Rich Local History
Tracy City - Birthplace of the New South
This sleepy little town was once the South’s industrial hub. Coal was discovered, railroads were built and steel mills were developed here. These assets made Tracy City an area of strategic military importance during the civil war. It was fought over and occupied by the North.
After the war, the agrarian South lay In ruins. it was rebuilt into an industrial powerhouse, beginning in Tracy City.
Today, the coal mines are played out and the historic railroad bed has been converted into a paved bicycle trail that links the mountain communities through breathtaking natural countryside. Read the story of the Mountain Goat Trail and the history it celebrates here.