Rugby, Tennessee
Back in 1880, a British author named Thomas Hughes tried to build the perfect town in Tennessee.
He wanted a place where English second sons could start fresh without class bias. The dream mostly failed, but the town stuck around.
Here’s the story of this odd little English village on the Cumberland Plateau.
Thomas Hughes and His Vision
Born in 1822, Thomas Hughes gained fame as the author of “Tom Brown’s School Days,” a novel about his years at England’s Rugby School. His work as an Oxford-educated lawyer and judge gave him influence in British society.
Hughes fought for Britain’s first labor unions and founded workingmen’s colleges for lower classes. Strict English inheritance laws created a problem for younger sons of noble families.
Under primogeniture, only firstborn sons inherited family estates, leaving “second sons” with few prospects despite their education. Hughes created Rugby as a place where these men could work without shame from class restrictions.
The Grand Opening of Rugby
Rugby officially opened on October 5, 1880, with Thomas Hughes laying out his plans for the cooperative settlement. Colonists had already built the first structure, a frame building called the “Asylum,” now known as Pioneer Cottage.
Hughes required each colonist to invest $5 in the commissary, establishing community ownership from the start. Civil engineer Rufus Cook designed Rugby’s street layout, inspired by romantic landscape principles.
The colony banned alcohol sales while promising personal freedoms in other matters. Early colonists built tennis courts, croquet grounds, and a path to the scenic Meeting of the Waters.
The Tabard Inn and Early Development
Rugby’s first hotel, the Tabard Inn, took its name from the famous hostelry in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” The three-story structure stood facing Clear Fork River, serving as the social center for the growing colony.
Two daily trains connected Rugby to Cincinnati during peak years, bringing tourists and potential settlers. Fire destroyed the original Tabard in 1884, prompting construction of a new Queen Anne style hotel in 1887.
The second Tabard never achieved financial success, signaling Rugby’s decline. This replacement building burned in 1899, marking the final chapter of Rugby’s ambitious beginnings.
The Thomas Hughes Free Public Library
Rugby built the first purpose-built public library in Tennessee in 1882. Boston publisher Dana Estes conceived the project in October 1880 as a tribute to Thomas Hughes.
Twenty-seven American and English publishers donated over 5,000 volumes to start the collection. German socialist scholar Eduard Bertz served as first librarian, organizing the growing literary holdings.
The library stands virtually unchanged since opening day, with original furnishings intact. Its 7,000-volume collection offers a perfect window into Victorian reading habits.
Christ Church Episcopal
Tennessee’s Episcopal bishop Charles Quintard chartered Christ Church on Rugby’s opening day in 1880. Services initially took place in the Rugby schoolhouse.
Builder Cornelius Onderdonk constructed the current Carpenter Gothic style church in 1887. Bishop Quintard consecrated the completed building in 1888.
English carpenter Henry Fry crafted the church’s alms basin after working on London churches. The reed organ from 1849 ranks among America’s oldest functioning church instruments.
Weekly Sunday services continue today, maintaining a tradition unbroken since 1887.
The Typhoid Epidemic and Early Challenges
Typhoid fever struck Rugby in summer 1881, killing seven colonists including Oxford graduate Osmond Dakeyne, editor of The Rugbeian newspaper. The outbreak forced temporary closure of the Tabard Inn for sanitizing.
News of the epidemic spread through international newspapers, damaging Rugby’s reputation. Local Appalachian residents refused to sell their property, triggering lawsuits over land titles.
Colonists struggled with the poor soil conditions of the Cumberland Plateau. Unusually severe winters worsened agricultural challenges for the unprepared British settlers.
Farms failed despite determined efforts, undermining the colony’s self-sufficiency goals.
Daily Life in Victorian Rugby
Rugby colonists formed social clubs, athletic teams, and literary societies to maintain British culture on the American frontier. The settlement operated its own print shop, publishing The Rugbeian newspaper and other materials.
By 1884, Rugby reached its peak with over 400 residents living in 65 buildings. The colony established Arnold School in 1885, named after the influential headmaster of England’s Rugby School.
Colonists hiked to Meeting of the Waters, where Clear Fork joins White Oak Creek. This natural pool provided recreation and escape from the hard work of frontier life.
Tennis matches, theatrical performances, and literary readings filled leisure hours for educated settlers.
The Decline of the Utopian Dream
Most original colonists had died or moved away by late 1887. London investors grew frustrated with Rugby’s slow development.
The Board of Aid replaced colony director John Boyle with Robert Walton, an Irish-born Cincinnati engineer, in May 1882. Hughes attempted starting a tomato cannery to boost the economy.
Inexperienced farmers failed to produce enough tomatoes, dooming the venture. Newspapers that once celebrated the colony now ridiculed Hughes and Rugby.
Thomas Hughes died in 1896, his utopian vision unfulfilled. The second Tabard Inn fire in 1899 symbolized the end of Rugby’s ambitious era.
Preservation and Rebirth
A small community continued living in Rugby throughout the 20th century. Robert Walton’s son William maintained the Thomas Hughes Library, Christ Church, and Kingstone Lisle until the mid-1900s.
Logging companies threatened surrounding virgin forests in the 1940s. Conservation efforts gained attention from The New York Times and Washington Post.
Brian Stagg discovered the dilapidated community in the 1960s and committed to preserving it. Stagg formed Historic Rugby in 1966, a non-profit dedicated to restoring surviving structures.
After Brian’s untimely death, his sister Barbara led the organization.
A Living Victorian Village
More than 20 original Victorian buildings stand in Rugby today. Preservationists moved the Rugby Printing Works building from nearby Deer Lodge in the 1970s.
Historic Rugby reconstructed several buildings based on original designs. The R.M. Brooks General Store, built in the 1930s, serves as a community hub.
Rugby maintains its unique cultural identity, flying the British flag alongside the American flag to honor its origins.
Visiting Rugby, Tennessee
Rugby is 125 miles northwest of Knoxville on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. Drive on State Route 52 to reach this historic village.
Admission costs include tours of Thomas Hughes Library, Christ Church, and Kingstone Lisle.
If you want to spend more time in Rugby, you can stay overnight in historic buildings including Newbury House, Percy Cottage, or Pioneer Cottage.
The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area borders Rugby, offering hiking, swimming, and outdoor activities.
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