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44-740: The Cumberland Compact was based on the earlier Articles of the Watauga Association composed in 1772 at the Watauga settlement located on the Watauga River at present day Elizabethton, Tennessee . The only surviving copy of the Cumberland Compact was discovered in 1846 inside a trunk that once belonged to early pioneer and founder Colonel Samuel Barton . The copy in the Tennessee State Archives

88-832: A spring located south to the base of Peak Mountain at Linville Gap in Avery County, North Carolina . The spring emanates from the western side of the Tennessee Valley Divide , which is, at this location, congruent with the Eastern Continental Divide . On the other side of the divide at Linville Gap are the headwaters of the Linville River in the Upper Catawba watershed. Waters of the Linville River eventually reach

132-422: A clause that these judges could be removed from office by the people. Government salaries were to be paid in goods. Governors are paid 1,000 deer skins, secretaries are paid 450 otter skins, county clerks are paid 500 raccoon skins, and the constables are paid one mink skin for every warrant served. All males sixteen or older were subject to militia duty. The compact did establish a contract and relationship between

176-594: A privately owned utility purchased by the TVA in the late 1930s. Elizabethton acquired the moniker "City of Power" because of its early access to hydro-generated electricity from Wilbur Dam. The Watauga river is home to the endangered green floater mussel ( Lasmigona subviridis ). The river is also a breeding site for eastern hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis alleganiensis). Whitewater rafting , kayaking , canoeing , fly fishing , and angling with fishing reels are all popular recreation activities pursued on

220-547: A self-service public campground below Watauga Dam. Amenities and recreational opportunities at the TVA Watauga Dam Tailwater Campground include 29 camp sites with electric hookups, rest rooms with heated showers and flush toilets, dump station, public phone, picnic tables and grills, canoe access, boat ramps above and below dam, lake and river fishing, hiking trail, walking trail, wildlife viewing area, and birdwatching. The TVA regulates flow of

264-459: Is slightly damaged. Other than this the document is intact and legible. The Cumberland Compact was composed and signed by 256 colonists. One colonist, James Patrick of Virginia, was illiterate and marked his name with an "X". This constitution called for a governing council of 12 judges who would be elected by the vote of free men 21 years of age or older. Unique to the times, the Compact included

308-670: The Cherokee , and being outside the claims of any colony, established the Watauga Association to provide basic government functions. The lease and the subsequent purchase of these lands in 1775 were considered illegal by the British Crown, and were vehemently opposed by a growing faction of the Cherokee led by the young chief Dragging Canoe . With the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War (April 1775),

352-475: The Republic of Watauga ) was a semi-autonomous government created in 1772 by frontier settlers living along the Watauga River in what is now Elizabethton, Tennessee . Although it lasted only a few years, the Watauga Association provided a basis for what later developed into the state of Tennessee and likely influenced other western frontier governments in the trans-Appalachian region. North Carolina annexed

396-586: The Watauga , Nolichucky , and Holston river valleys in the late 1760s and early 1770s, most migrating from Virginia via the Great Valley , although a few were believed to have been Regulators fleeing North Carolina after their defeat at the Battle of Alamance . These settlers mistakenly believed (or at least claimed to have believed) the Watauga and Nolichucky valleys were part of lands ceded to Virginia by

440-684: The confluence of both the Holston River and the French Broad River . A North Carolina State University web page (the Watauga Medal) says the word "Watauga" is a Native-American word meaning "the land beyond". Local references say the name means "beautiful river" or "beautiful water". There were at least two Native American villages so named, including one at present-day Elizabethton, which became known as "Watauga Old Fields", referring to former Native American residents. It

484-595: The "Anaconda Rapids" by some North Carolina-based rafting companies) are found downstream between Wilbur Dam and the Siam Bridge, southeast of Elizabethton. For commercial whitewater rafting and kayaking on the Watauga River, the most popular Carter County "put-in" is immediately downstream of the TVA Wilbur Dam, and the most popular "take-out" is 2 to 2½ hours downstream (depending upon the volume of

