Unicoi County

Unicoi County, Tennessee
Unicoi County Courthouse in Erwin
Location in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 23, 1875
Named for	Cherokee word for "fog-draped" or "hazy"
Seat	Erwin
Largest town	Erwin
Area
• Total	186 sq mi (482 km2)
• Land	186 sq mi (482 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (1 km2), 0.2%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	17,860
• Density	98/sq mi (38/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.unicoicountytn.gov

Unicoi County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,313. Its county seat is Erwin.Unicoi is a Cherokee word meaning "white," "hazy," "fog-like," or "fog draped."

Unicoi County 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.

Unicoi County was created in 1875 from portions of Washington and Carter counties, though the first settlers had arrived more than century earlier. The county remained predominantly agrarian until the arrival of railroads in the area in the 1880s.

During the 1910s, the Clinchfield Railroad established a pottery in Erwin, which eventually incorporated under the name, "Southern Potteries." This company produced a popular brand of dishware, commonly called Blue Ridge China, which featured hand-painted underglaze designs. While the company folded in the 1950s, Blue Ridge dishes remain popular with antique collectors.

In 1916, a bizarre event took place in Erwin when a circus elephant, Mary, was hanged for killing her trainer. Hanging was chosen as the method of execution since all available guns were believed inadequate for killing an elephant. The hanging was the subject of a book, The Day They Hung the Elephant, by Charles Edwin Price.