Joppa, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Joppa is an unincorporated community in rural west-central Grainger County, Tennessee
, United States
that rests below Joppa Mountain, a subrange of the 150 mile (240 km) long Clinch Mountain
Ridge. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee
Metropolitan Statistical Area
.
and Virginia. The road intersected the Old Kentucky Road (now US-25E) at Bean Station, just east of Rutledge.
During the U.S. Civil War, guerilla warfare largely paralyzed Grainger County. Confederate
General James Longstreet
, who had earlier failed to wrest Knoxville from Union
forces, on December 14, 1863, in what became known as the Battle of Bean's Station, attacked a Union detachment that had been pursuing him. The Confederates failed to exploit the element of surprise, and the Union forces were able to hold out until reinforcements arrived. While Longstreet was victorious, Union forces were able to retreat through Joppa en route to fortifications at Blaine, and Longstreet subsequently abandoned the assault and continued eastward to Russellville.
Cherokee Lake, created by the Tennessee Valley Authority
in 1941 with the completion of Cherokee Dam
, is located just southeast of Joppa.
Hang Gliding from Joppa (Clinch) Mountain was (and still is) the goal of many hang gliding enthusiasts around the world according to the president of one of the largest hang gliding associations in the United States. Hang gliding on Joppa (Clinch) Mountain started in the mid-1970s and enjoyed considerable notoriety until the late 1980s. The 1979 USHPA
regional competition was held on Joppa (Clinch) Mountain, and is also the site of the Tennessee Flex Wing Free Flight Record of 68.3 miles by Ellis Newkirk. The Locals describe the weekends around the Joppa & Powder Springs communities as being full of activities with spectators lined along U.S. Route 11W
(Rutledge Pike) & TN State Route 131
as hang gliders would launch from Buzzard Rock, on the Joppa Mountain summit, and glide over the Poor, Richland, and Clinch Valleys landing at various local landing zones or destinations as far away as Virginia, Kentucky, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Ridge between Blaine
and Rutledge
. Richland Creek
traverses most of the valley en route to its confluence along the Cherokee Lake
impoundment of the Holston River
, approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) downstream from Joppa.
The Joppa community encompasses an area of about 12 square miles (31.1 km²) that runs roughly from the top of the Clinch Mountain Ridge just southwest of where Joppa Mountain Road crosses at Powder Spring Gap, then runs about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeasterly along the ridge to just above where the intersection of Corbin Lake and Poor Valley Roads meet between the Poor Valley Knobs and then turns south and runs roughly 2.5 miles (4 km) across U.S. Route 11W
to the top of the Richland Knobs near Owl Hole Gap Road. From there, it runs another 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwesterly along the top of the Richland Knobs.
Joppa is centered around Joppa Elementary School located at the junction of U.S. Route 11W
, which connects the community to Kingsport
to the east and Knoxville
to the west, and Joppa Mountain Road, which traverses the Clinch Mountain
Ridge via the Powder Spring Gap to the Powder Springs Community to the northwest. Starting from the Clinch Mountain
Ridge's southern terminus at Signal Point peak near Blaine Tennessee, Joppa Mountain Road is the first of only five transportation crossings from southwest to northeast along its entire 150 miles (241.4 km) length.
Even by a geologist's standards, the Appalachians are old mountains: The bedrock was formed 1 billion years ago and the mountains are 500 million years old, 10 times older and once taller than the Rockies, Sierras, Andes, and Himalayas. They have been created, worn down, and created again as a result of tectonic and weathering forces. Continental drift, a phenomenon that continues on earth's surface today, has played a major role.
The legacy of tectonic events in East Tennessee created the mountainous physiographic province known as the Valley and Ridge, within which Joppa, TN is located. The Valley and Ridge takes its name from its long ridges and valleys oriented in a northeast-southwest direction. This topography was shaped by folding and faulting that occurred during the Paleozoic Era. Great force from the east, possibly from northern Africa ramming into eastern North America, rippled the landscape like a rug pushed against a wall from one side. Then erosion set in, shaping more resistant rock into ridges and cutting valleys into weaker ones. The area is dominated by dolomite and highly erodible limestone, making caves numerous. The region has great habitat diversity and supports an especially diverse fish fauna, including the Upper Clinch River, which holds one of the most diverse fish faunas in North America.
