Boones Creek, Tennessee facts for kids

Boones Creek is a community that's now mostly a part of Johnson City, Tennessee. It's located in northern Washington County, Tennessee. Even though it's part of Johnson City, many people who live there still have "Gray, Tennessee" as their mailing address. Boones Creek stretches along a creek of the same name and other small streams that flow into Boone Lake. You can find restaurants and hotels near where Boone's Creek Road (State Route 354) meets Interstate 26. The community also extends northeast to an older business area where State Route 354 and State Route 36 cross, and all the way up to Boone Lake.

History of Boones Creek

This area is special because it was the very first place in Tennessee where European settlers built homes permanently. The community and the creek are named after a famous pioneer, Daniel Boone.

Right in the middle of Boones Creek, there's a historic marker that tells the story of how the community got its name. Daniel Boone was a frontiersman who explored and hunted across huge areas. On one of his hunting trips, local Native Americans chased him. To get away, he hid under a waterfall on Boones Creek, which is now called Boone Falls. He was trying to avoid trouble for hunting on their lands.

There was also a famous beech tree nearby. It once had words carved into it that said, "D Boon cilled a bar on tree in the year 1760." This tree even appeared in the movie "Sergeant York" when Alvin York, a hero from WWI, was hunting for animal furs to sell. A large piece of this historic tree is now kept at the Boones Creek Historical Trust Museum and Opry.

The first white settler in Tennessee, William Bean, built a cabin and planted corn on Boone's Creek in 1768. He did this to claim the land, and then moved his family there in 1769.

The old "downtown" area of this once-rural community is now called "Flourville." It's still considered part of the larger Boones Creek community. A historic building called the "Bean Fort-Spring" was built there around 1775. It was a two-story log fort that even had water piped into it from a spring! This fort is still standing today. You can also see Hale's Store, which was the area's first store and post office from the early 1800s. The Flourville Mill, an old mill from the early 1800s, is also still there. Many homes built in the late 1700s and early 1800s are nearby too.

A post office named Boons Creek opened in 1841. It stayed open until it closed in 1900.

Schools in Boones Creek

Students in Boones Creek attend several different schools. Some schools are run by Washington County Public Schools, while others are part of the City of Johnson City Schools.

Schools operated by Washington County Public Schools include:

• Boones Creek Elementary
• Boones Creek Middle (this used to be Boones Creek High School)

Schools operated by the City of Johnson City Schools include:

• Indian Trail Intermediate
• Lake Ridge Elementary

For high school, students can go to either Daniel Boone High School in Gray, which is run by Washington County, or Science Hill High School in Johnson City, which is run by Johnson City Schools.

Shopping and Food

Boones Creek has many places to shop and eat. Near the Interstate 26 exit for Boones Creek Road (Tennessee State Route 354), you'll find several restaurants, hotels, and gas stations. There are also grocery stores in Boones Creek, such as Food City and Ingles Markets.

Getting Around Boones Creek

Tennessee State Route 36 (North Roan Street) is the main road that goes through Boones Creek. Another important road is Tennessee State Route 354 (Boones Creek Road). This road connects Boones Creek to Interstate 26. It also links to US Route 11E and US Route 321 in Jonesborough.