Halls Crossroads, Tennessee

This article is about the community in Knox County. For the town in Lauderdale County, see Halls, Tennessee.
Halls Crossroads
Unincorporated community
Motto: "Halls has it"
Halls Crossroads

Location within the state of Tennessee

Coordinates: 36°04′49″N 83°56′33″W / 36.08028°N 83.94250°WCoordinates: 36°04′49″N 83°56′33″W / 36.08028°N 83.94250°W
Country United States
State Tennessee
County Knox
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 865

Halls Crossroads (known locally as Halls) is an unincorporated community in northern Knox County, Tennessee. As a northern suburb of nearby Knoxville, Halls is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town takes its name from the Thomas Hall family that settled in the area in the late 18th century.

Geography

Halls Crossroads is located in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, which are characterized by long, narrow ridges that run in a northeast-southwest direction. The community is nestled between several ridges, most notably Black Oak Ridge and Beaver Ridge, which divide Halls Crossroads from Fountain City to the south. Along with Fountain City, adjacent communities include Powell to the west, Corryton to the east, and the city of Maynardville to the north. Halls is drained by the Beaver Creek Watershed. Beaver Creek runs through the center of Halls Crossroads, and parallel to State Route 131, known locally as Emory Road, flowing 25 miles to the Clinch River, and eventually into the Tennessee River at Kingston, Tennessee.

It is located at 36°04′49″N 83°56′33″W / 36.08028°N 83.94250°W.[1] It has an elevation of 1,040 feet.

History

In 1785 the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill instructing the militiamen to cut and clear a road by the most eligible route to Nashville at least ten feet wide and fit for passage of wagons and carts. This road is now known as Emory Road and Tennessee State Route 131 in the Halls Crossroads area. One of the earliest settlers was Thomas Hall who arrived in the valley around 1796 from Orange County, North Carolina. Hall married Nancy Hais Sept. 25, 1783 two years after his release from a British prisoner of war camp in Charleston, South Carolina. He fought for freedom and was captured by the British in the Siege of Charleston. For this service the U.S. government presented Hall a parcel of land. It is to this northern side of Black Oak Ridge that Hall settled.[2][3]

Two generations later Thomas Hall’s grandson Pulaski went west during the California Gold Rush and settled on a ranch in Oregon. He returned to Halls and married Joyce Hall, Sept. 8, 1859. Pulaski and his family owned and operated one of the first businesses in the Halls area as early as 1860, a general store and inn as well as a blacksmith shop. The store was known as Halls Crossroads. Halls High School was one of the first schools in the area. Founded in 1916, the school was named for Pulaski Hall.[4]

Education

Knox County Schools operates six public schools in the Halls community including Halls Elementary School, Copper Ridge Elementary School, Adrian Burnett Elementary School, Brickey Elementary School, Halls High School, and Halls Middle School. Private schools nearby include Garden Montessori School, Temple Baptist Academy, Natures Way Montessori School, and St. Joseph School.[5]

Economy

Regal Entertainment Group maintains its corporate headquarters in Halls.[6] The community also is the site of the locally famous Halls Cinema 7 and the Halls Stockyards, a cattle auction facility.[7]

Halls Crossroads is also home to numerous stores and restaurants.

Recreation

Nearby golf courses and country clubs include Beaver Brook Golf & Country Club, Three Ridges Golf Course, and Beverly Park Junior Golf Course. Halls Community Park features multiple ball fields, a playground, and a community center. The park is connected to the Halls Greenway, a hiking and biking trail that runs along Beaver Creek to the Halls Library. The Halls Senior Center features amenities like a computer center, a billiards room, conference rooms, arts and craft centers, and a community kitchen.[8][9]

The John Sevier Hunter Education Center (JSHEC) is located on Rifle Range Road in Halls Crossroads. It is a multi-use facility managed by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for the public. The center provides Hunter Education classes and has various firearm and archery ranges.[10]

Halls Crossroads is home to many large churches, most notably Beaver Dam Baptist Church, the oldest church in Knox County, and one of the oldest churches in the state of Tennessee.[11][12]

Notable people

Notable past and present residents of Halls Crossroads include:

Media

References

  1. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ About Thomas Hall, The Preservation of the Thomas Hall Cemetery, About Thomas Hall, May 9, 2009.
  3. ↑ Emory Road Marker, Emory Road, 2006.
  4. ↑ Information obtained from Tennessee Historical Commission marker 1E 112 at the Fountain City United Methodist Church, 26 December 2008.
  5. ↑ Robert J. Booker, Sources good for schools' history, Knoxville News Sentinel, January 17, 2006.
  6. ↑ http://www.regmovies.com/corporate/aboutus.aspx
  7. ↑ Larisa Brass, Halls Stockyard reopens as beef becomes big ticket item, Knoxville News Sentinel, April 10, 2011
  8. ↑ Recreation in Halls Crossroads, Recreation, 2010.
  9. ↑ Knox County Tennessee, Parks and Recreation, Greenways and Trails, 2010.
  10. ↑ Recreation, JSHEC, 2010.
  11. ↑ Knoxville Church Information, List of Churches, 1996-2010.
  12. ↑ History of Beaver Dam Baptist Church, www.bdbc.org, 2010.
  13. ↑ Forbes.com Profile
  14. ↑ Pictometry International Corp
  15. ↑ WBIR News
  16. ↑ Gribble, Andrew. "Life in the NASCAR fast lane: Knoxville's Baynes adjusting to son's sudden success » Knoxville News Sentinel". Knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  17. ↑ Halls Shopper News, www.shoppernewsnow.com, 2010.

Further reading