Erwin

History

The town of Erwin received its name by a mail mishap. On December 5, 1879, the name of the town was Ervin, in honor of D.J.N. Ervin, who had donated of land for the county seat. A typo made by post office officials caused the name to be recorded as Erwin. The mistake was never corrected. From 1890 to 2015 railroad operations contributed greatly to Erwin's economic and cultural identity. The Charleston, Cincinnati and Chicago Railroad (the Triple C) was chartered in 1886 with its headquarters in Johnson City, Tennessee. Trains ran through Erwin in 1890, but by the end of the year, the company disbanded and all construction and operation ceased. In 1893 the Ohio River and Charleston Railway (OR&C) purchased the assets of the Charleston Cincinnati & Chicago Railroad in receivership and attempted to complete and operate the line. It too failed and was placed in receivership. In 1909 the Carolina, Clinchfield and Ohio Railway (CCO) was completed, running from Dante, Virginia to Spartanburg, South Carolina, with its headquarters situated in Erwin. In 1915, this line was extended to Elkhorn City, Kentucky, to connect with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (C&O). In 1924, its ownership and name was officially changed to the Clinchfield Railroad (CRR). On Aug. 31, 1987 the C&O railroad merged into CSX Transportation, which continued to maintain the Erwin rail yard. After acquiring 42% of Conrail in 1999, CSX became one of four major railroad systems in the nation and Erwin continued to host the rail yard, diesel shop, and car repair facility until 2015. Between 1916 and 1957, the Southern Potteries plant operated in Erwin along Ohio Avenue. The plant produced a hand-painted dishware known as Blue Ridge that became popular nationwide in the late 1930s and 1940s. Blue…

Geography

Erwin is located at (36.145036, -82.410796), The town is situated in a valley at the confluence of North Indian Creek, which approaches from the northeast, and the Nolichucky River, which enters the valley from the mountains to the southeast. Just before reaching Erwin, the Nolichucky passes through a narrow gorge popular with whitewater rafters. Erwin is surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest, and mountains dominate the view in all directions. Buffalo Mountain rises to the north, Rich Mountain rises to the west, and the Unaka Mountains rise to the south and east. The Appalachian Trail passes east of Erwin. The trail crosses the Nolichucky near the western end of the Nolichucky Gorge, at a place known as Unaka Springs. Nearby is "Moaning Rock", a large boulder near the trail that is supposed to be the site of a long ago murder of a stranger. According to local lore, the murdered man's spirit is still around, and if anyone stands on or even touches the rock, "...it moans as if under a heavy burden." Interstate 26 passes through western and southern Erwin. Tennessee State Route 107 (North Main Avenue) connects Erwin to Unicoi to the north and the Embreeville area and Washington County to the west. Tennessee State Route 395 connects Erwin with the rural parts of Mitchell and Yancey counties to the east in North Carolina, crossing the Unakas at the Indian Grave Gap (the road becomes North Carolina Highway 197 at the state line). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and 0.28% is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,456
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  2,404
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  2,275
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  2,077
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  2,010
• Carolina Chickadee

  Poecile carolinensis (Audubon, 1834) · Aves
  1,958
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  1,956
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  1,928

Most recent

• M 2.73 — 2025-08-14
  7 km N of Columbus, North Carolina
• M 3.24 — 2023-06-04
  4 km NNW of West Canton, North Carolina
• M 2.76 — 2023-05-23
  4 km N of West Canton, North Carolina
• M 2.69 — 2022-12-08
  0 km S of Laurel Park, North Carolina
• M 2.56 — 2021-11-21
  9 km SSW of Abingdon, Virginia
• M 3.1 — 2021-10-26
  Tennessee-Virginia border region