www.cockecounty.org/cosby.html>.
(30 Jun. 2007).
"Cosby, Tennessee - Gatlinburg Neighbor.", and linked articles. Gatlinburg, Tennessee. 2007.
<http://www.gatlinburg-tennessee.org/cosby_tennessee.htm>.
(06 Jul. 2007).
"County Histories." Tennessee Records Repository: Goodspeed's History of Tennessee. 2006.
<http://www.tngenweb.org/goodspeed/>.
(02 Jul. 2007).
"History of Cocke County.", and linked articles. Cocke County, Tennessee: The Undiscoverd Smokys.
<http://www.planetc.com/cocke/page4.htm>.
(06 Jul. 2007).
"History of Cocke County." The Goodspeed Publishing Co., History of Tennessee, 1887. 2004.
<http://www.tngenweb.org/cocke/goodspeedcocke.htm>.
(06 Jul. 2007).
"Cosby, Tennessee." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Jun 2007.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosby,_Tennessee>.
(04 Jul. 2007).
