Morganton, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Morganton
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Former town
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Morganton in 1939
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 Morganton
Location in Tennessee
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| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Loudon |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Morganton was a small town that once stood in Loudon County, Tennessee. It was located right on the Little Tennessee River. In the 1800s, Morganton was a busy place. It was a major port where special boats called flatboats would carry goods. A very important ferry also helped people cross the river for almost 170 years!
Sadly, Morganton is no longer there. In the late 1900s, the town site was covered by water when Tellico Dam was built. This dam created Tellico Lake in 1979. The dam project was managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).
Morganton started to become empty in the mid-1800s. This happened because railroads became popular for moving goods, and river trade slowed down. By the late 1960s, most people had left. That's when the TVA started buying land for the dam. Today, only the Morganton Cemetery remains, looking over where the town used to be. A road and a boat ramp are still named after the old town.
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Where Was Morganton Located?
The Little Tennessee River starts in the mountains of Georgia. It then flows through North Carolina before entering Tennessee. It travels about 54 miles (87 km) in Tennessee. Finally, it joins the Tennessee River near Lenoir City.
The TVA bought land all along the river valley. This was to prepare for Tellico Dam, which created a lake covering the lower 33 miles (53 km) of the river. Morganton was about 13.7 miles (22 km) up the Little Tennessee River. It was right where Bakers Creek flows into the river.
You can still see the area where Morganton was from the junction of East Coast Tellico Parkway and Morganton Road. This spot is just west of Greenback. The Tennessee Valley Authority now manages this whole area.
Morganton's Past: A Look Back
Before European settlers arrived, the Cherokee Nation (1794-1907) lived in this area for hundreds of years.
Early Days: 1800 to 1860
After the American Revolutionary War, more and more European-American settlers moved into this region. They often settled on lands that still belonged to the Cherokee people. The Overhill Cherokee had several large villages nearby. For example, Mialoquo was just across the Little Tennessee River. However, many of these villages were already in decline. This was partly due to wars and diseases like smallpox.
The Morganton area became part of the land given up by the Cherokee in 1798. This happened when they signed the First Treaty of Tellico. But even before that, the first European-American settlers arrived in 1796. They settled near the mouth of Bakers Creek. A Cherokee legend tells of marked trees near Morganton. These trees supposedly showed where hidden mines were located. This story was first written down in 1900.
By 1799, a grist mill (a mill for grinding grain) was built by Hugh and Charles Kelso. The next year, Captain Robert Wear arrived. He started a large farm and a ferry near Bakers Creek. In 1801, an inspection port was set up near the ferry. A small community grew around it, first called "Portville."
In 1813, Portville became an official town. Hugh Kelso and his son, Charles, gave land for a town square. The community chose the name "Morganton." This was to honor Gideon Morgan, a hero from the Revolutionary War. He was also a well-known local merchant.
By the 1830s, Morganton was the main shipping and business hub in the Little Tennessee region. Flatboats carried local goods like whiskey and hemp. They traded these items throughout the Tennessee Valley. Sometimes, they even traveled as far as New Orleans! They would bring back things like clothing, salt, and spices. By 1832, Morganton had many businesses. These included a doctor, a hat shop, a hemp factory, and a wagon factory. There was also a cabinet shop, a distillery, and a silversmith. A steamboat service connecting Morganton and Knoxville started in 1831.
Morganton's Decline: 1861 to 1967
During the U.S. Civil War in late 1863, Confederate General James Longstreet wanted to cross the Little Tennessee River at Morganton. He hoped to reach Knoxville and attack Union troops there. Longstreet later wrote about his plan:
If I had the right tools, I would have marched behind Knoxville through Morganton and Marysville...
However, Longstreet didn't have the materials to build a special bridge called a pontoon bridge. So, he had to cross the Tennessee River at Loudon instead.
Later that same year, Union General William T. Sherman did cross the Little Tennessee at Morganton. He was on his way to Chattanooga. Sherman actually took down several houses in Morganton to build his pontoon bridge!
After the Civil War, railroads slowly became more popular than riverboats for shipping. When the L&N Railroad built tracks through nearby Greenback in the late 1800s, Morganton began to shrink. In 1947, a bridge near Niles Ferry became free to use. This caused most of the ferries on the Little Tennessee River to close. The Morganton Ferry was the very last one to stop operating, closing in 1961.
Archaeological Discoveries in 1978
In 1968, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) reported that Morganton had 18 houses, a store, and a church. All of these buildings were going to be torn down for the Tellico Dam project. In 1978, the Tellico Dam project was paused because of legal issues. During this time, archaeologists from the University of Tennessee studied the Morganton town site.
They found several old American artifacts. Some of these items dated back to as early as 1762! They also found several old stone tools called projectile points. These artifacts were similar to ones found at the nearby Tellico Blockhouse site, which was also being dug up around the same time.
