UNICOI COUNTY

A sign along the Appalachian Trail

County Seat: Erwin

Unicoi County is one of seven east Tennessee counties that contains parts of the Appalachian Trail, which runs 2,175 miles through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. There are people who have hiked the ENTIRE Appalachian Trail; it takes about four to six months.

When the Appalachian Trail crosses the Nolichucky River in Unicoi County, it passes very close to the town of Erwin. We couldn't resist taking a few pictures at this wonderful interchange of trail, river, railroad, road and town.
Here's a view of Erwin from a point about a mile walk along the Appalachian Trail toward the south.

You can also see the Nolichucky River from this point, and the train bridge crossing it.

The trail descends toward Erwin.

Now in Erwin, the trail crosses the road and goes right by this hiker hostel (which is sort of like a hotel, only a bit more rugged) called Uncle Johnny's. That's Uncle Johnny sitting there.

The trail crosses the Nolichucky River.

The Nolichucky is a good-looking river, and lots of fun to "tube" down.
And with little fanfare, the trail heads back up another mountain on its way to Maine.

The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy
Here's something else you probably don't know about Unicoi County: it contains a company that is the major supplier of fuel for nuclear powered Navy ships (such as submarines and aircraft carriers). The Erwin-based firm is called Nuclear Fuel Services Inc., and the company is also involved in fuel recycling, research and development, and  cleanup (known in the industry as remediation).
Finally, Unicoi County is also famous for having once executed an elephant (we aren't making this up). In 1916, the Sparks Brothers Circus came to Kingsport. A 9,500 pound elephant named Mary killed her trainer during the show and was later put to death in Erwin for doing so. Mary the elephant was hung from a railroad derrick at the Clinchfield Railroad Yards.

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