looking areas to hunt in tennesee

Crossville is right between Nashville and Knoxville and both are very old towns.

I have been in East TN for just under a month and can tell you that most relic diggers tend to be really tight lipped about any potential dig spots due to the countless hours they spend researching. I have seen Crossville come up in the Civil War Official Records but don't pay much attention as it is well west of me. I'll take a look again for anything glaring.

If no one adopts you for your trip, maybe try:

Hitting the library archives real quick to get a feel for the layout of the town early on. Many roads have changed names.

Once you identify the old roads, just take a drive and look for old dilapidated houses and farms. Most folks off the beaten path are extremely nice.

Here is an historical overview to get you started:

Crossville has its roots in the intersection of a branch of the Great Stage Road, which connected the Knoxville area with the Nashville area, and the Kentucky Stock Road, a cattle drovers' path connecting Middle Tennessee with Kentucky and later extending to Chattanooga. These two roads roughly paralleled modern US-70 and US-127, respectively.[5][6]

Around 1800, an early settler named Samuel Lambeth opened a store at this junction, and the small community that developed around it became known as Lambeth's Crossroads. The store was located at the modern intersection of Main Street and Stanley Street, just south of the courthouse. By the time a post office was established in the 1830s, the community had taken the name of "Crossville." In the early 1850s, James Scott, a merchant from nearby Sparta, purchased the Lambeth store and renamed it Scott's Tavern. When Cumberland County was formed in 1856, Crossville, being nearest the center of the county, was chosen as county seat. Scott donated the initial 40 acres for the erection of a courthouse and town square.[7]

Crossville and Cumberland County suffered rampant pillaging throughout the Civil War as the well-developed roads made the area accessible to both Union and Confederate forces and bands of renegade guerillas. The county was staunchly divided throughout the conflict, sending an even number of troops to both sides.[8

Here is some info so you can do some homework before you get there as well as early taverns and road names:

STANDS (INNS OR TAVERNS) FROM EARLY 1800'S
Fall Creek Falls Inn Built by the widow Haley 1807
Married Robert Burke
Sidnor's Stand Located at base of Spencer's Hill
Built 1800
Replaced by Crab Orchard Inn 1827
Replacement built by Robert Burke Remained a landmark in community for 50 years

Graham's Stand Located at Grimes Ford on Obed River
Built early 1800's
Sometimes called Grime's Stand
Another Inn built on opposite side of river
Haley's Stand Built by David Haley
Located on Piney Creek

Miller's Stand Located at Caney Ford
Kemmer's Stand Located a mile west of Daddy's Creek

Eastland's Stand Located beyond Pilot Knob
Johnson's Stand Located at head of Caney Fork
Was a log cabin built by Robert Johnson
New building erected 1806
Oldest building in county still standing

Lowery's Stand Became largest in County
Had main inn and 13 log cabins

EARLY ROADS IN COUNTY
Avery Trace Followed old Indian trail named Tallonteeskee
Peter Avery hired as guide to establish trail
Trail ran from Rockwood, through Monterey, and on to Nashville
Trail cleared to 10 feet wide
25 families crossed on trail, 1787

Walton Road First road built in county
Made turnpike by State Legislature, 1801
Road to be 15 feet wide, 12 feet between bridges and hills
Tolls were set
No Indians to pay tolls
Emory Road Second road built in county
Competed with Walton for revenue
Sometimes called Marchbanks Turnpike
Started Knoxville, crossed Morgan Co, near Wartburg, on to Carthage

Burke Road Linked Nashville, Lebanon, Sparta
Built 1822
Connected Walton Road with the Great Stage Rd
Gordon Rd Built as part of a "Military " road
A grant for 3000 acres awarded for road to General George Gordon, 1829
Started Post Oak Springs in Roane Co Entered Cumberland Co north of Fall Creek, through Grassy Cove to Great Stage Rd

Some civil war info :

Tom Keeton of the Home Guard skirmished with the Rebels at Brownwood in Lawsons Bottom and on the opposite side of the Cumberland River at Irish Bottom. Keeton then chased Champ Ferguson's forces up Crocus Creek and out up Puncheon Creek with Ferguson firing at Keeton's men over his shoulder.

John Hunt Morgan camped with part of his army at Salt Lick Bend and stripped the country of most of its food stuffs. He also stayed at Pleasant Hill near Whites Bottom for three weeks and stripped the county of its products. The teacher at Pleasant Hill adjourned school for the duration of the school year due to the fear of John Hunt Morgan.

In 1865 General Lyons entered into Cumberland County, having burned 28 county seats along his way. On December 23, he burned the Campbellsville Court House and on January 3, 1865, came into the town of Burkesville and robbed all the stores, took all the best horses and supplied his men with food from stores and smokehouses. He took the benches of the Cumberland County Courthouse and split them into kindling wood and set fire to the building. Fortunately, it was after all the records were removed. These records, going back to the formation of the county survived until a courthouse fire in 1933, in whichall would have been destroyed had it not been for the fact that some were safely in storage at another building nearby.

thanks for the info, Ill check out the library and try to find some more info.

Found a spot with very little internet info on it. Might be worth checking out while your there. It is only 7 miles from Crossville. See Tennessee Treasure Stories.

I know this thread is a little old but I was just wondering if you ever found anythin while you were visiting Crossville. I live in Crossville and have just begun to detect here since I moved here 2 years ago.