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528-573: The Appalachian Mountains and defeated an army of British loyalists at the Battle of Kings Mountain —mustered at Sycamore Shoals, and included 240 Wataugans under the command of Cols. John Sevier and Isaac Shelby. After the battle, Sevier led a second punitive expedition against the Cherokee in which he destroyed the Chickamauga Cherokee villages near modern Chattanooga . At least one Wataugan, William Tatham,

572-825: The Atlantic Ocean, whereas waters of the Watauga River reach the Gulf of Mexico; hence the Eastern Continental Divide. The river then flows across Watauga County, North Carolina , crossing the Tennessee state line (River Mile (RM) 55.1) at Johnson County , then into Carter County, Tennessee and ends at its confluence with the Holston River 's South Fork (RM 0) on the Washington / Sullivan County border. After crossing into Johnson County,

616-640: The British Proclamation of 1763 , forbidding colonial settlement west of the Blue Ridge Mountains in order to protect Native American territories, was essentially unenforceable. Wilbur Dam is the site of first hydroelectric dam constructed in Tennessee (beginning in 1909), going online with power production and distribution in 1912. Wilbur Dam was constructed on the Watauga River by the former Tennessee Electric Power Company,

660-479: The Cherokee in the 1770 Treaty of Lochaber , but a subsequent survey by Colonel John Donelson confirmed that these lands were still part of the Cherokee domain. As settlement on lands west of colonial boundaries violated the Royal Proclamation of 1763 , the Watauga and Nolichucky settlers were ordered to leave. In May 1772, the Watauga and Nolichucky settlers negotiated a 10-year lease directly with

704-811: The Cherokee signed the Treaty of Long Island, ceding control of the Watauga and Nolichucky valleys to the American colonies. Since no copy of the Articles of the Watauga Association has ever been found, most of what is known about it comes from other sources, primarily the 1776 Petition of the Inhabitants of the Washington District , commonly called the "Watauga Petition," in which the Wataugans requested annexation by North Carolina. According to

748-548: The Horseshoe section of the Watauga River, is the TVA Wilbur Dam , which forms a much smaller but very deep reservoir known as Wilbur Lake. TVA releases approximately 130 cubic feet per second (3.7 m /s) of discharged water back into the Watauga River during the summer months. Below Wilbur Dam the river flows generally north and then west into Carter County where it forms the northern limits of Elizabethton , where

792-639: The North Carolina Assembly to annex the district. In November of that year, North Carolina granted the petition and formally annexed the area. The Washington District was finally admitted to North Carolina as Washington County in November 1777. The Cherokee, who were aligned with the British, launched an all-out invasion against the settlements in July 1776, but were soundly defeated. In 1777,

836-455: The Petition, the Articles were fashioned after the laws of Virginia and were enacted by unanimous consent of the settlers. The primary reason given for the establishment of the Watauga Association was to prevent the Watauga and Nolichucky regions from becoming a haven for debtors and felons, and for conducting "public business" such as the recording of deeds and wills. Other sources, such as

880-698: The Spring and Summer of 1776, the Wataugans heeded a call to arms and dispatched a company of riflemen under Felix Walker to aide in the defense of Charleston in South Carolina. In August 1780, a small contingent led by Col. Isaac Shelby fought in the American Patriot victory at the Battle of Musgrove Mill near present-day Clinton, South Carolina . In late September 1780, the Overmountain Men —the frontier militia that crossed

924-778: The State of Tennessee" published in 1823 that the "Watauga signifies the River of Islands, or the Island River. The Holston River was known to the Cherokees by the name of Watauga.". Pre-Civil War maps of Tennessee show that the river designated as the Holston River extended west of Knoxville, meeting with the Clinch River near Kingston and well past the present-day beginning of the Tennessee River (east of Knoxville) at

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968-539: The Watauga Association ever claimed to be outside the sovereign territory of the British Crown, historians have often cited the Association as the earliest attempt by American-born colonists to form an independent democratic government. In 1774, Virginia governor Lord Dunmore called the Watauga Association a "dangerous example" of Americans forming a government "distinct from and independent of his majesty's authority." President Theodore Roosevelt later wrote that

