Order Images of America: Harrogate and Cumberland Gap by clicking on the image above.

“Nestled in the mountains where Tennessee meets Kentucky and Virginia, the towns of Harrogate and Cumberland Gap showcase the nations history and the beauty of nature. Here, a British investor dreamed of creating a resort town that rivaled the spas of Europe. The Panic of 1893 crushed those plans, but it also allowed a former Civil War general to keep his promise to Abraham Lincoln that he would do something to assist the areas mountain people. As a university that became a memorial to the 16th president grew in Harrogate, locomotives steamed through Cumberland Gap. The 1930s and 1940s marked hard times, but the pluck of the populace held firm. Indeed, the philanthropic effort put into the region, as well as a southern movie premier and even a presidential visit, demonstrated the areas potential. As time marched on, both Harrogate and Cumberland Gap welcomed tourists who explored the nearby Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and visited the university’s Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum.”

Chapters:

1. The British are Coming

2. “Do Something For Those Mountain People”

3. To Every Thing There is a Season

4. A University Matures

5. History and Nature Beckon

6. Eyes Toward the Future