Erwin, TN

We took a little trip yesterday afternoon to Erwin, TN a town about an hour northeast of Parrottsville near the North Carolina border.  Erwin became a town in the 1879.  It's original name was actually Ervin named after N.A. Ervin who donated 15 acres to become a town and a county seat of Unicol county.  The name was changed to Erwin due to a post office typo error that switched the V with a W.  It was never corrected and the name stuck.  Erwin is also known as the town that killed Mary the Elephant.  Mary the Elephant was an elephant that killed it's trainer while performing in Kingsport, TN. in 1916 and was ordered to be hung.  Erwin's rail yard had the only crane large enough to support the weight of the elephant.  Over 25,000 people showed up to watch the hanging.  Since the Mary the Elephant hanging Erwin has been trying to change it's image from being known as the town that hung Mary.  It really is a nice town that is surrounded by mountains and sits along the Nolichucky river.  With the leave changing it was a beautiful ride.