Bean Station was named after the Bean family who established the first permanent settlement there in 1776. By the early 1800s, 3 tavern/inns had been licensed in Bean Station. The most notable was a 2-story log tavern built by Thomas and Jenkins Whiteside.
By 1825, a 40-room red brick addition to the tavern was built, making it the largest inn between Washington, DC, and New Orleans. During the Civil War, Bean Station was the scene of a famed 3-day battle. After the war, Samuel Tate bought 2,500 acres of land surrounding a nearby spring and built a grand Victorian-style hotel.
Eleven years later, Captain Thomas Tomlinson bought the property and transformed the hotel into a world class luxury resort aided by the Peavine Railroad and the healing properties of the spring's waters. Tate Epson Water was prescribed by leading physicians and shipped all over the world. In the early 1900s, Tate Springs Resort encompassed 35-40 buildings, an elegant ballroom, riding stables, swimming pool, billiards room, tennis courts, 100-acre park and 18-hole golf course.
In 1940, before the Holston River was dammed and Cherokee Lake created, the historic Bean Station tavern was destroyed by fire before it could be relocated to higher ground. Today, the tavern site and battlefield still lie beneath the lake.
The area's annual average temperature is 56 degrees. The monthly average high temperature ranges from 49 degrees in January to 88 degrees in July. Monthly average low temperatures are from 32 degrees in January to 69 degrees in July. Annual average precipitation is 59 inches, with an annual average snowfall of about 12 inches.
Area festivals include the Clinch Mountain Bluegrass Festival in Blaine, the Clinch Mountain Summerfest in Washburn, the Grainger County Tomato Festival in Rutledge and the Harvest Pride Days Festival in Bean Station.
Many fine artists and craftsmen live and work in Grainger County. The Artisans of Rural Tennessee (ART), is a loosely organized group of artists that meets at the Old Jail in Rutledge. Other attractions include the Historic Nance House, Frame House and Joppa Mountain Pottery.
The Grainger County School District is comprised of 6 schools and an adult high school. There are 4 elementary schools, a K-12 school and a high school servicing the communities of Bean Station, Rutledge, Blaine and Washburn.
Nearby colleges and universities include Walters State Community College, Carson-Newman College, the University of Tennessee, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, East Tennessee State University, Northeast State Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
Hospitals and medical centers near Bean Station include Lakeway Regional Hospital, Morristown Hamblen Hospital and Claiborne County Hospital.
With 2 large lakes, 2 beautiful rivers and thousands of acres of forest, Grainger County is truly a sportsman's paradise. You can enjoy hiking, canoeing, fishing, hunting, sailing, water skiing, hang gliding and more. Cherokee and Norris lakes are popular with boaters and anglers, and attract thousands of visitors from around the country each year. The lakes are regularly restocked with rainbow trout, large and smallmouth bass, rock and striped bass, bluegill, sunfish, channel and flathead catfish, walleye and more.
The Holston River and Clinch River also offer excellent kayaking and canoeing. Clinch Mountain offers great hiking opportunities. Hunting is also popular with white-tail deer and eastern wild turkey, the 2 most abundant game species. You'll also find plenty of small game species like cottontail rabbit, mourning dove, ruffed grouse and 4 species of squirrel.
Organized softball and little league baseball provide entertainment and enjoyment during the summer months. Clinchview Golf Club in Bean Station offers golfers a first class 18-hole course and spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
We've told you about just a few of the many points of interest in and around Bean Station and Grainger County. When you get a chance, come on in to our United Country office and let us tell you more. We offer a wide range of real estate possibilities.