1012-487: The Watauga River by scheduling the release of deep, impounded reservoir waters from behind both the Watauga Dam and Wilbur Dam. As a result, the summer temperature of the Watauga River is approximately 52–53°F (11–12 °C) downstream of the dams. The Watauga River is generally comfortable for kayaking, canoeing, and rafting during the summer months, but care must be taken to prevent hypothermia by prolonged exposure to

1056-597: The Watauga River is first impounded by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Watauga Dam , creating the 6,430-acre (2,600 ha) Watauga Lake . This impoundment receives two important tributaries: the Elk River and Roan Creek . Watauga Lake is bridged by Tennessee State Route 67 over Butler Memorial Bridge just as the watercourse enters Carter County. The Appalachian Trail crosses the river on Watauga Dam. Nearly 3 miles below Watauga Dam, on

1100-408: The Watauga River. Rainbow trout , brown trout , and striped bass are all caught in the Watauga River. The Watauga River downstream of the TVA dams draws commercial rafting outfitters from both northeast Tennessee and western North Carolina during the summer months and commercial fishing guides throughout the year. The picturesque Class II+ Bee Cliff Rapids on the Watauga River (also referred to

1144-534: The Watauga River. The distance afloat between the TVA Watauga Reservoir and Boone Lake is approximately 20.6 miles (33.2 km). The true origin of the name of the Watauga River is probably lost to antiquity. Most documents agree that the name is of Native American origin, though which nation, tribe or language it descends from, and its meaning, are in question. Early Tennessee historian John Haywood states in his "The Civil and Political History of

1188-469: The Watauga settlement area, by then known as the Washington District , in November 1776. Within a year, the area was placed under a county government, becoming Washington County, North Carolina, in November 1777. This area covers the present day Washington County , Carter County , and other areas now located in the northeast part of the state of Tennessee . While there is no evidence that

1232-529: The Watauga settlers were the "first men of American birth to establish a free and independent community on the continent." While no copy of the settlers' compact, known as the Articles of the Watauga Association , has ever been found, related documents tend to imply that the Watauga settlers still considered themselves British subjects, even after the initial hostilities of the American Revolution had commenced. European settlers began arriving in

1276-470: The Watauga then receives the Doe River . Farther downstream on the Watauga River at the boundary between Carter County and Washington County is the old TVA Watauga Steam Plant. A portion of the boundary line between Washington County and Sullivan County is formed by the Watauga River. Boone Dam is located below the slack water confluence of both South Fork Holston River and the downstream end (mouth) of

1320-454: The West , Theodore Roosevelt treated the Watauga Association as a microcosm of the subsequent American Revolution, writing, "the Watauga settlers outlined in advance the nation's work. They tamed the rugged and shaggy wilderness, they bid defiance to outside foes, and they successfully solved the difficult problem of self-government." Recent historians point out that while the Watauga Association

1364-598: The construction of Fort Watauga (initially named Fort Caswell and located at present day Elizabethton, Tennessee ), where they thwarted one wing of the Cherokee invasion of July 1776. Wataugans took part in William Christian 's punitive expedition and the Rutherford Light Horse expedition against the Overhill towns in the latter half of 1776. Even at the height of the Cherokee threat in

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1408-492: The court, although most agree that it included John Carter, James Robertson , Charles Robertson, and Zachariah Isbell. The fifth member was probably Jacob Brown. Later court members included Andrew Greer, John Roddye, and John Sevier . James Smith was probably the court's first clerk, replaced by Sevier in 1775. When Sevier was elected to the court, Felix Walker took over as clerk, with Tatham serving in his absence. Wataugan militiamen were present at multiple engagements on

1452-512: The first divorce was granted between May and Nathaniel Parker. Henry Baker became the first capital punishment case in Davidson County with the first death sentence of "hanged by the neck until he is dead" for stealing a horse. These records survive in a heavy leather bound book in the care of the circuit court clerk. The 256 signers included the following: Watauga Association The Watauga Association (sometimes referred to as

1496-542: The frontier and throughout the American Revolution. A company of 20 Wataugans took part in the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774 during Lord Dunmore's War , and another contingent aided in the defense of Boonesborough and Harrodsburg later in the decade. The Washington District Committee of Safety, created in 1775, consisted of John Carter, Zachariah Isbell, Jacob Brown, John Sevier, James Smith, James and Charles Robertson, William Bean , John Jones, George Russell, and Robert Lucas. The Committee acquired arms and oversaw

