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Dunlap, Tennessee

Sequatchie County’s seat and only city, in the middle of the Sequatchie Valley between Walden Ridge and the Cumberland Plateau: the coke-oven ruins and coal-mining museum at the foot of Fredonia Mountain, a stretch of the Trail of Tears, the 1911 courthouse and Coops Creek Commons downtown.

CitySeat of Sequatchie County →Pop. 5,357 (2020 Census)Central time (CT)Things to do ↓Eat & drink ↓Places to stay ↓Events ↓A short history ↓City offices & resources ↓

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · all times Central (CT) · sources at the bottom

In 30 seconds
  • Why stop: walk among the ruins of 268 beehive coke ovens and see the coal-mining museum at Coke Ovens Park, follow the Trail of Tears blazes up the old Hill Road, then stroll the Coops Creek Greenway and the 1911 courthouse square downtown.
  • Before you go: Dunlap is on Central time (CT) — an hour behind Chattanooga and Knoxville. The Coke Ovens Museum is open weekends only, April through November. Erlanger Sequatchie Valley’s emergency department is on Rankin Ave (US 127) at the north end of town.
  • Good to know: Dunlap is the only incorporated place in Sequatchie County. The Henson Gap hang gliding launch on Walden Ridge and Wheeler’s Orchard on Fredonia Mountain are outside the city limits; Fall Creek Falls is in Van Buren and Bledsoe counties, not Sequatchie.

Visitor directory

Things to do in and around Dunlap

In town

  • Dunlap Coke Ovens Park & Museum ↗About ¾ mile west of downtown, on the west side of town — turn west on Cherry St at the downtown light and follow the brown Coke Ovens signs to Mountain View Rd · the stone-and-brick ruins of 268 beehive ovens that turned Fredonia Mountain coal into coke for Chattanooga’s iron and steel foundries; on the National Register since 1985 · the museum is a full-size rebuild of the 1902 company commissary, with mining photographs, artifacts and a local-history room · park open daily sunup to sundown, free; museum April–November, Sat 10 AM–4 PM CT and Sun 12 PM–4 PM CT (free; donations welcome) · group tours by appointment, (423) 949-2156 · no pets; the old incline climb up Fredonia Mountain is not recommended in summer. ⓘ source
  • Trail of Tears — Hill Road at the Cumberland Plateau ↗At Coke Ovens Park · in November 1838 a Cherokee removal detachment of about 1,000 people camped in the valley here before climbing out on the old Hill Road, one of the first wagon roads across the plateau · a short marked section climbs from the park’s amphitheater (green “T.T.” blazes) to a gravel road; beyond it the route crosses private land · on the National Register since 2005. ⓘ source
  • Sequatchie County Courthouse ↗22 Cherry St, downtown · a Colonial Revival courthouse built in 1911, on the National Register since 1980 · also on the Register in Dunlap: the Dunlap Community Building at Cherry St and Rankin Ave, built by New Deal youth crews, and the Douglas Coal and Coke Company Clubhouse · county offices Mon–Thu 7:30 AM–4:30 PM CT, shorter hours Friday morning. ⓘ source
  • Coops Creek Commons, Greenway & Harris Park ↗Downtown · Coops Creek Commons (287 Pine St), home of BTC Fiber Valley Fest on the first weekend of May, has nine holes of disc golf, a stage, picnic pavilions, a waterwheel and a covered bridge on an old railroad trestle to the Coops Creek Greenway, with a ¾-mile walking loop and a Storybook Trail that opened in August 2026 · Harris Park, by the courthouse, has a summer splash pad; reservations through City Hall. ⓘ source
  • Sequatchie County Public Library ↗227 Cherry St · story times, genealogy help and family nights · Mon 8 AM–7 PM CT, Tue and Wed 8 AM–6 PM CT, Fri 8 AM–5 PM CT; closed Thursday and weekends, and closed on Election Day, Tue Nov 3. ⓘ source
  • Sequatchie County/Dunlap Chamber of Commerce ↗15643 Rankin Ave · visitor information, the community events calendar (including the Historic Dunlap Cruise-Ins) and a member directory of places to eat, shop and stay · Mon–Fri 9 AM–4 PM CT · (423) 949-7608. ⓘ source

