Rugby

Unusual things happen in Tennessee. It may seem like a pretty normal state, and most of the time it is. But it’s also the sort of place where the townsfolk will hang an elephant for misbehaving, or where snakes have been seen raining out of the sky, just like those frogs in the movie “Magnolia.” Tennessee was also the site of a utopian British colony, which is still in existence today (though not quite in its original form).
The Rugby Colony — located in what are now Morgan and Scott Counties on the Cumberland Plateau — was founded by Thomas Hughes in 1880. An Englishman, Hughes had been a member of Parliament and was famous for his 1857 novel “Tom Brown’s School Days.” Hughes visited the United States in the early 1870s on a speaking tour. Intrigued by what he found, he began envisioning a cooperative, class-free agrarian American colony populated by British immigrants.
Hughes joined a venture capital company that bought land in East Tennessee and, when Rugby was officially dedicated in 1880, the colony already had about 100 residents. The colony flourished for a while, attracting more than 300 residents and producing nearly 70 Victorian buildings. But eventually Rugby entered a period of decline, due to a myriad of problems, including several severe winters, a typhoid outbreak and financial troubles.
Today Rugby still stands. The small village consists of a population of just less than 100, but more than 65,000 visitors descend on the former colony annually. Rugby is located about an hour and a half northeast of Knoxville. It can be reached from Knoxville by taking Interstate 75 north and then Highway 63 to the west.
Visitors to Rugby have the opportunity to visit many historic buildings. Daily guided walking tours start at the Schoolhouse Visitor Centre. There tourists can view a 32-foot wall mural and a 22-minute film about Rugby’s history. They’ll then see the Thomas Hughes Free Public Library (“virtually unchanged since it opened in 1882”), Kingstone Lisle (Hughes’ home) and Christ Church Episcopal (a Carpenter Gothic church that has been open since 1887).
Rugby hosts several festivals throughout the year. The annual Festival of British and Appalachian Culture in May include traditional arts and crafts, storytelling, maypole dancing, regional food and drink, children’s activities and more. Those who come for the annual Ghostly Gathering will hear ghost stories told by oil lamp light, enjoy homemade chili and cornbread, and warm their hands by a bonfire. There are also festive events at Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Those visiting Rugby can also shop for locally made handicrafts and products from the British Isles. They’ll fill their bellies with a hodgepodge of British and Appalachian foods like deep-fried catfish and shepherd’s pie at the Harrow Road Cafe. Then they’ll rest their weary heads at one of a couple of bed and breakfasts, both build in 1880, or at a Victorian cottage. There are even workshops on crafts like basket weaving and quilting.