Tennessee’s oldest town is older than Tennessee itself and it almost became its own country

It’s older than Tennessee itself

Jonesborough has been around since 1779, which means it existed 17 years before Tennessee was even a state. That’s not just old for Tennessee.

That’s old for America. The town sits in the northeast corner of the state near Johnson City, and about 5,860 people call it home today.

Main Street still has cobblestone walkways, original storefronts, and old-fashioned streetlights. You walk down it and the 21st century just sort of falls away.

The settlers here tried to break off and form their own state

North Carolina established Jonesborough as the county seat of Washington County, the first county carved out west of the Appalachian Mountains.

The town was named after Willie Jones, a North Carolina legislator who backed westward expansion. But settlers here had bigger ideas.

In 1784, they broke away from North Carolina and declared the State of Franklin, with Jonesborough as its capital. John Sevier won the governorship, but Congress never recognized it.

North Carolina took the territory back, and it eventually became part of Tennessee in 1796.

Elihu Embree published something remarkable here in 1820

While the town was busy with politics, a Quaker named Elihu Embree was doing something that would echo far beyond Washington County.

In 1820, he published The Emancipator right here in Jonesborough, the first periodical in the United States devoted entirely to abolishing slavery.

The town was already a crossroads for westward migration and frontier ideas.

That a publication this radical could come out of a small Tennessee town in 1820 tells you something about the people who lived here.

A hay wagon started the world’s biggest storytelling festival

In 1973, a local teacher named Jimmy Neil Smith rolled a hay wagon into the courthouse square and asked some Appalachian storytellers to share their tales. About 60 people showed up.

That small afternoon gathering turned into the National Storytelling Festival, now held every year on the first full weekend of October.

Today, about 10,000 people come from across the country to sit under large circus-style tents set up through the historic downtown and listen. The tents fill up fast.

The International Storytelling Center runs all season long

The International Storytelling Center sits on a three-acre campus right on Main Street, and it runs well beyond the October festival.

From May through October, the Teller-in-Residence program brings a different nationally known storyteller each week for 26 straight weeks.

You can catch live matinee and evening performances Tuesday through Saturday during the season.

If you’re visiting on a Tuesday evening and want something free, the Jonesborough Storytellers Guild puts on a show at no charge. The campus also includes a performance theater, gift shop, and a park.

Three presidents slept at the Chester Inn

Dr. William Chester built the Chester Inn in 1797 on a busy stage road through town.

It’s the oldest wood-frame building still standing in Jonesborough’s commercial district, and three U.S. presidents passed through it: Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk and Andrew Johnson.

Tennessee bought the building, restored it, and now runs it as a free museum.

Walk through and you’ll find exhibits on the State of Franklin, a diorama of Jonesborough in the 1850s, and a section on the 1873 cholera epidemic.

The upstairs rooms are restored to their Victorian-era look.

A young Andrew Jackson waited here for a caravan to Nashville

The Christopher Taylor House goes back even further. Built around 1777, it’s one of the oldest surviving structures in Jonesborough.

Christopher Taylor, a veteran of both the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, built it as a two-story log home. In 1788, a young Andrew Jackson stayed here while waiting for a caravan heading to Nashville.

He also took his oath to practice law in the western district of North Carolina while lodging in this cabin. The building was moved to Main Street in 1974 and restored.

The historic district spans 120 acres and 72 original buildings

Jonesborough’s historic district landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, making it one of the first in Tennessee to get that designation.

The district covers more than 120 acres and includes 72 contributing buildings in styles ranging from Federal and Greek Revival to Victorian and Queen Anne.

Sisters’ Row, an 1820s brick row house, is the oldest brick building in Tennessee.

Costumed guides run walking tours departing from the Chester Inn on Saturdays from March through December, and they know every building’s story.

Antiques, art and handmade goods fill the historic storefronts

Those 72 historic buildings aren’t just for looking at. Many of them house antique stores, art galleries, and craft shops.

Southern Exposure Antiques operates inside Sisters’ Row. The Griffin Art Gallery sells original paintings and runs classes in painting and other arts.

Walk the blocks and you’ll pass shops selling vintage furniture, quilts, pottery and handmade gifts that didn’t come off an assembly line.

On Saturday mornings, the Jonesborough Farmers Market sets up on the town square, and local vendors take over the cobblestones.

The Repertory Theatre has been putting on shows since 1969

The Jonesborough Repertory Theatre has been running productions on Main Street since 1969, the same year the historic district got its national designation.

The theater puts on at least eight main stage shows a year, covering drama, comedy, musicals and dance.

It also runs education classes for children and adults, and its traveling troupe, the JRT Players, takes performances out to schools, nursing homes and community centers across the region.

Tickets run on the affordable side, but seating is limited, so book ahead if you plan to go.

Persimmon Ridge and the Nolichucky River pull you outside

A mile from downtown, Persimmon Ridge Park covers 130 acres with hiking and biking trails, including Luke’s Trail, which runs along a ridge with views of the surrounding mountains. An 18-hole disc golf course draws a steady crowd.

The Lost State Scenic Walkway connects the park back to downtown.

Inside the park, Wetlands Water Park runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day with water slides, a lazy river and a zero-depth wading area for kids.

A short drive out, the Nolichucky River runs whitewater for all skill levels, with guided trips available for beginners.

Jonesborough slows you down, and that’s the whole point

Most businesses close on Sundays and shut down early on weekdays. The town doesn’t push you to rush.

Fall brings color to the surrounding Appalachian foothills that frames the whole historic district in orange and red.

Jonesborough sits about 90 minutes from Asheville, North Carolina, and two hours from Knoxville, making it a practical stop and a reason to stay longer than you planned.

The Cherokee National Forest is close for camping and hiking.

The Chuckey Railroad Depot Museum, with a restored Southern Railway caboose parked outside, fills in the railroad chapter of the town’s story.

Visit Jonesborough’s historic downtown in Tennessee

Jonesborough sits in Washington County in the far northeast corner of Tennessee, easily reached from Johnson City as part of the Tri-Cities region.

The historic downtown is walkable, with the International Storytelling Center, Chester Inn Museum and Christopher Taylor House all on or within a short walk of Main Street.

The National Storytelling Festival runs the first full weekend of October.

For current hours, admission prices and event schedules, check the official website for the Town of Jonesborough or the International Storytelling Center before you go.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• Arizona’s coolest town sits at 5,200 feet and it looks nothing like Arizona
• In this Texas gem, you can literally watch concerts inside underground caves
• 170 shops, a National Historic District, and Lake Michigan at the end of every block