Town of Rugby is a Great Tennessee Getaway

Weekend in an 1800s Victorian Village on the Cumberland Plateau

Nov 29, 2009
Katharine Garstka

Christ Church Episcopal at Rugby, Tennessee - Brian Stansberry

The historic little town of Rugby is a perfect weekend getaway for couples or families who want a little of everything - history, great food, shops, and cozy lodgings.

The little town of Rugby was dedicated in 1880, the result of a plan envisioned by British author and socialist reformer Thomas Hughes (author of Tom Brown’s Schooldays) and a group of Utopian intellectuals. Here, in a sparsely settled part of the East Tennessee Cumberland Plateau, they built a charming village, complete with a church, library, and schoolhouse.

The Rugby Colony

Hughes developed his idea for the colony from thinking about the inequities of the system of primogeniture in the British gentry, in which the oldest son inherited the land. Younger sons had to fend for themselves, and Hughes saw America as a place where they could build their own society based on agriculture. He chose the current site of Rugby partly because a new railroad line from Chattanooga had just opened up the area.

For a while colonists flooded in, creating a town of more than 300 and 70 Victorian houses and other buildings. Rugby was home to an inn, literary societies, sports clubs, a newspaper, and stores of all kinds. The library, furnished with volumes donated by publishers and patrons, was the pride of the town. Trains ran daily to Cincinnati, and many visitors came to see the model community.

Eventually, however, financial problems, severe winters, and perhaps the unrealistic expectations of many of the residents, led to a decline in population. A few people remained, however, and their descendants, as well as newer residents to Rugby, kept the town alive. Today a population of about 85 enjoys life in this beautiful, isolated corner of Tennessee. Twenty of the original Victorian buildings still stand, and several privately owned historic homes have been restored. In the Beacon Hill area, new homes are built to specific design standards, keeping in mind the original Victorian buildings.

Touring the Victorian Village

Several buildings in the village are open for visitors, including the Rugby Schoolhouse, the Visitor Centre and Theatre, the Thomas Hughes Library (believed to be the oldest completely preserved public lending library in America), Christ Church Episcopal, Kingstone Lisle (Hughes’ home), and the Rugby Printing Works (open on weekends). Also open is the Harrow Road Café, famous for its Welsh Rarebit. Many other cottages and Victorian homes can be seen only from the outside, since they’re occupied by residents of community.

Where to Stay and Eat in Rugby

Overnight visitors will want to stay either at the ten-bedroom Grey Gables B&B, or the Newbury House and Cottages B&B. Breakfast at Grey Gables is provided in their homey, but spacious dining room; Newbury House guests are served at the Harrow Road Café around the corner. Excellent dinners are available at Grey Gables and the Harrow Road Café.

Shopping in Rugby

Gather round the pot-bellied stove and admire the nostalgic memorabilia in the R. M. Brooks General Store while shopping for Rat Trap cheese, Moon Pies, and other old-fashioned treats.

The Rugby Commissary Museum Store, historically reconstructed after the original burned, offers traditional handcrafts made by of area artisans, British foods, games, and prints; Victoriana, and local history and travel books.

The Spirit of Red Hill Nature Art and Oddiments shop is the place for original acrylic paintings, gourd arts and crafts, and a variety of other interesting “oddiments” chosen by the proprietors.

Hand-crafted art works of many sorts are displayed for sale at the Carriage House Gallery.

Getting to Rugby

Rugby is about 72 miles from Knoxville, 150 miles from Nashville, and 160 miles from Chattanooga, making it the perfect weekend getaway from any of these cities. The beautiful, natural Cumberland Plateau is a great place to explore on a Tennessee vacation.