Experience Early Colonial Frontier Life In Tennessee At Fort Loudon State Park
By Meghan Kraft|Published July 07, 2020
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
Tennessee is rife with history, especially as one of the pivotal southern states during the nation’s earliest years of formation. The state is known for its natural beauty as well as its incredible role in the wars of the United State’s history, and Fort Loudoun State Historic Park remains a testament to the tales of Tennessee. Learn more about it below, and perhaps plan a trip for yourself this year. There’s nothing like a beautiful trek back in time, and Fort Loudoun has adventures in spades.
Fort Loudoun State Historic Park is known as a British colonial-era fort that can be found in the lake and river-striped county of Monroe right here in Tennessee. It was originally built in 1756 and 1757.
The fort itself was built in order to garner support form the local Cherokee at the beginning of the Seven Years' war. Fort Loudoun remains the first significant outpost of British control found west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Fort Loudoun State Historic Park itself sits pretty on 1,200 acres and invites local tourists and school groups alike to come and learn about the once-powerful British fort. Although the buildings are not original, they were rebuilt during the Depression, and Fort Loudoun was designated a National Historic Landmark in the 1960s.
The fort is located right on the Tellico Reservoir, which provides beautiful views and a cooling breeze from the waterfront. Some find it shocking that the fort itself was only active for four years before Fort Loudoun was captured by local Cherokee and destroyed.
The state park now has an interpretive center that provides education on the history of the area and artifacts from the fort itself, there's a film for interested viewers, and both living history and monthly programs that host a lifelike experience of the park's once-grand role in the state of Tennessee.
There are all sorts of outdoor activities readily available at the fort as well. From hiking the five miles of trails to paddling and fishing on the lake, it's not all history and remembrance here. You can enjoy the beauty of the land while honoring its history.