Chestnut Flat
A small playa (flat) area below the Joppa Mountain summit called Chestnut Flat was once home to a large population of American Chestnut trees. The pathogenic fungus is the causal agent of Chestnut blight
, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction by 1940 of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the south east United States.
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
that rests below Joppa Mountain, a subrange of the 150 mile (240 km) long Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
Ridge. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown, Tennessee
Morristown is a city in, and the county seat of, Hamblen County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 29,137 at the 2010 United States Census. It is the principal city of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Grainger, Hamblen and Jefferson counties...
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Morristown metropolitan area
The Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties - Grainger, Hamblen, and Jefferson - in eastern Tennessee, anchored by the city of Morristown. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 123,081...
.
History
It's situated along the Federal Road (now US-11W), which connected New OrleansNew Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
and Virginia. The road intersected the Old Kentucky Road (now US-25E) at Bean Station, just east of Rutledge.
During the U.S. Civil War, guerilla warfare largely paralyzed Grainger County. Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
General James Longstreet
James Longstreet
James Longstreet was one of the foremost Confederate generals of the American Civil War and the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Horse." He served under Lee as a corps commander for many of the famous battles fought by the Army of Northern Virginia in the...
, who had earlier failed to wrest Knoxville from Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
forces, on December 14, 1863, in what became known as the Battle of Bean's Station, attacked a Union detachment that had been pursuing him. The Confederates failed to exploit the element of surprise, and the Union forces were able to hold out until reinforcements arrived. While Longstreet was victorious, Union forces were able to retreat through Joppa en route to fortifications at Blaine, and Longstreet subsequently abandoned the assault and continued eastward to Russellville.
Cherokee Lake, created by the Tennessee Valley Authority
Tennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
in 1941 with the completion of Cherokee Dam
Cherokee Dam
Cherokee Dam is a hydroelectric dam located on the Holston River in Grainger County and Jefferson County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The dam is operated and maintained by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the early 1940s to help meet urgent demands for...
, is located just southeast of Joppa.
Hang Gliding from Joppa (Clinch) Mountain was (and still is) the goal of many hang gliding enthusiasts around the world according to the president of one of the largest hang gliding associations in the United States. Hang gliding on Joppa (Clinch) Mountain started in the mid-1970s and enjoyed considerable notoriety until the late 1980s. The 1979 USHPA
USHPA
The United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association is a non-profit organization supporting foot-launched soaring flight in the United States. It began in 1971 as the Southern California Hang Gliding Association and became national in scope by the mid-1970s. When paragliding became popular...
regional competition was held on Joppa (Clinch) Mountain, and is also the site of the Tennessee Flex Wing Free Flight Record of 68.3 miles by Ellis Newkirk. The Locals describe the weekends around the Joppa & Powder Springs communities as being full of activities with spectators lined along U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11W is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The U.S. Highway, which is complemented by US 11E to the south and east, runs from US 11, US 11E, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee north and east to US 11, US 11E, US 19, and US 421 in Bristol, Virginia...
(Rutledge Pike) & TN State Route 131
Tennessee State Route 131
State Route 131 is a south-to-north highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that is 67 miles long. It is designated as a secondary route.State Route 131 begins in Knoxville at Kingston Pike State Route 131 is a south-to-north highway in the U.S. state of Tennessee that is 67 miles (108 km)...
