Cumberland Gap, TN

Cumberland Gap, TN is a town in Claiborne County, TN.  It is located near Cumberland Gap, a historical mountain pass for which the town got its name and is surrounded on all sides by the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park.  In 1888 a work camp was established at Cumberland Gap by Scottish-born entrepreneur Alexander Arthur to house workers needed to build a tunnel for the Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railroad.  Arthur, who was attempting to establish a large scale iron production operation in the Cumberland Gap region founded the nearby cities of Middlesboro, Kentucky and Harrogate, TN and the nearby community of Arthur.  It was considered the "Gateway to the West". It then became a strong hold during the Civil War and the town changed sides four times during the war.  There is a building that was the Confederate States of America Headquarters when the South had control of the town. Today Cumberland Gap is a tourist town with antique shops and local restaurants.  The towns population under 500 but almost every building in town is on the National Register of Historic Places.  It has a "Mayberry" atmosphere.  We had lunch at the Pineapple Tea Room and it was delicious.  I would highly recommend this restaurant to eat at.  We did a little shopping in the antique stores and I picked up a an old magazine rack that will be perfect in the RV.  We had a good day at Cumberland Gap and we will be returning a lot more often.