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Historic Avery Trace

City: , TN
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Avery's Trace was the principal road used by settlers travelling from the Knoxville area in East Tennessee to the Nashville area from 1788 to the mid-1830s.

In an effort to encourage settlers to move west into the new territory of Tennessee, in 1787 North Carolina ordered a road to be cut to lead settlers into the Cumberland Settlements from the south end of Clinch mountain to French Lick. Peter Avery, a hunter familiar with the area, directed the blazing of this trail through the wilderness.

Many notable people traveled along the Trace, among them Andrew Jackson, Judge John McNairy, General William Davidson, Governor William Blount, The Duke of Orleans (who later became King of Frace), Bishop Francis Asbury, French botanist Andrew Michaux, Judge Archibald Roane, Thomas 'Big Foot' Spencer, and many others. The Trace now stands as a testament to the many travelers and families who had the courage to undertake such and arduous and difficult journey, searching for a new life for themselves and their families and their future generations.

Currently there is an Avery Trace Welcome and Visitor's Center located just inside the upstairs courtroom in the Trousdale County Courthouse.  Anyone interested in learning more about the Avery Trace is invited and encouraged to visit the Avery Trace Welcome Center.

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