Unicoi and Limestone Cove (Images of America)

Surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest’s blue mountain ranges, Unicoi and Limestone Cove are part of America’s first western frontier. From their beginnings in the famed Watauga and Nolichucky settlements of the 1770s until today, Unicoi and Limestone Cove’s history has reflected the boom times, depressions, and wars of the Appalachian region and the nation. Bell Cemetery in Limestone Cove is still a reminder of the Civil War in northeastern Tennessee. Each year, grounds near Davis Springs provide the stage for the reenactment of a Confederate ambush and massacre of Union recruits at the home of Dr. David Bell in 1863. The streets in the old residential section of Unicoi are a reminder of the model town planned by speculators, who came to Unicoi and Limestone Cove during the industrial boom of the late 1880s, eager to purchase the area’s timber and mineral-rich land. Images of America: Unicoi and Limestone Cove contains rare images of Unicoi during this time, including photographs of the train and narrow-gauge railroad built to haul timber from Limestone Cove and Unaka Mountain.