Fraterville, Tennessee facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fraterville
Unincorporated community
Fraterville Location in Tennessee Show map of Tennessee Fraterville Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Anderson
Elevation	909 ft (277 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID	1284843

Fraterville, Tennessee is a small, unincorporated community located in Anderson County, Tennessee. It sits along State Route 116, between the towns of Rocky Top and Briceville. This area is part of the larger Knoxville metropolitan region.

History of Fraterville

Fraterville has a long history connected to coal mining. The community is especially known for a sad event called the Fraterville Mine Disaster that happened there in 1902.

Leach Cemetery is where many of the miners from the 1902 disaster are buried.

The Fraterville Mine Disaster

On May 19, 1902, a terrible explosion occurred in the Fraterville coal mine. This disaster trapped and killed 89 miners. It was one of the worst mining accidents in Tennessee's history. The explosion was likely caused by methane gas, which is often found in coal mines.

The miners tried to seal themselves off from the poisonous gases. They wrote farewell messages to their families on the mine walls. These messages were later found and shared, making the tragedy even more heartbreaking. This event deeply affected the community and the entire state.

What Does Fraterville Mean?

The name "Fraterville" comes from the Latin word frater. This word means "brother." So, the name "Fraterville" means "village of brothers." This name is especially meaningful because many of the miners who died in the 1902 disaster were related. They were fathers, sons, and brothers working together.