1540-525: The history of the U.S. Constitution, wrote of the Wataugans, "one can find no more striking fact in American history, nor one more typical, than the simple ease with which those frontiersmen ... formed an association and extended the rights and privileges of self-government." McLaughlin's colleague Claude Van Tyne wrote of the Wataugans, "like the Pilgrim Fathers they were without formal laws and institutions, and they made them." In The Winning of

1584-419: The later writings of Washington District Committee of Safety clerk pro tem William Tatham (1752–1819) and documents collected by historian J. G. M. Ramsey in the mid-19th century, reveal that the Articles established a five-member court (the members of which were elected), and that the Wataugans erected a courthouse and jail at Sycamore Shoals . Historians disagree over the first five magistrates of

1628-488: The laws of Virginia, even though the settlement was clearly within the territory of North Carolina). In the mid-1780s, some former Wataugans (especially John Sevier) played a key role in the establishment of the failed State of Franklin . Numerous historians in the 19th and early 20th centuries romanticized the Watauga Association as the first democratic or constitutional government formed by American-born colonists. Historian Andrew C. McLaughlin , in his first major work on

1672-948: The reservoir release and other factors) at the Blackbottom riverside portion of the city linear trail park in Elizabethton. The distance afloat for paddlers from the put-in at Wilbur Dam to the Blackbottom take-out is approximately seven miles, with landmarks along the Watauga River providing a good estimate of time and distance traveled. The Watauga River also has a section of Class IV-V whitewater popular with expert kayakers, upstream of Watauga Lake in North Carolina. This section requires significant rainfall to bring it up to runnable levels. It features continuous steep boulder bed rapids dropping up to 150 feet per mile (28 m/km), and several falls and ledges only runnable by expert paddlers. The Tennessee Valley Authority maintains

1716-551: The settlers of the Cumberland region and limited the punishment that could be meted out by the judicial system. Serious capital crimes were to be settled by transporting the offending party to a location under the direct jurisdiction of the State of North Carolina for a proper trial. The compact remained in effect until Tennessee became a state. In 1788, at the first court session in Nashville Andrew Jackson

1760-571: The settlers organized themselves into the "Washington District," loyal to the "united colonies," and formed a Committee of Safety to govern it, marking the end of the so-called "Watauga Republic". In Spring of 1776, the Washington District Committee of Safety drafted a petition asking the colony of Virginia to annex the district. After Virginia refused, the Committee drafted a similar petition (dated July 5, 1776) asking

1804-615: Was first explored by Daniel Boone and James Robertson in 1759. A historic Cherokee town known as Watauga was located along the Little Tennessee River near present-day Franklin, North Carolina , in their homelands. The original settlers of Nashville, Tennessee , set out west from the Watauga River area, called the Watauga Association , during the American Revolution . They realized that

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1848-431: Was granted permission to practice law. He was immediately handed the job of prosecuting attorney. In 1793, Judge John McNairy sentenced Nashville's first horse thief, John McKain, Jr., to be fastened to a wooden stock one hour for 39 lashes, his ears cut off and cheeks branded with the letter "H" and "T". The first female convicted of stealing soap and thread was stripped to the waist and publicly whipped nine lashes. By 1800,

1892-708: Was one of the first constitutional governments west of the Appalachians, it was not intended as a government separate from the English colonies. Watauga River The Watauga River ( / w ə ˈ t ɔː ɡ ə / ) is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee . It is 78.5 miles (126.3 km) long with its headwaters in Linville Gap to the South Fork Holston River at Boone Lake . The Watauga River rises from

1936-713: Was present at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781. The Articles of the Watauga Association likely influenced the Cumberland Compact (drafted in 1780), the main link between the two pacts being James Robertson, who in 1779 led a group of colonists into what is now the Nashville area. The Clarksville Compact, drafted for the Clarksville settlement in 1785, may have also been inspired by the Watauga Association (the Clarksville Compact even adopted

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