Historic Jonesborough

January, 2008
All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2008 All Rights ReservedSee links to article references at the end of the article.
Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee, was established in 1779 by the General Assembly of North Carolina as county seat of Washington County. It was the first county west of the mountains. In 1784 the State of Franklin was organized there by John Sevier and others. Jonesborough was its first capital.
"In 1775 the settlers on both the Watauga and Nolichucky Rivers purchased great acreages of land from the Cherokee Indians, comprising almost all the six upper counties of the present Tennessee (then within North Carolina). Desiring their own government, these settlers petitioned the Provincial Council of North Carolina to be annexed as an official entity. In 1777 the "County of Washington" was formed." (www.RootsWeb.com See link below)
Recommended Reading : "Touring The East Tennessee Backroads " by Carolyn Sakowski
Click on the image at left to learn more . . ."Product DescriptionThe historical facts in the first edition of Touring the East Tennessee Backroads have not changed much since the book was first published in 1993, but highway construction and development has altered the routes of the 13 tours. For this second edition, the author drove over 3,000 miles to update the tours where people such as Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, Andrew Jackson, Sequoyah, Nancy Ward, and Clarence Darrow once traveled the same backroads. About the AuthorCarolyn Sakowski is the author of Touring the Western North Carolina Backroads and co-author of Travel North Carolina: Going Native in the Old North State. A native of Morganton, North Carolina, she holds a B.A. in history from Queens College and an M.A. in history from Appalachian State University." - Book Description from Amazon.com

Today Jonesborough is a beautifully maintained town whose historic buildings reflect many years of care and preservation. There is no sense that this town has been "restored". It seems and for the most part has been "maintained" throughout its 2+ century history.
The downtown area has many businesses, restaurants and activities. Just walking through the town and its neighborhoods can consume most of a days' visit.
See below for descriptions of some of Jonesborough's buildings, businesses and historical sites.

The Chester Inn
The Chester Inn was built in 1797 by Dr. William Chester of Pennsylvania. It is known as the first boarding house in eastern Tennessee. The porch and front facade were rebuilt in 1883 and "the structure has been continuously occupied as an inn, a hotel, and an apartment building" (see Chester Inn link below").
United States Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson have stayed here as has John Sevier who was governor of the state of Franklin and Tennessee’s first governor. Today it is a part in the International Storytelling Center.

The Salt House
"Salt, essential for curing meat was in short supply during the Civil War even though the saltworks in Virginia were not too far away. In January 1864, the county purchased 4500 dollars' worth of salt and appointed someone to distribute it. The price was fifteen dollars per sack . . .The salt was stored in this building" ~ "Touring the East Tennessee Backroads" by Carolyn Sakowski pgs. 96 - 97
Their website (see link below) states: "The SaltHouse in Historic Jonesborough is currently undergoing renovations. It will re-open in the winter of 2008 as a fine dining restaurant."

The Christopher Taylor House
The Christopher Taylor house is the oldest house in Jonesborough. It was moved from a location just outside of town. Its historical marker reads:
"About one mile southwest of this location this log house was built in 1777 by this office who was a veteran of the French and Indian War and a major in the American Revolutionary War. He is buried in the family cemetery nearby. Andrew Jackson lived here in 1788-89 while practicing law in Jonesborough. The house was moved intact to this site in 1974 to preserve it from demolition."
See the link at the end of this article to a vintage postcard of the Taylor House in its original location.

Sisters Row
"After losing his Pennsylvania mercantile fortune through his involvement with financier Robert Morris, in 1801 Mr. Samuel D. Jackson purchased large parcels of land and moved his to east Tennessee.
"In the 1820's Mr. Jackson built Sisters' Row for his daughters, Susan, Eliza, Caroline and Harriett. It was designed as a Philadelphia style row house containing three separate units, with Elijah Embree as general contractor and John Smith, subcontractor. . . . . .The porches were added in the 1880s. Three of the daughters became Mrs. Watkins, Mrs. Aikens, and Mrs. Ross (later Mrs. Wall) and, after their marriages, eventually established their own homes.
"Their brother, Alfred E. Jackson, was among Jonesborough's prominent businessmen who took out stock in the ETN & VA Railroad in the 1840s. (see photo below of article about Alfred Jackson in the window of the Sisters Row Building)