Nearby: Walden Ridge & Fredonia Mountain

  • Henson Gap hang gliding launch (Tennessee Tree Toppers) ↗Not in Dunlap — on Walden Ridge east of town, off Window Rock Rd, outside any city or town · a nonprofit club of hang gliding and paragliding pilots keeps the launch and a landing zone off Henson Gap Rd; visiting pilots need USHPA and club membership and a site briefing · on a flying day, watch from the valley floor. ⓘ source
  • Wheeler’s Orchard & Vineyard ↗Not in Dunlap — 960 Wheeler Rd atop Fredonia Mountain, outside any city or town · a family apple orchard and vineyard, with food plates on fall weekends · Thu–Sat 10 AM–6 PM CT, Sun 12 PM–6 PM CT in season; the season runs into December — check the farm’s site before you drive up. ⓘ source

Eat & drink

  • Sequatchie Valley Brewing Co. ↗15662 Rankin Ave, downtown · Dunlap’s first brewery, with food · Mon–Tue 4 PM–8 PM CT, closed Wednesday, Thu 4 PM–8 PM CT (fall and winter), Fri–Sat 11 AM–10 PM CT, Sun 2 PM–6 PM CT · (423) 949-7468. ⓘ source

A short list of places whose own sites we could open today; the Chamber’s member directory ↗ lists more restaurants along Rankin Ave and around the county. Call ahead — hours change.

Places to stay

For more lodging, see the Chamber’s member directory ↗ (some are not in Dunlap). Other county-seat guides with lodging: Chattanooga (Hamilton County) and Crossville (Cumberland County).

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · in or out of Dunlap checked against the Census city boundary. Call ahead — hours change. All hours Central (CT).

Coming up in Dunlap

  • Thu Oct 29 — Last day of early voting9 AM–5 PM CT at the Sequatchie County Election Commission, 68 Spring St. ⓘ source
  • Fri Oct 30 — Library Fall Festival10 AM–4:30 PM CT at the Sequatchie County Public Library, 227 Cherry St · all ages; family-friendly costumes welcome. ⓘ source
  • Sat Oct 31 — Scare on the Square5 PM–7 PM CT at Harris Park, downtown · free trick-or-treating with local businesses, groups and churches. ⓘ source
  • Tue Nov 3 — Election DayPolls open 9 AM–7 PM CT at your own precinct with photo ID. State and federal races are on the ballot; no City of Dunlap offices are up this year (MTAS lists the next city election on May 1, 2027). ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 7 — Trail of Tears Commemorative Event1 PM–5 PM CT at Coops Creek Commons, 287 Pine St · Native American drummers and dancers, talks, youth activities and vendors, ending with a candlelight walk to the courthouse · hosted by the Chamber of Commerce. ⓘ source
  • Sat Nov 14 — Historic Dunlap Cruise-InNoon CT at the Chamber of Commerce, 15643 Rankin Ave. ⓘ source
  • Mon Nov 16 — Myths, Monsters & Milkshakes6 PM CT at the Sequatchie County Public Library · a Percy Jackson family night; come dressed as a favorite character. ⓘ source
  • Thu Nov 19 — Board of Mayor and CommissionersRegular meeting on the third Thursday, 5 PM CT at the municipal building, 15595 Rankin Ave · the agenda is posted on the city’s Government page. ⓘ source
  • Sat Dec 12 — Historic Dunlap Cruise-InNoon CT at the Chamber of Commerce, 15643 Rankin Ave. ⓘ source

More community events are on the Chamber’s calendar ↗; the city’s Christmas parade date was not posted yet when we checked. We’ll refresh this list after the Cruise-In on Dec 12.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · times Central (CT) · dates from the Sequatchie County Election Commission, the City of Dunlap, the Sequatchie County Public Library, the Chamber of Commerce and The Dunlap-Tribune. More Sequatchie County events are on the county guide.

Area news

Headlines · Dunlap

  • The Dunlap-Tribune · Oct 27, 2026

    The Chamber of Commerce invites the public to a Trail of Tears Commemorative Event on Sat Nov 7 at Coops Creek Commons, with Native American drummers and dancers, talks and a candlelight walk to the courthouse.

    Read at The Dunlap-Tribune →
  • The Dunlap-Tribune · Oct 20, 2026

    Community stakeholders met with a Franklin branding firm to help shape a tourism brand for Dunlap and Sequatchie County; the findings are due later.

    Read at The Dunlap-Tribune →
  • The Dunlap-Tribune · Oct 20, 2026

    A retired Dunlap educator released “Housedresses,” a 22-poem chapbook about growing up in Dunlap.

