| Rugby Colony | |
|---|---|
| (U.S. Registered Historic District) | |
| Location: | TN 52 Rugby, Tennessee |
| Added to NRHP: | April 26, 1972 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 72001249 |
Rugby, presently known as Historic Rugby, is a settlement in Morgan County, Tennessee which has a population of around 85. It is situated at 36° 21' north 84° 42' west. Rugby is about 15km ESE of Jamestown and 30km SW of Oneida. It is about 90km NW of Knoxville. It lies at the junction of three counties and part of it is in Scott County, Tennessee. The settlement was founded in 1880 by British author Thomas Hughes, who was most famous for writing the novel Tom Brown's School Days. It was named for Rugby, Warwickshire, England where Hughes had attended Rugby School, the institution which furnishes the setting for the book. Rugby was set up in part as a community for the younger sons of the English gentry, who, because of the accepted system of primogeniture, would inherit little or no property. Rugby was an experiment in utopian living. In 1884, there were over 65 buildings and over 400 residents. About half the original buildings, many in Ruskinian gothic revival style, survive with restorations or have been rebuilt.[1] The restoration of Historic Rugby began in 1966. The roads were rebuilt to follow the exact plan of the town,as designed in 1879 by Rufus Cook, a civil engineer working for the Boston firm of Board to Aid of Land Ownership. New homes were allowed to be built as long as they were architecturally compatible with the historic buildings. Since 1995, in the Beacon Hill area of the town alone, "modern-day colonists"[2] now reside in twenty newly built homes. Today, the area's natural beauty, historic architecture, and seasonal festivals attract a brisk tourist trade. On a weekend, each May, Historic Rugby sponsors the Annual Festival of British and Appalachian Culture. Alternate years, a Pilgrimage is held that allows tours of many of the privately owned homes. Historic Rugby also offers daily tours of Kingstone Lisle (Thomas Hughes residence), Christ Church, and the Thomas Hughes Free Public Library with over 7.000 books that all pre-date 1900. Visitors will also see the town's rebuilt schoolhouse and the newly completed Visitor's Center. [3] Historic Rugby can make special accommodations for large groups. While in Rugby, dining is available to visitors at the Harrow Road Cafe.[4] Visitors can also visit "the historically reconstructed Commissary [that] holds a treasure trove of traditional handcrafts made by dozens of area artisans; British Isles foods, games and prints; Rugby and area history and travel books; Victoriana of every description and much more."[5] Each year, Historic Rugby offers nearly 20 workshops that cover a range of topics such as Wildflower Walks, Honeysuckly Basketry, Quilting, beginning lessons in learning to play a Mountain Dulcimer, and many more. [6] Rugby borders the beautiful 125,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area which offers campgrounds, as well as a large assortment of hiking trails.[7].
Footnotes
- ^ Gutek, Gerald & Patrick, Visitng Utopian Communities, University of South Carolina Press, 1998, ISBN 1-57003-210-6
- ^ Stagg, Barbara, Images of America: Historic Rugby Arcadia Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7385-5262-0
- ^ http://www.historicrugby.org
- ^ http://www.historicrugby.org/dining/dining.htm
- ^ http://www.historicrugby.org/dining/dining.htm
- ^ http://www.historicrugby.org/workshop/workshop.htm
- ^ http://www.nps.gov/biso/
