Concord

Mention Concord in the United States, and most people will immediately think of the town in Massachusetts. It was there that the battles of Lexington and Concord, the initial conflicts of the Revolutionary War, were fought. It was also there that influential authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne spent time writing most of the contents of today’s American literature anthologies. But there are other Concords of historical significance. East Tennessee’s Concord is an unincorporated town in Knox County (it’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places) to the east of Farragut and the west of Knoxville. Concord was founded in 1854 on land owned by James M. Rodgers. The advent of the railroad brought about great development in Concord. By the 1880s the town was a marble production center, a regional transportation hub and a mostly self-sufficient community. But the introduction of the automobile, the decline of the marble industry during the Great Depression and the creation of Fort Loudoun Lake by TVA (which flooded about one-third of the town) brought about the town’s deterioration. Concord began to recover during the 1970s, perhaps due to Knoxville development moving westward. Today you would never know that there was a time when Concord was besieged by closed businesses with boarded-up windows. Concord is now a residential community surrounded by subdivisions. The area is just minutes from Farragut, which you can connect to by way of what may be Knoxville’s only roundabout. And by the water. Don’t forget the water. A large part of the appeal of this community is that it is situated right alongside the lake. Yes, it’s definitely important to recognize the historical importance of the area. Sometimes, though, you just want to go boating or fishing on the lake. Concord Park gives locals plenty of opportunity for that. The 500-acre public park is off Northshore Drive, which, as you may have guessed, follows the northern shore of Fort Loudoun Lake. Concord Park is tremendous, not only for its size, but also for its gorgeous scenery, its ease of access to the lake, and its amenities. There are seven baseball fields, two softball fields, two tennis courts, one football field, the Concord Park Par 3 nine-hole golf course and a swimming pool. The park has both natural and paved trails, including eight miles that can be used for mountain biking. There are three fishing piers, five picnic shelters, 34 picnic tables, two concession stands, restrooms and a playground. Within the park are a couple of popular spots. The Cove has a sandy beach front at which you can go swimming. There are also two sand volleyball areas and canoe and kayak rentals, plus a walking loop, a covered pavilion and more picnic tables. The Point has space for inline hockey and soccer. Concord Marina is on-site at the park. There you’ll find a full-service restaurant, fuel, easy to navigate boat ramps, a store with boating accessories, a rentable clubhouse and even accessible WiFi Internet. So what are you waiting for? Go fishing. Swim. Sit and watch the boats go by while you feel the wind coming off the trees. Read some Emerson. Live.