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Roane County, Tennessee

Fort Southwest Point, Kingston’s day as state capital, Rockwood iron and temperance Harriman.

Formed 1801Seat: KingstonVisitor directory ↓Area news ↓

Checked Oct 27, 2026 · sources at the bottom

Visitor directory

Roane County directory

Kingston, Harriman and Rockwood on Watts Bar Lake — Fort Southwest Point, a temperance-town Victorian district, and the west end of Oak Ridge’s Secret City.

Cities: Kingston (county seat) · Harriman · Rockwood · Oliver Springs (also Anderson & Morgan) · Oak Ridge (west end; mostly Anderson)

Communities: Midtown · Blair · Swan Pond · Emory Gap · Paint Rock · Midway

Official tourism, parks & attractions

Tourism

Parks & outdoors

Attractions

Government

Shared with neighboring counties

  • Windrock Park — shared with other counties; listed under East Tennessee (general)

Local resources

Schools, libraries & hospitals — coming soon. We’ll add official district and facility links county by county.

Checked Oct 28, 2026 · official sites only · phone numbers copied from each agency’s own page — tap ⓘ to confirm. In an emergency, call 911.

Area news

Headlines from local outlets · Roane County

  • WBIR 10News · Oct 21, 2026

    Harriman’s family-owned Christmas Lumber Company is celebrating 100 years in business.

    Read at WBIR 10News →
  • City of Kingston · Oct 16, 2026

    Kingston Public Works now collects residential brush and leaves year-round — check the curbside guidelines first.

    Read at City of Kingston →
  • City of Kingston · Oct 16, 2026

    Kingston’s November council work session moves to Monday, Nov. 2 at 6 PM because of Election Day.

    Read at City of Kingston →
  • Roane County News · Oct 12, 2026

    Early voting runs through Oct. 29 at the Harriman, Kingston and Rockwood community centers and Milestone Church in Oak Ridge.

    Read at Roane County News →
  • Roane County Government · Sep 25, 2026

    Roane County first responders now get confidential daily mental-health check-ins through HopeNation.

    Read at Roane County Government →
  • Roane County Government · Jul 28, 2026

    Tennessee is one of five finalists for a DOE Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus, putting Roane County and the Oak Ridge Corridor in the running.

    Read at Roane County Government →
  • WATE 6 · Jul 16, 2026

    Roane State launched a new fire science program this fall, partnering with the Rockwood, Oak Ridge and Alcoa fire departments.

    Read at WATE 6 →
  • Roane County Government · Jul 15, 2026

    TRISO-X plans a nearly $1 billion nuclear fuel plant in Oak Ridge, expected to bring more than 1,100 jobs over five years.

    Read at Roane County Government →

Short summaries in our words — tap through to read the full story at the outlet. All area news → · Outlet requests: [email protected]

A short history

New · full county history

Read the full Roane County history → Formation, settlers, the Civil War, railroads, landmarks and parks, with sources.

Roane County sits where the Tennessee, Clinch and Emory Rivers meet. In 1792 John Sevier established Fort Southwest Point at the junction of the Tennessee and Clinch to protect settlers moving west. In 1797 its mission changed to protecting Cherokee land from encroaching settlers, and the fort moved to the hill above the rivers; its restoration was completed and opened to the public in 1996. Return J. Meigs served as Indian agent at the fort, and a young Sam Houston clerked in a Kingston store before the War of 1812.

The county was established in 1801 and named for Archibald Roane, Tennessee’s second governor, with Kingston as its seat. Under the 1805 Tellico Treaty, Kingston was to become the state capital in return for Cherokee land — and it did, for a few hours on September 21, 1807, before the legislature returned to Knoxville. A monument in Kingston marks the “Capital for a Day.”

After the Civil War, Union Col. John Wilder and northern partners organized the Roane Iron Company and founded Rockwood in 1868. The East Tennessee Land Company founded Harriman in 1890 as a prohibition town — every deed barred alcohol — earning it the name “Utopia of Temperance.” Oliver Springs was a mineral-springs resort until its hotel burned in 1905. Today the county fronts TVA’s Watts Bar Lake, and part of Oak Ridge lies within it.

From our East Tennessee history hub

Roane. Fort Southwest Point dates to 1792. Kingston was the state capital for one day, September 21, 1807. Rockwood was founded in 1868 and Harriman, the "Utopia of Temperance," in 1890. [S33]

Oliver Springs sits where Roane, Anderson, and Morgan counties meet. Richard Oliver, the town’s first postmaster, built a four-story resort hotel with almost two hundred rooms and a sixty-foot tower. In the 1890s it drew guests from across the U.S. and Europe. It burned in 1905 and was never rebuilt. [S32][S33]

Read the full East Tennessee history →

Towns & communities

  • Kingston — county seat; Fort Southwest Point and the “Capital for a Day” monument
  • Harriman — the 1890 temperance town
  • Rockwood — Roane Iron’s 1868 company town
  • Oliver Springs — old resort town on three county lines (also listed under Anderson & Morgan)
  • Oak Ridge — the west end of the Secret City
The long read: TVA power, Norris Dam and the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge. From Kerosene Lamps to the Secret City: TVA, Norris Dam & Oak Ridge →

Our place stories in and near Roane County

  • Oak Ridge — Manhattan Project history
  • Windrock — Cumberland ridge country above Oliver Springs

Go deeper

Neighboring counties: Anderson County · Morgan County · Loudon County · Meigs County · Knox County · All counties →

Official visitor links

Checked Oct 27, 2026 · hours, fees and events live on these pages.

Videos

Video stories for Roane County are on the way.

Sources

Checked Oct 27, 2026 · We summarize; follow these for the full history. No hours or fees on this page — check official sites before you go.