Visitor directory
Claiborne County directory
Tazewell, New Tazewell, Harrogate and Cumberland Gap: the Tennessee side of the Cumberland Gap, Lincoln Memorial University and its Lincoln museum, the Powell River valley and the Claiborne shore of Norris Lake.
Cities: Tazewell (county seat) · New Tazewell · Harrogate · Cumberland Gap
Communities: Arthur · Clairfield · Eagan · Speedwell (also Campbell) · Lone Mountain · Springdale · Forge Ridge · Pruden · Goin · Sandlick · Clouds · Howard Quarter · Gibson Hall
Official tourism, parks & attractions
Tourism
- Claiborne Economic Partnership (Chamber & tourism) ↗Visitor information, annual events and local business · 1732 Main St, Suite 1, Tazewell · (423) 626-4149.
Parks & outdoors
- Cumberland Gap National Historical Park ↗The gap Daniel Boone used on the Wilderness Road; Pinnacle Overlook, Hensley Settlement and Gap Cave. Visitor center just across the line in Middlesboro, KY · 606-248-2817.
- North Cumberland WMA (TWRA) ↗Public hunting and elk country across five counties, including northwest Claiborne.
Attractions
- Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum (LMU) ↗One of the largest Lincoln and Civil War collections in the country, on the Lincoln Memorial University campus · 6965 Cumberland Gap Pkwy, Harrogate · (423) 869-6237.
Government
- Town of Cumberland Gap ↗Historic town at the foot of the gap: shops, festivals and the town calendar · Town Hall, 330 Colwyn St · (423) 869-3860.
- Claiborne County government ↗County offices, commission, calendar and announcements · Courthouse, 1740 Main St, Tazewell.
- Town of New Tazewell ↗Town hall at 413 1st Ave · (423) 626-5242.
- City of Harrogate ↗City hall at 138 Harrogate Crossing · (423) 869-0211 · parks, walking trail and city museum.
- Town of Tazewell (MTAS directory) ↗County seat · Town Hall, 1754 N Broad St · (423) 626-5104.
Shared with neighboring counties
- Powell River Blueway — shared with other counties; listed under East Tennessee (general)
- Norris Lake (TVA) — shared with other counties; listed under East Tennessee (general)
Local resources
- Emergency (police · fire · EMS)911Call 911 for any emergency.
- Claiborne County 911 non-emergency(423) 626-1911County-wide dispatch ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office423-626-3385415 Straight Creek Rd, New Tazewell · Sheriff Michael Cavins ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Emergency Management423-626-9617Disasters, storm info ⓘ source
- Claiborne County EMS (office)423-526-22231809 Old Knoxville Rd, Tazewell · for emergencies call 911 ⓘ source
- Covenant Health Claiborne(423) 626-42111850 Old Knoxville Rd, Tazewell — emergency room ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Health Department(423) 626-4291620 Davis Dr, New Tazewell ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Schools423-626-35431403 Tazewell Rd, Tazewell — calendars, closings ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Public Library423-626-54141304 Old Knoxville Rd, Tazewell ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Veterans Services423-626-9802Veterans Service Office ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Mayor’s Office(423) 626-5236Courthouse, 1740 Main St, Tazewell · special election for County Mayor Tue Nov 3 ⓘ source
- Claiborne County Election Commission(423) 626-51281802 Main St, Tazewell · Election Day Tue Nov 3, polls 8 AM–8 PM ⓘ source
- Highway emergency (cell)*THP (*847)Tennessee Highway Patrol ⓘ source
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 · Claiborne County
Caris Healthcare and TWRA brought a stocked pond to Buchanan Place so a 92-year-old resident could go fishing one more time.
Read at WVLT 8 →Secretary of State Tre Hargett visited Harrogate's early-voting site; early voting ends Oct. 29 and the Nov. 3 ballot includes a special race for county mayor.
Read at Claiborne Progress →The Claiborne and Cumberland Gap high school marching bands opened competition season with top finishes in Sevierville and Karns.
Read at Claiborne Progress →Cumberland Gap National Historical Park marked 30 years of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel with tunnel tours and a history program.
Read at Claiborne Progress →Lincoln Memorial University's Conservation Biology program in Harrogate marks its 10th year.
Read at Claiborne Progress →DB & Co. Antique Emporium opened in Tazewell's Old Town Square, in the former Sears store on North Broad Street.
Read at Claiborne Progress →The county commission accepted a federal grant for a new cross-designated prosecutor and announced up to $810,000 for low-income home repairs.
Read at Claiborne Progress →
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
Claiborne County was created in 1801 from parts of Grainger and Hawkins counties and named for William C. C. Claiborne, a young Tennessee congressman and judge who later became the first governor of Louisiana. Tazewell was laid out as the county seat the same year; settlers had already built a frontier church at Springdale on Little Sycamore Creek in the 1790s.
The county’s northern edge is the Cumberland Gap. Dr. Thomas Walker named the gap in 1750, and Daniel Boone marked the Wilderness Road through it in 1775, the route that carried thousands of settlers west into Kentucky. In the Civil War the gap was a strategic prize and changed hands four times; Tazewell burned on November 11, 1862.
Lincoln Memorial University was chartered at Harrogate on February 12, 1897, Lincoln’s birthday, and its Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum holds one of the nation’s largest Lincoln collections. The Cumberland Gap Tunnel opened in 1996 and carried US-25E under the mountain, so the old road over the gap could be restored to its pioneer-era look within Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.
Towns & communities
- Tazewell — county seat since 1801
- New Tazewell — railroad-era town next door, now the county’s retail hub
- Harrogate — the largest city, home of Lincoln Memorial University
- Cumberland Gap — historic town at the foot of the gap, gateway to the national park
- Speedwell (community) — Powell Valley settlement shared with Campbell County
Our place stories in and near Claiborne County
Go deeper
Neighboring counties: Campbell County · Grainger County · Hancock County · Union County · All counties →
Official visitor links
Checked Oct 27, 2026 · hours, fees and events live on these pages.
Videos
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.
- Tennessee Encyclopedia — Claiborne County (John J. Kivett) ↗
- UT CTAS — Claiborne County profile ↗
- UT MTAS — Tazewell ↗
- UT MTAS — New Tazewell ↗
- UT MTAS — Harrogate ↗
- UT MTAS — Cumberland Gap ↗
- US Census — 2020 places by county (TN) ↗
- NPS — Cumberland Gap National Historical Park ↗
- LMU — Abraham Lincoln Library & Museum ↗