Rogersville, Tennessee
Rogersville is a town in, and the county seat of, Hawkins County, Tennessee, United States.[5] It was settled in 1775 by the grandparents of Davy Crockett. It is named for its founder, Joseph Rogers. Tennessee's second oldest courthouse, the Hawkins County Courthouse, first newspaper The Knoxville Gazette, and first post office are all located in Rogersville. The Rogersville Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rogersville is part of the Kingsport–Bristol (TN)–Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
The population of Rogersville as of the 2010 census was 4,671.[8]
, Lee Highway
US 11W
Recreation[edit]
Rogersville City Park[edit]
Located in the eastern part of the town, the Rogersville City Park is owned and operated by the town of Rogersville. It is bounded by U.S. Route 11W on the northwest, Park Boulevard on the northeast, and East Main Street on the south.
The park has four children's playgrounds, two outdoor basketball courts, four outdoor tennis courts, numerous picnic shelters, three large, lighted pavilions (two with restroom facilities), an amphitheatre, a lighted stage area, six lighted baseball/softball fields, the town's soccer fields, a duck pond, a fitness trail, and two walking trails. It is home to the Rogersville City Pool, the home pool of the Rogersville Flying Fish Swim Association, which is open to the public from Memorial Day to the start of classes in the City school system in August.
The park is the site of a traveling midway carnival in the late spring and early fall and hosts more than fifty thousand people annually during the Rogersville Fourth of July celebration.
The town-sponsored festival of lights is hosted at the Park, where the Department of Parks & Recreation illuminates several thousand holiday lights and exhibits.
In September 2023, the Rogersville Parks and Recreation Department was awarded a $500,000 grant, to be matched with local funds, from the TN Local Parks and Recreation Fund to install ADA compliant restroom facilities and upgrade playground equipment.[28]
Crockett Spring Park[edit]
Located in downtown Rogersville, the Crockett Spring Park is a joint project of the town and the Rogersville Heritage Association. The park is the site of Rogersville's first settlement, and the tavern and home built by founder Joseph Rogers is preserved on the site. The park encompasses the Rogers Cemetery, where Joseph and Mary Rogers and the grandparents of Davy Crockett are buried.
The site of Rogersville's first public swimming pool is here, as is the gazebo built to commemorate the bicentennials of both the town (1989) and the state (1996). This public park is maintained by the Rogersville Parks and Recreation Department and the auspices of the Rogersville Tree Board.
Swift Memorial Park[edit]
Rogersville was home to an African-American college, Swift College, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and Swift Park, located off North Hasson Street in the central part of the town, commemorates the legacy of that institution. In addition, the park boasts picnic shelters, two playgrounds, and basketball courts.