During the 1800s, the world was fascinated by the possibilities that utopian societies might offer. So, with America opening its doors, it was only a matter of time until those notions took root here. Places like Zoar in Ohio, the Shaker Colonies in East and West Kentucky and New Harmony in Indiana immediately come to mind. However, one of the most interesting of all was established in the Cumberland Mountains of East Central Tennessee: a community established expressly for the purpose of becoming a utopian colony. Its name is Rugby, Tennessee, named after Rugby, England and founded by Thomas Hughes.
An hour's drive northwest of Knoxville, those who visit not only enjoy exploring original buildings that make up the colony, but they come away with an understanding of the history and the thought processes that went into this noble experiment. In the end, as with other utopias, the Rugby experiment didn't work. It lasted about 10 years and as the 19th Century turned into the 20th Century, some of the 300-plus pilgrims who had joined in this utopian experiment had disbanded and moved elsewhere.
Rugby was established circa 1880 by Thomas Hughes, a successful English author, a former member of the British Parliament and the driving force behind the principles that the Rugby Colony would be based upon. This was his creation. The motives behind Hughes' ideas were honorable and moralistic, but for reasons that soon became apparent, they were out of touch with reality.
It seems that in England during the 1800s, there was an established practice called primogeniture - a social, cultural, and economic practice that turned over entire family estates to the eldest family son. What this meant for the landed gentry and the aristocratic strata was that the younger sons, who themselves were educated and culturally enriched could not find work. It was thought to be inappropriate for these young aristocrats to "go out and get a job" because they weren't part of the working class. They had no place to go, nothing to do except spend the allowances they were given.
Enter center stage Thomas Hughes, a member of this same privileged class. He had been educated at Oxford - a socialist - he practiced law and was a Queen Counsel. He had successfully written and published a book called Tom Brown's School Days that unintentionally made him a good deal of money. It was during a visit to the hills of Tennessee in the 1870s that he fell in love with the Cumberland Mountain Area. With the railroad between Cincinnati and Chattanooga having just been completed, a permanent tie now existed that connected the hills of Tennessee to the rest of the country and the rest of the world. Seeing this, he decided to purchase land here, name it Rugby (his alma mater) and invite the young educated Englishmen who couldn't find jobs in England to join together in a utopian agricultural experiment. Hughes proclaimed that everyone who joined would work hard, lead a moral life, join together in the common good of making Rugby successful and share in the untold rewards that it would reap.
Well, that all sounds good, but several things happened that wouldn't and didn't permit this experiment to come to fruition. First, some of the young English gentlemen had no agricultural skills or knowledge about how to grow crops or raise livestock. Second, their work ethic was less then stellar. Some much preferred to enjoy spending their monthly stipends, instead of doing the tasks that were necessary to cement this utopia together. Furthermore, several hard winters caused severe food shortages and starvation. And lastly, a typhoid epidemic took its toll on the rank and file of those who called the Rugby Colony home.
However, even with the demise of the proposed utopia, and unlike most utopian efforts, Rugby, Tennessee was never deserted. Some original colonists and their sons and daughters lived out their lives here, determined to keep the Hughes' dream alive. Thanks to them and others, the Rugby Village has survived.
Today, you begin your visit of Historic Rugby at the original schoolhouse which is now the Rugby Welcome Center. After a short film that quickly orients you about what you are going to see, a docent gives an hour-long guided tour. During those 60 well-spent minutes, visitors are totally immersed in the life and times of Historic Rugby. You are walked along its streets and through the buildings that have been fully restored.
Before or after the tour, you will find two excellent eateries and a store (the Commissary Museum Store) where local handcrafted items and goodies are offered for sale. The Harrow Road Café that sits adjacent to the Commissary, features daily specials plus standard Appalachia and British fare (shepherds pie, fish and chips, freshly prepared vegetables and a changing menu of homemade deserts). Just down the road is the Grey Gables, a bed and breakfast that also specializes in lunches and dinners and dining festivals that celebrate the annual autumn harvest. Grey Gables does require that you call ahead for reservations. The proprietor Linda Brooks Jones has compiled a cookbook that she prepares her entrees from - entrees that have been featured in magazines like Southern Living and Country Victorian. In fact, having lunch at one place and dinner at the other is an excellent way to begin and end a visit to Historic Rugby.
Christ Church Episcopal
On both the inside and the outside, this building (still used as a church today) is exactly as it was when built in 1887. The stained glass window, above the alter, was fashioned in Germany, specifically for this church. The 1849 rosewood organ, the pews and the original hanging lamps are original fixtures that were used when the church held its first service. Only the hymnals and prayer books are different.
Kingstone Lisle Cottage
Thomas Hughes built this as his personal residence, where each September he would spend a month visiting the colony. Its furnishings are unique, with only one of only six square grand pianos ever built found here. Its seven-foot high American chestnut china cabinet was fashioned locally, as was the walnut sideboard. All of the articles and gadgets necessary for daily living in 1880 Rugby are displayed here as if they have just been used and then put away for tomorrow.
Thomas Hughes Library
Hughes wanted those in Rugby to be cultured, educated, modern and sophisticated. He insisted on having an up to date collection of the most modern and avant-garde kinds of literature found in the world at that time. This library - with its 7,000-plus copies of books, magazines, etc. that date between 1850 and the 1890s - features a unique collection of materials that underscore how successful this aspect of the Hughes plan was.
NEARBY RV PARKS
Zenith Stables
929 Cole Place Road
Allardt, TN 38504
(931) 879-5252
Contact: Willa Crabtree
$18 sewer
$15 electric and water
Showers and bathrooms
Approximately seven miles from Rugby
Maple Hill RV Campground
1386 N. York Highway (off 127)
Jamestown, TN 38556
(931) 879-3025
Contact: William and Carol Floyd
$20 full hook-up
Amenities such as TV extra
Bath House
Kitchen and recreational areas
Approximately 20 miles from Rugby
Timberridge Campground
1426 Darrow Ridge Road
Jamestown, TN 38556
(931) 879-7433
Contact: Joe Mann
$20 electric and water
Public kitchen
Washer and dryers
Showers
Approximately 40 minutes from Rugby
Contacts
Historic Rugby - (888) 214-3400
Address: 5517 Rugby Hwy. (52)
Rugby, Tennessee 37733
www.historicrugby.org
Grey Gables
Address: Highway 52
Rugby, Tennessee 37733
(423) 628-5252
www.rugbytn.com
Email; greygablestn@highland.net
Directions to Rugby
West from Knoxville: Take I-40 west to Hwy 127 and turn right. Go north to Hwy 296 and turn right. Take Hwy 296 east to Hwy 52. North from Knoxville: Take I-75 north to Hwy 63 and turn left. Go west to Hwy 27 and turn left. Take Hwy 27 to Hwy 52 and turn right. |
