Soon after the Civil War, the nearly-bankrupt Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company (“TC&R”) was acquired by entrepreneur Arthur St. Clair Colyar. Tracy City was created as a company town, named after company financier Samuel F. Tracy. Impressive postwar growth in the company’s stock value resulted in TC&R’s inclusion in the very first Dow Jones Industrial Average for the New York Stock Exchange.
Much of Tracy City’s historic downtown traces its origin to the period of TC&R’s most rapid expansion, between 1875 and 1895. At one point, Tracy City was one of the ten largest cities in Tennessee. The town included an impressive school, the Shook School, known locally as “the college.” Historic businesses in Tracy City include the Dutch Maid Bakery, which first opened in 1902; the Marugg Company; and Henry Flury & Sons General Store.
The coke ovens at the nearby Grundy Lakes Historic Area are some of the best preserved artifacts from the town’s coal mining heyday. Today, the multimodal Mountain Goat Trail traces the path of the former Mountain Goat Railroad, which ran from Cowan to Palmer. A portion of the trail can be accessed at the Tracy City Roundhouse Park. From the Fiery Gizzard North Trailhead in South Cumberland State Park, a short walk takes you to the site of a 1930s-era Civilian Conservation Corps workers’ camp, with an informative self- guided tour of the remaining building foundations, telling the story of the 200 young men of CCC Company 1475.
Tracy City is surrounded by the natural attractions found in South Cumberland State Park, including Foster Falls (the park’s largest waterfall), world-class rock climbing at Denny Cove and the 12-mile Fiery Gizzard Trail, rated as one of the 25 best hiking trails in the United States.
Moderate
Black Canyon Cascade
One of the most picturesque sites in the Fiery Gizzard, Black Canyon is technically a cascade, not a waterfall, but still an amazing sight, as two creeks come together and are squeezed through a narrow rock opening. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard North trailhead.
E.L. Hampton House
From Railroad Ticket Agent to Coal Company President
Difficult
Fiery Gizzard Trail, a 2-day Adventure
Ranked as one of the top 25 backpacking trails in the United States by Backpacker magazine, "The Gizz" features cascading streams, numerous waterfalls, panoramic overlooks, extremely rocky gorges, gentle slopes and lush woodlands. Use either the Fiery Gizzard North or Fiery Gizzard South trailheads to begin this adventure!
Moderately Difficult
Foster Falls
At the southern end of the Fiery GizzardTrail is Foster Falls, a 60-foot waterfall, the tallest in the parks, with a swimming hole at its base. There is an easy quarter-mile hike to observe the falls from above; and a much more strenuous two-mile hike (round trip) to clamber to the bottom of the falls on a rocky trail. Access this adventure from the Fiery Gizzard South Trailhead.
Easy
Lone Rock Coke Ovens
There's a recreational lake with swimming and picnicking facilities at the site of the historic Lone Rock Coke Ovens, where locally-mined coal was converted to coal coke by convict labor. An easy 2.3-mile hike encircles the lakes; some of it using a low-traffic paved road. Access this adventure from the Grundy Lakes Trailhead, which is also the parking area for the swimming and picnicking facilities.
Things to do in Tracy City
Lodging in Tracy City
Monteagle
Meadow Trail
This is a 1-mile easy, round trip walk through a meadow with storyboards from a children's book and a forest playground made of logs and ropes -- a great way to introduce the little ones to the joys of hiking! Access this adventure from the South Cumberland State Park Headquarters on US 41 in Monteagle.