Discover 4 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Rogersville (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Amis House, Hawkins County Courthouse, and St. Marks Presbyterian Church. Also, be sure to include Overton Lodge in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Rogersville (Tennessee).
Table of Contents
Amis House
Amis House is a pioneer settlement in Hawkins County, Tennessee near Rogersville, built in 1780–2 by Thomas Amis, the father-in-law of Rogersville founder Joseph Rogers.
In addition to his stone house, which also served as an inn for travelers, Amis established a tavern, general store, distillery, saw mill, and grist mill. The property was surrounded by a palisade for protection from possible attack by Native Americans.
The Amis House property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Ownership of Amis House has remained in the Amis family. Current owners are Jake and Wendy Jacobs; Wendy is a descendant of Thomas Amis. Tours of the home and grounds are offered.[1]
Hawkins County Courthouse
Courthouse. The Hawkins County Courthouse is the seat of county government for Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States, located in the city of Rogersville. It was built in 1836, it is one of six antebellum courthouses still in use in Tennessee, and it is the second oldest courthouse still in use in the state.[2]
Address: 200 N Depot St, Rogersville
St. Marks Presbyterian Church
Building in Rogersville. St. Marks Presbyterian Church is a historic African-American church in Rogersville, Tennessee.
The congregation was established in about 1875. William H. Franklin was its first minister, serving until 1926. Franklin was also the president of Swift Memorial Junior College in Rogersville, with which the church was closely associated. Swift students and faculty were required to attend worship at St. Marks twice each week.
The church building is located at the junction of N. Hassen and W. Kyle Streets in Rogersville. The site was purchased some time after 1885 for the campus of Swift Memorial Junior College. The church was built in 1912. It is a wood-frame building on a brick foundation with decorative patterned wood shingles, a characteristic of Shingle Style architecture. It has a high peaked roof with a tower on one side of the roof peak. Stained-glass windows are a prominent feature of the sanctuary. There are two front entrances to the building; the western door was originally for women and the eastern door was for men. Men and women formerly sat separately during services.
Swift Memorial College closed in 1955 due to financial problems. St. Marks Church and other properties associated with college were sold to Hawkins County the following year, but the St. Marks congregation was permitted to continue using the church building. A day care center operated in the church basement between 1973 and 1979.
With dwindling membership, the St. Marks congregation stopped holding regular worship services in 2000 and dissolved in 2002. Its building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006 for its importance to the local African-American community and as a "fine example of 20th-century Shingle Style architecture". The Rogersville Historic District, which the church property abuts, does not include any buildings in the Shingle Style; this architectural style is uncommon in East Tennessee.[3]
Overton Lodge
Overton Lodge No. 5 is a Freemason lodge under the Grand Lodge of Tennessee. Overton Lodge is located on the Courthouse Square in Rogersville Historic District in downtown Rogersville, Tennessee in the United States.[4]