Skip to main content

Port Royal State Historic Park - Tennessee

At 30 acres, Tennessee's Port Royal State Historic Park is one of the state's smallest.  However, this little park off of TN 238 east of Clarksville makes up for its size with its history.

The site of one of the earliest pioneer outposts in Middle Tennessee, Port Royal sits along the Red River between Clarksville and Springfield.  Its location along the Red River and several stagecoach lines made the tiny village a hub during the early days of westward expansion.

In addition to stagecoach lines, Port Royal would also be a stop for steamboats along the Red River in the 1830s.  As railroads became the primary mode of transportation during the 19th century, Port Royal would begin to lose its importance as a transportation hub.
The restored 1859 Masonic Lodge at Port Royal State Historical Park
As the town transitioned, a two story building, the Masonic Lodge, was constructed in 1859.  The lodge was housed on the second floor while the first floor served as a general store, post office, and even a telephone exchange.  In 1921, a tornado severely damaged the building and the decision was made to have it remain as a one story building.  Once the post office and general store closed, the building sat abandoned for decades.  The state of Tennessee has restored the 160 year old building to its original state and the hope is to make it a visitor's center for the park.

Because of its location on the Red River and Suplhur Creek, there have been a number of bridges that cross here.  The remains of a former covered bridge and a still standing 130 year Pratt truss bridge are two of the features for this park.

The 1890 Converse Bridge Company Pratt Truss Bridge over Sulphur Creek
The 1890 Pratt Truss Bridge over Sulphur Creek is part of the park grounds and pedestrians can still cross it.  The bridge was built by the Converse Bridge Company out of Chattanooga.  The company, owned by William Converse, would continue to manufacture bridges into the 1920s.

The 1890 Converse Bridge Company Pratt Truss Bridge over Sulphur Creek
The bridge would carry vehicles until a new bridge was constructed 300 yards south and opened in 1990.

Remnants of two other bridges that once crossed the Red River are also on site.  In 1903, construction began on a covered bridge over the Red River.  Normally, this would not be significant, but the contractor building the bridge decided to not include a center pier for the bridge.  The bridge collapsed during construction and one worker was killed.

Construction on a second covered bridge with a middle pier soon began afterwards.  This bridge would remain open until 1955 when the current concrete bridge that carries Tennessee Highway 238 was completed.
Stone pier remnant of the Red River Covered Bridge at Point Royal State Historic Park
This bridge would remain standing until it eventually collapsed after flooding in 1972.  A replica bridge was built in the late 1970s.   Most of that bridge was destroyed in a 1998 flood.  The remaining section of the bridge would be destroyed when the Red River flooded again in 2010.  All that remains are the stone piers on one side of the bridge and a pile of rubble from where the middle pier once stood.

Another historically significant part of the park is a preserved section of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail on the Western Side of the Red River.

Section of the Trail of Tears at Port Royal State Historic Park
The "Trail of Tears" refers to the journey over 100,000 Native Americans made from their native lands east of the Mississippi westward to "Indian Territory" (modern day Oklahoma) as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830.  This forced removal was extremely devastating to many tribes as numerous (some estimates well over 10,000) died during the march west.

The approximately 300 yard long trail section runs on the western side of the river from a parking area down to the banks of the Red River.
All photos taken by post author - April 2019.

Further Reading:

How To Get There:









Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains

US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso, Texas and Carlsbad, New Mexico passes through the Guadalupe Mountains.  The Guadalupe Mountains comprise the highest peaks of Texas which are largely protected as part Guadalupe Mountains National Park.  The automotive highway through the Guadalupe Mountains was constructed in the late 1920s as part of Texas State Road 54.  US Route 62 was extended from Carlsbad through the Guadalupe Mountains to El Paso during 1932.  US Route 62 was joined in the Guadalupe Mountains by US Route 180 in 1943.  The Guadalupe Mountains comprise a portion of the 130 mile "No Services" zone on US Route 62/US Route 180 between El Paso-Carlsbad. Part 1; the history of US Route 62 and US Route 180 in the Guadalupe Mountains The Guadalupe Mountains lie within the states of Texas and New Mexico.  The Guadalupe Mountains essentially is a southern extension of the larger Rocky Mountains.  The Guadalupe Mountains is the highest range in Texas with the peak elevati

Former California State Route 215

  California State Route 215 was a short-lived state highway which existed in the Los Angeles Metropolitain area after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  California State Route 215 was aligned from US Route 60 at 5th Street in Pomona north to US Route 66 near Claremont via Garey Avenue.  California State Route 215 came to be after California State Route 71 was bisected in Pomona due to relinquishment of a portion of Garey Avenue due to the opening of a portion of the Corona Freeway (now Chino Valley Freeway) during 1958.  California State Route 215 was deleted by the Legislature during 1965. The history of California State Route 215 The initial segment of what was to become California State Route 215 was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act.  The First State Highway Bond Act defined what would become  Legislative Route Number 19  (LRN 19) as running from Claremont to Riverside.  The segment of LRN 19 between Claremont and Pomona would in

Paper Highways; unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz

This edition of Paper Highways examines the unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz. The History of Unbuilt California State Route 100 The route that became CA 100 was added to the State Inventory in 1959 as part of the Freeway & Expressway System as Legislative Route 287 .  According to CAhighways.org the initial definition of LRN 287 had it begin at LRN 5 (CA 17) and was defined over the below alignment to LRN 56 (CA 1) through downtown Santa Cruz. -  Ocean Street -  2nd Street -  Chestnut Street For context the above alignment would required tearing down a large part of the densely populated Santa Cruz.  A modern Google imagine immediately reveals how crazy an alignment following Ocean Street, 2nd Street, and Chestnut Street would have been. LRN 287 first appears on the 1960 Division of Highways State Map . In 1961 the definition of LRN 287 was generalized to; from LRN 5 via the beach area in Santa Cruz to LRN 56 west of the San Lorenzo River.