Townsend, Tennessee

About Townsend, TN

Townsend, TN, situated in Blount County, Tennessee, was officially chartered in 1921 by individuals closely associated with the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company. As of the 2020 census, the population was 550. This charming town serves as one of the three “gateways” to the majestic Great Smoky Mountains National Park and offers various museums and attractions showcasing the region’s natural and human history.

Tuckaleechee Cove, located on the Little River, has been a site of Native American habitation for thousands of years, with archaeological evidence dating back to 2000 B.C. The area yielded pottery fragments and ax heads from the Woodland period. Around 1600 A.D., the Cherokee people arrived and established small villages along the banks of the Little River. The name “Tuckaleechee” originates from the Cherokee term Tikwalitsi, although its original meaning remains unknown. The cove served as a significant intersection on the Great Indian Warpath, with one branch leading west to the Overhill towns along the Little Tennessee River and another heading south towards North Carolina. In the mid-18th century, the Cherokee successfully thwarted a raid on their villages in Tuckaleechee by the Shawano (Shawnee) tribe, thanks to the guidance of a Cherokee conjurer named Deadwood Lighter. This courageous act ensured the safety of the Cherokee people as they repelled the attackers, who retreated over the crest of the Smokies.

As Euro-American settlers arrived in the late 18th century, they found the Cherokee had vacated these villages, having relocated south and west to escape the increasing influence of colonial expansion.

In 1843, humorist George Washington Harris recounted a delightful country dance held in Tuckaleechee (“Tuck-a-lucky”) Cove on “Capt. Dillon’s” farm. The gathering featured moonshine, cornbread, eggs, ham, and lively dancing to the tunes of a fiddle-and-dulcimer duo. Men showcased their strength to win dance partners, while women gathered to quilt.

Notably, in the late 1850s, the exiled Irish patriot and Young Irelander, John Mitchel, lived and farmed in this area with his family. Today, a Tennessee Historical Commission marker in his honor stands near the intersection of US 321 and SR 73.