This location
The historic Pikeville Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church dates to 1870, when it housed the Freedmen's Bureau School. The congregation began worship services here in 1888, and it continued serving as a school into the 1920s. The church, which sits along the banks of the Sequatchie River, was added to The National Register of Historic Places in November 1999.
Bledsoe County and the Sequatchie Valley
Bledsoe County is the oldest and northernmost county in the Sequatchie Valley. It became Tennessee’s thirty-third county by an act of the Tennessee legislature in November 1807 and was named for Anthony Bledsoe, a Revolutionary War patriot who migrated to Tennessee from Virginia in the late 1700s. The Sequatchie Valley was part of Cherokee lands until 1805, when the Cherokee ceded the area to the U.S. as part of the Third Treaty of Tellico. The valley was probably named after a Cherokee chief, but the name has also been rumored to mean "beautiful valley" in the Cherokee language.
The BledsoeGeo GeoTour
The BledsoeGeo GeoTour invites you to explore the history, outdoor adventure, great food, charming towns and spectacular views as you discover the stories and beauty of Bledsoe County and the Sequatchie Valley. Download your passport and begin your adventure here.