Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee

Laurel Bloomery is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Tennessee. Settled in the early 19th century, the community's first bloomery forge mill was built and began operation in 1810. The mill was closed in 1870, but portions are still standing today. The area is known for its beautiful mountains and secluded valleys.

Laurel Bloomery
Unincorporated community
Tennessee Historical Commission marker in Laurel Bloomery
Laurel Bloomery Show map of Tennessee Laurel Bloomery Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 36°33′58″N 81°45′34″W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Johnson County
Elevation	735 m (2,411 ft)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	37680
Area code	423
FIPS code	47-41100
GNIS feature ID	1328639[1]

Laurel Bloomery is the northeasternmost community in the state of Tennessee.^[2]

Old Time Fiddler's Convention

See also: Music of East Tennessee

The Old Time Fiddler's Convention is held the Saturday before Labor Day weekend at the Old Mill Music Park. Local musicians travel far and wide to attend this festival, marked with old time folk and bluegrass music. It marks the annual anniversary of the Mountain City Fiddlers Convention of 1925, held in nearby Mountain City.^{[3] [4]}

Pioneering fiddler G. B. Grayson is buried in Gentry Cemetery, in Laurel Bloomery. He mentions Laurel Bloomery in the 1928 Victor recording of the song Train 45: "I'm a goin' to Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee, Henry..."^[5]

Education

Laurel Elementary School is the primary school in the Laurel Bloomery community.^[6] The school houses grades K-6 with an approximate enrollment of 70 students. The school started in the early 20th century in a small, one-room building and housed grades K-12. It continued to house grades K-8 until the 1970s, when middle and high schools were built in the Mountain City section of Johnson county.

References

1. "Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
2. Johnson County, Tennessee General Highway Map (PDF) (Map). Tennessee Department of Transportation. 2003. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
3. Cox, Bob L. (2007). Fiddlin' Charlie Bowman: An East Tennessee Old-time Music Pioneer and his Musical Family. University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 978-1-57233-566-0.
4. A Fiddler's Convention in Mountain City Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine, Tennessee, from "History of Johnson County 1986" by Thomas W. Gentry, accessed January 9, 2010 on Clarence Ashley website, maintained by Scott Moore.
5. Minton, John (2008). 78 Blues: Folksongs and Phonographs in the American South. University Press of Mississippi. pp. 134–135. ISBN 978-1-934110-19-5.
6. http://www.laurel.k12tn.net/ Laurel Elementary School