    Read at The Dunlap-Tribune →

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

A short history

The Sequatchie Valley takes its name from the Cherokee chief Sequachee. In November 1838 a Cherokee removal detachment of about 1,000 people camped in the valley at today’s Coke Ovens Park before climbing the Cumberland Plateau on the Hill Road, a route now on the National Register as part of the Trail of Tears (Coke Ovens Park; National Park Service).

The Tennessee legislature created Sequatchie County on Dec. 9, 1857. The county court first met in January 1858 and chose a central site on William Rankin’s farm on Coops Creek for the county seat; the settlement, first called Coops Creek, was renamed Dunlap in 1858 for William Dunlap of Knox County, who had backed the new county in the legislature (City of Dunlap; Tennessee Encyclopedia).

In 1899 a coal mine opened on Fredonia Mountain above town. The first 24 beehive ovens and the company commissary went up in 1902, 144 more ovens followed in 1906, and a new railroad up Little Brush Creek in 1916 brought 100 more — 268 in all, turning coal into coke for Chattanooga’s foundries. The operation went bankrupt and the mines closed in the 1920s (Coke Ovens Park).

The present courthouse on Cherry St was built in 1911. In the mid-1980s local residents formed the Sequatchie Valley Historical Association to clear the overgrown ovens; the site joined the National Register in 1985, and volunteers rebuilt the 1902 commissary as the Coke Ovens Museum, begun in 1987 (Coke Ovens Park; National Register).

Dunlap is the only incorporated place in Sequatchie County, governed by a mayor and commissioners under a 1941 charter; the city runs water, sewer, natural gas and garbage service (MTAS). The 2020 Census counted 5,357 people (TIGERweb).

Read more: Dunlap Coke Ovens Park — History ↗ · Sequatchie County (Tennessee Encyclopedia) ↗

Sequatchie County’s history → · East Tennessee history hub →

City offices & local resources

City of Dunlap ↗ runs City Hall in the municipal building at 15595 Rankin Ave, the police and fire departments, the city court, parks, and water, sewer, natural gas and garbage service (UT MTAS). Electric power comes from the Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative. Source conflict: the City of Dunlap’s Government page posts the Board of Mayor and Commissioners’ regular meeting on the third Thursday at 5 PM CT at the municipal building, 15595 Rankin Ave; the University of Tennessee’s MTAS directory lists the third Thursday at 6 PM CT. MTAS also dates the town’s incorporation to Dec 1, 1909, while the Coke Ovens Park site says 1927; both agree the present city charter dates from 1941. We print the city’s meeting time — check the posted agenda before you go. Sequatchie County’s offices are in the courthouse at 22 Cherry St.

Checked Oct 29, 2026 · official sites only · numbers copied from each agency’s own page or the county guide — tap ⓘ to confirm. Times Central (CT). Emergencies: call 911.

Around Sequatchie County

← Sequatchie County guide — the Henson Gap launch, the Trail of Tears, Coops Creek Commons and county resources.

Other Sequatchie County places: Cagle · Daus · Fredonia · Lone Oak · Mount Airy. Next door: Bledsoe · Hamilton · Marion county guides.

Other county-seat guides: Wartburg (Morgan County) · Kingston (Roane County) · Huntsville (Scott County) · Jamestown (Fentress County) · Crossville (Cumberland County) · Clinton (Anderson County) · Dayton (Rhea County) · Decatur (Meigs County) · Athens (McMinn County) · Cleveland (Bradley County) · Madisonville (Monroe County) · Loudon (Loudon County) · Maryville (Blount County) · Sevierville (Sevier County) · Knoxville (Knox County) · Newport (Cocke County) · Tazewell (Claiborne County) · Benton (Polk County) · Greeneville (Greene County) · Morristown (Hamblen County) · Rogersville (Hawkins County) · Jacksboro (Campbell County) · Maynardville (Union County) · Rutledge (Grainger County) · Dandridge (Jefferson County) · Sneedville (Hancock County) · Blountville (Sullivan County) · Jonesborough (Washington County) · Elizabethton (Carter County) · Erwin (Unicoi County) · Mountain City (Johnson County) · Chattanooga (Hamilton County). Nearest seats with guides: Chattanooga (Hamilton), Dayton (Rhea) and Crossville (Cumberland).

Sources

Checked Oct 29, 2026