Cocke County, Tennessee

Cocke County Education, Geography, and History

Cocke County is a county in the state of Tennessee. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 35,662. Its county seat is Newport.

Cocke County comprises the Newport, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Cocke County Name

Named in honor of William Cocke (1748-1828), Revolutionary and War of 1812 soldier, member of legislatures of Virginia, North Carolina, State of Franklin, Territory South of the River Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi; Chickasaw Indian Agent.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

History of Cocke County

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Cocke County probably was inhabited by Cherokees. The first recorded European settlement in the county was in 1783 when land near the fork of the French Broad and the Pigeon Rivers was cleared and cultivated. The earliest European settlers were primarily Scots-Irish, Dutch, and Germans who came to the area over the mountains from the Carolinas or through Virginia from Pennsylvania and other northern states.

Created 1797 from Jefferson County; named in honor of William Cocke (1748-1828), Revolutionary and War of 1812 soldier, member of legislatures of Virginia, North Carolina, State of Franklin, Territory South of the River Ohio, Tennessee and Mississippi; Chickasaw Indian Agent.

Cocke County was formed in 1810 from Jefferson County
(Acts of Tennessee 1797, Chapter 8).

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture
In 1797 the Tennessee General Assembly created Cocke County from Jefferson County, naming the new county in honor of William Cocke, a Revolutionary War soldier who supported the establishment of the State of Franklin, helped write Tennessee's first state constitution, and served as one of the state's initial US senators. Cocke County, in upper East Tennessee, rests against the Great Smoky Mountains and is traversed by the French Broad and Big Pigeon Rivers. The first white settler was John Gilliland, who planted a corn crop at the mouth of the Pigeon River in 1783 to establish his claim to the land. Although Cocke County settlers had few violent encounters with Native Americans, most early settlers located near one of several forts in the area: William Whitson's fort, Abraham McKay's fort, Wood's fort, or John Huff's fort.

The creation of Cocke County gave local citizens better access to courts, and made it easier to attend general musters and elections. The first county court was held in the home of Daniel Adams. After some controversy, the county seat was located on fifty acres of land on the French Broad River donated by John Gilliland, the son of the original settler. The town was named New Port, and construction began immediately on a log courthouse. In 1828 a new brick courthouse was built. Find more from the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture: COCKE COUNTY

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 443 square miles (1,148 km²), of which, 434 square miles (1,125 km²) of it is land and 9 square miles (23 km²) of it (1.97%) is water. Part of the county is within the boundaries of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The county's highest point is Old Black at 1,942 meters (6,370 ft).

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Hamblen County (north)
• Greene County (northeast)
• Madison County, North Carolina (east)
• Haywood County, North Carolina (south)
• Sevier County (southwest)
• Jefferson County (northwest)

Education

Compare More Colleges and Universities

Find more schools to match to your needs.

Start Now