Flat Fork Creek pours over Debord Falls in Frozen Head State Park and Natural Area Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2009 near Wartburg, Tenn. The falls are named for an itinerant logger who worked in the Flat Fork Creek area according to Ranger Michael Hodge.Wartburg, Tenn., residents trace the small town’s roots to German settlers who established colonies along the Cumberland Plateau after Native Americans ceded land to the U.S. government.
Today, the small East Tennessee community is known for its splendid outdoors and a 160-year-old English village that came years after the German settlers.
Located about an hour and 15 minutes from Knoxville and two hours from Chattanooga, Wartburg has just 900 residents and feels like it’s tucked away in seclusion.
“People retire to Morgan County because after a life of working in the city, after all the hustle and bustle, it’s nice to just enjoy the peace and quiet,” said Gigi Scooler, director of the Morgan County Chamber of Commerce and a Morgan County resident for more than 20 years.
Though it feels isolated, the community is tight-knit, and that’s one of the things residents like the most, Scooler said.