Rugby, Tennessee

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name =Rugby Colony
nrhp_type = hd


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location = TN 52
Rugby, Tennessee
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added = April 26, 1972
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refnum = 72001249
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Rugby is an unincorporated community of about 85 residents [Karen Sweeny-Justice, [http://crm.cr.nps.gov/archive/24-09/24-09-5.pdf Thomas Hughes’ “Rugby”: Utopia on the Cumberland Plateau] , "Cultural Resources Management", No. 9 (2001), U.S. National Park Service] in Morgan and Scott counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is situated at 36° 21' N, 84° 42' W.

Rugby is about convert|15|km|mi|0 ESE of Jamestown and convert|30|km|mi SW of Oneida, near the junction of Fentress, Morgan, and Scott counties.

The settlement was founded in 1880 by English author Thomas Hughes, who was most famous for writing the novel "Tom Brown's Schooldays". It was named for Rugby, Warwickshire, England where Hughes had attended Rugby School, the institution which furnishes the setting for the book.

Rugby was set up in part as a community for the younger sons of the English gentry, who, because of the accepted system of primogeniture, would inherit little or no property. Rugby was an experiment in utopian living. In 1884, there were over 65 buildings and over 400 residents. About half the original buildings, many in Ruskinian gothic revival style, survive with restorations or have been rebuilt. [Gutek, Gerald & Patrick, "Visiting Utopian Communities", University of South Carolina Press, 1998, ISBN 1-57003-210-6]

The restoration of historic Rugby began in 1966. The roads were rebuilt to follow the exact plan of the town, as designed in 1879 by Rufus Cook, a civil engineer working for the Boston firm of Board to Aid of Land Ownership. New homes were allowed to be built as long as they were architecturally compatible with the historic buildings. Since 1995, in the Beacon Hill area of the town alone, "modern-day colonists" [Stagg, Barbara, "Images of America: Historic Rugby", Arcadia Publishing, 2007, ISBN 978-0-7385-5262-0] now reside in twenty newly built homes.

Today, the area's natural beauty, historic architecture, and seasonal festivals attract a brisk tourist trade. Daily tours are offered, including Kingstone Lisle (Thomas Hughes residence), Christ Church, and the Thomas Hughes Free Public Library, which holds over 7,000 books that all pre-date 1900. Visitors can see the town's rebuilt schoolhouse and the newly-completed Visitor Center. [ [http://www.historicrugby.org Historic Rugby, Tennessee ] ] On a weekend in May the Historic Rugby organization conducts the Annual Festival of British and Appalachian Culture. Alternate years, a "pilgrimage" is held that allows tours of many of the privately owned homes. [ [http://www.preserveamerica.gov/tnrugby.html Preserve America Community: Rugby, Tennessee] , Preserve America website]

Dining is available to visitors at the Harrow Road Cafe. [ [http://www.historicrugby.org/dining/dining.htm Historic Rugby Dining and Shopping ] ] Visitors can also see "the historically reconstructed Commissary [that] holds a treasure trove of traditional handcrafts made by dozens of area artisans; British Isles foods, games and prints; Rugby and area history and travel books; Victoriana of every description and much more". [ [http://www.historicrugby.org/dining/dining.htm Historic Rugby Dining and Shopping ] ]

Each year, Historic Rugby offers nearly 20 workshops that cover a range of topics such as Wildflower Walks, Honeysuckle Basketry, Quilting, beginning lessons in learning to play a Mountain Dulcimer, and many more. [ [http://www.historicrugby.org/workshop/workshop.htm Historic Rugby Workshops ] ]

Rugby borders the 125,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. [ [http://www.nps.gov/biso/ Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area - Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) ] ]

Footnotes

External links

* [http://www.historicrugby.org/ Historic Rugby page]