Historic Jonesborough

January, 2008
All photos and illustrations by Pat Johns ©2008 All Rights ReservedSee links to article references at the end of the article.
Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee, was established in 1779 by the General Assembly of North Carolina as county seat of Washington County. It was the first county west of the mountains. In 1784 the State of Franklin was organized there by John Sevier and others. Jonesborough was its first capital.
"In 1775 the settlers on both the Watauga and Nolichucky Rivers purchased great acreages of land from the Cherokee Indians, comprising almost all the six upper counties of the present Tennessee (then within North Carolina). Desiring their own government, these settlers petitioned the Provincial Council of North Carolina to be annexed as an official entity. In 1777 the "County of Washington" was formed." (www.RootsWeb.com See link below)
Recommended Reading : "Touring The East Tennessee Backroads " by Carolyn Sakowski
Click on the image at left to learn more . . ."Product DescriptionThe historical facts in the first edition of Touring the East Tennessee Backroads have not changed much since the book was first published in 1993, but highway construction and development has altered the routes of the 13 tours. For this second edition, the author drove over 3,000 miles to update the tours where people such as Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Sam Houston, Andrew Jackson, Sequoyah, Nancy Ward, and Clarence Darrow once traveled the same backroads. About the AuthorCarolyn Sakowski is the author of Touring the Western North Carolina Backroads and co-author of Travel North Carolina: Going Native in the Old North State. A native of Morganton, North Carolina, she holds a B.A. in history from Queens College and an M.A. in history from Appalachian State University." - Book Description from Amazon.com

Today Jonesborough is a beautifully maintained town whose historic buildings reflect many years of care and preservation. There is no sense that this town has been "restored". It seems and for the most part has been "maintained" throughout its 2+ century history.
The downtown area has many businesses, restaurants and activities. Just walking through the town and its neighborhoods can consume most of a days' visit.
See below for descriptions of some of Jonesborough's buildings, businesses and historical sites.

The Chester Inn
The Chester Inn was built in 1797 by Dr. William Chester of Pennsylvania. It is known as the first boarding house in eastern Tennessee. The porch and front facade were rebuilt in 1883 and "the structure has been continuously occupied as an inn, a hotel, and an apartment building" (see Chester Inn link below").
United States Presidents Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, and Andrew Johnson have stayed here as has John Sevier who was governor of the state of Franklin and Tennessee’s first governor. Today it is a part in the International Storytelling Center.

The Salt House
"Salt, essential for curing meat was in short supply during the Civil War even though the saltworks in Virginia were not too far away. In January 1864, the county purchased 4500 dollars' worth of salt and appointed someone to distribute it. The price was fifteen dollars per sack . . .The salt was stored in this building" ~ "Touring the East Tennessee Backroads" by Carolyn Sakowski pgs. 96 - 97
Their website (see link below) states: "The SaltHouse in Historic Jonesborough is currently undergoing renovations. It will re-open in the winter of 2008 as a fine dining restaurant."

The Christopher Taylor House
The Christopher Taylor house is the oldest house in Jonesborough. It was moved from a location just outside of town. Its historical marker reads:
"About one mile southwest of this location this log house was built in 1777 by this office who was a veteran of the French and Indian War and a major in the American Revolutionary War. He is buried in the family cemetery nearby. Andrew Jackson lived here in 1788-89 while practicing law in Jonesborough. The house was moved intact to this site in 1974 to preserve it from demolition."
See the link at the end of this article to a vintage postcard of the Taylor House in its original location.

Sisters Row
"After losing his Pennsylvania mercantile fortune through his involvement with financier Robert Morris, in 1801 Mr. Samuel D. Jackson purchased large parcels of land and moved his to east Tennessee.
"In the 1820's Mr. Jackson built Sisters' Row for his daughters, Susan, Eliza, Caroline and Harriett. It was designed as a Philadelphia style row house containing three separate units, with Elijah Embree as general contractor and John Smith, subcontractor. . . . . .The porches were added in the 1880s. Three of the daughters became Mrs. Watkins, Mrs. Aikens, and Mrs. Ross (later Mrs. Wall) and, after their marriages, eventually established their own homes.
"Their brother, Alfred E. Jackson, was among Jonesborough's prominent businessmen who took out stock in the ETN & VA Railroad in the 1840s. (see photo below of article about Alfred Jackson in the window of the Sisters Row Building)