as hang gliders would launch from Buzzard Rock, on the Joppa Mountain summit, and glide over the Poor, Richland, and Clinch Valleys landing at various local landing zones or destinations as far away as Virginia, Kentucky, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Geography
Joppa is located at 36°14′16.76"N 83°36′55.71"W (36.279991, -83.518008).. The community is situated along Richland Valley, a narrow valley that stretches for some 35 miles (56.3 km) along the southern base of the Clinch MountainClinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
Ridge between Blaine
Blaine, Tennessee
Blaine is a town in Grainger County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,856 at the 2010 census, an increase of 271 individuals since the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and Rutledge
Rutledge, Tennessee
Rutledge is a town in Grainger County, Tennessee, United States. It is the county seat of Grainger County. It is part of the Morristown, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. Richland Creek
Richland Creek
Richland Creek is a river in Texas.Richland Creek is also the name of the main creek flowing through Belleville, Illinois, and is a tributary to the Kaskaskia River.-References:**USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Texas...
traverses most of the valley en route to its confluence along the Cherokee Lake
Cherokee Reservoir
Cherokee Reservoir, also known as Cherokee Lake, is a reservoir in Tennessee formed by the impoundment of the Holston River behind Cherokee Dam.The reservoir has a surface area of about , a flood-storage capacity of , and nearly of shoreline...
impoundment of the Holston River
Holston River
The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...
, approximately 14 miles (22.5 km) downstream from Joppa.
The Joppa community encompasses an area of about 12 square miles (31.1 km²) that runs roughly from the top of the Clinch Mountain Ridge just southwest of where Joppa Mountain Road crosses at Powder Spring Gap, then runs about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) northeasterly along the ridge to just above where the intersection of Corbin Lake and Poor Valley Roads meet between the Poor Valley Knobs and then turns south and runs roughly 2.5 miles (4 km) across U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11W is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The U.S. Highway, which is complemented by US 11E to the south and east, runs from US 11, US 11E, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee north and east to US 11, US 11E, US 19, and US 421 in Bristol, Virginia...
to the top of the Richland Knobs near Owl Hole Gap Road. From there, it runs another 4.5 miles (7.2 km) southwesterly along the top of the Richland Knobs.
Joppa is centered around Joppa Elementary School located at the junction of U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11W
U.S. Route 11W is a divided highway of US 11 in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia. The U.S. Highway, which is complemented by US 11E to the south and east, runs from US 11, US 11E, and US 70 in Knoxville, Tennessee north and east to US 11, US 11E, US 19, and US 421 in Bristol, Virginia...
, which connects the community to Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
to the east and Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
to the west, and Joppa Mountain Road, which traverses the Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
Ridge via the Powder Spring Gap to the Powder Springs Community to the northwest. Starting from the Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
Ridge's southern terminus at Signal Point peak near Blaine Tennessee, Joppa Mountain Road is the first of only five transportation crossings from southwest to northeast along its entire 150 miles (241.4 km) length.
Natural History
GeologyEven by a geologist's standards, the Appalachians are old mountains: The bedrock was formed 1 billion years ago and the mountains are 500 million years old, 10 times older and once taller than the Rockies, Sierras, Andes, and Himalayas. They have been created, worn down, and created again as a result of tectonic and weathering forces. Continental drift, a phenomenon that continues on earth's surface today, has played a major role.
The legacy of tectonic events in East Tennessee created the mountainous physiographic province known as the Valley and Ridge, within which Joppa, TN is located. The Valley and Ridge takes its name from its long ridges and valleys oriented in a northeast-southwest direction. This topography was shaped by folding and faulting that occurred during the Paleozoic Era. Great force from the east, possibly from northern Africa ramming into eastern North America, rippled the landscape like a rug pushed against a wall from one side. Then erosion set in, shaping more resistant rock into ridges and cutting valleys into weaker ones. The area is dominated by dolomite and highly erodible limestone, making caves numerous. The region has great habitat diversity and supports an especially diverse fish fauna, including the Upper Clinch River, which holds one of the most diverse fish faunas in North America.
Chestnut Flat
A small playa (flat) area below the Joppa Mountain summit called Chestnut Flat was once home to a large population of American Chestnut trees. The pathogenic fungus is the causal agent of Chestnut blight
Chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a member of the ascomycota category, and is the main cause of chestnut blight, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the eastern...
, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction by 1940 of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the south east United States.