Jonesborough, Tennessee
| Jonesborough, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
Washington County Courthouse in Jonesborough
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| Nickname(s): Tennessee's Oldest Town | |
 Location of Jonesborough, Tennessee |
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| Coordinates: 36°17′39″N 82°28′21″W / 36.29417°N 82.47250°WCoordinates: 36°17′39″N 82°28′21″W / 36.29417°N 82.47250°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Washington |
| Incorporated | 1779 |
| Named for | Willie Jones |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Kelly Wolfe |
| • Town Administrator | Bob Browning |
| • Town Recorder | Abbey Miller |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.3 sq mi (11.2 km2) |
| • Land | 4.3 sq mi (11.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,693 ft (516 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 5,975 |
| • Density | 963.2/sq mi (371.9/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 37659 |
| Area code(s) | 423 |
| FIPS code | 47-38540 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1328594 |
| Website | jonesboroughtn.org |
Jonesborough (historically also Jonesboro) is a town in, and the county seat of, Washington County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. The population was 5,975 at the 2010 census. It is "Tennessee's oldest town".
Jonesborough is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
Jonesborough was founded in 1779, 17 years before Tennessee became a state and while the area was under the jurisdiction of North Carolina. It was named after North Carolina legislator, Willie Jones, who had supported the state's westward expansion across the Appalachian Mountains.
The town was renamed "Jonesboro" for a period of time, but it has been changed back to the original spelling.
Jonesborough was originally a part of the Washington District. In 1784, it became the capital of the autonomous State of Franklin (ostensibly named after American founding father, Benjamin Franklin). Franklin, however, was never recognized by Congress, and was re-claimed by North Carolina in late 1788.
Jonesborough is often considered to be the center of the abolitionist movement within the states that would join the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Elihu Embree printed his publication, The Emancipator, from Jonesborough. Publication began in 1820, making The Emancipator the first American periodical to be dedicated exclusively to the issue of the abolition of slavery. While Tennessee would later join the Confederacy, most east Tennesseans had Unionist leanings. They were generally subsistence farmers and held relatively few slaves compared to landowners in Middle Tennessee or the plantation areas of the Delta near the Mississippi River.
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