Cosby

History

For centuries, lands along the northern rim of the Great Smokies, including Cosby, were used primarily as hunting grounds by the Cherokee. The first European settlers arrived in what is now Cocke County in the early 1780s. Among these settlers were John Gilliland (c. 1725-1798), who settled near the mouth of the Pigeon River, Peter Fine (1753–1826), who established Fine's Ferry at what is now Newport, and a small colony of German immigrants from Pennsylvania, who settled in what became known as the Dutch Bottoms area. Samuel Odell (c. 1750-1789) was probably the first to settle in the Cosby Creek valley. These early encroachments no doubt reduced wildlife numbers and agitated the Cherokee, who harassed the early settlers by harvesting from their livestock. Fine's brother, Vinet, was killed while chasing a band of Cherokee in 1783. Scalpings were also reported. The fort quickly grew into a small frontier outpost, complementing the fords and ferry to the north. While Cherokee raids continued, the Cosby area was largely peaceful by the early 19th century. The origin of the name "Cosby" is a mystery, although two well-established hypotheses are given. The first centers around an early trapper and distiller in the area named Jonathan Cosby (sometimes spelled "Cozby"). The second suggests that the creek and valley were named after Dr. James Cozby (c. 1752-1831), a Revolutionary War veteran and friend of John Sevier, who may have made early claims to land along the creek. In any case, the name appears as early as 1838 in the minutes of the Big Pigeon Church in reference to the Bethany Church that had recently been founded along "Cosby Creek". Cocke County, like much of East Tennessee, was divided between Union and Confederate sentiments during the American Civil…

Geography

Cosby is located on the northeast fringe of the Great Smoky Mountains. The community is spread out over a narrow valley that runs from Allen Grove near Newport in the north to the border of the national park to the south. English Mountain rises over 2,000 feet above Cosby to the northwest and Green Mountain rises just over 1,500 feet to the east. The Great Smoky Mountain National Park to the south and southwest forms several segments of the boundary of the community. Cosby Creek, its source on the crest of the Smokies near Cammerer Ridge, is the valley's main watershed. The creek cuts through the valley, running roughly parallel to Tennessee Route 32/U.S. Route 321 before turning east near Allen Grove and emptying into the Pigeon River. Traditionally, Cosby has been divided into three sections of differing elevation, known simply as Lower Cosby, Middle Cosby, and Upper Cosby. Lower Cosby is the northernmost section, roughly consisting of the area between the mouth of Cosby Creek along the Pigeon River and Jones Cove Road. Upper Cosby, most of which is now part of the national park, consists mainly of the area in the vicinity of the Cosby Campground. U.S. Route 321 is the main road in Cosby, connecting the valley to Newport (10 miles to the north) and Gatlinburg (20 miles to the west). TN-339, which intersects US-321 near the center of Cosby, connects the valley with Jones Cove and Sevierville to the west. The easternmost segment of the Foothills Parkway intersects with U.S. Route 321 one-quarter mile further south. TN-32 parallels US-321 through most of Cosby before splitting off and heading east to the Cosby section of the national park and onward to the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

Race & ethnicity