Editing Newport, Tennessee (section)

===Flatboat period===
[[File:Newport-tennessee-french-broad.jpg|upright=1.25|thumb|The French Broad River in the vicinity of Fine's Ferry at Newport's northern border]]

The [[French Broad River]] passes {{convert|1|mi}} north of the current city limits. As the French Broad empties into the [[Tennessee River]], towns along its banks are connected via waterway to [[New Orleans]] and the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. In the early 19th century, William Faubion, who lived just northeast of New Port, managed to reach New Orleans with a [[flatboat]] shipment and return safely.<ref>Wilma Dykeman, ''The French Broad'' (New York: Rinehart, 1955), 17.</ref> In early 19th-century [[East Tennessee]], which was riddled with poor roads and hilly terrain, river travel was a relatively convenient mode of transportation. "New Port", situated on the French Broad near Forks-of-the-River, quickly developed into a flatboat trading hub.<ref name="Carolyn Sakowski 1993"/>

William Garrett (1774–1853) arrived in New Port in the late 1790s and built a plantation, known as Beechwood Hall, just south of Fine's Ferry. Many early travelers, including several [[circuit rider (religious)|circuit riders]] and religious leaders, were entertained at Garrett's mansion. During the [[War of 1812]], Garrett shipped eight large flatboats stocked with food and whiskey to the U.S. Navy in New Orleans.<ref>Nancy O'Neil, "Beechwood Hall &mdash; Through Sunlight and Shadows," ''Smoky Mountain Historical Society Newsletter'' 12, no. 2 (Summer of 1986), 37-38.</ref>

Among those entertained at Beechwood Hall in the early 19th century was Bishop [[Francis Asbury]], a circuit rider credited with spreading [[Methodism]] to the Southern Appalachian region. Asbury wrote in his journal:

<blockquote>
We rode through New-Port, the capital of Cocke County, forded French Broad at Shine's Ferry, and came cold and without food for man or beast to John O'Haver's but oh, the kindness of our open-hearted friends.<ref name="Evelyn Parrott Graham 1970">Evelyn Parrott Graham, Rolfe Godshalk (editor), ''Newport'' (Newport, Tennessee: Clifton Club, 1970), 47.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1812, a large Methodist revival was held at New Port's crude log courthouse, and the Zion Methodist Church was established that same year. The [[Presbyterians]] erected a church on Graveyard Hill (above the modern junction of US-321 and US-70) in the 1820s. The residents of New Port established one of the first schools in the area, Anderson Academy, in 1820. New Port was officially incorporated on October 19, 1812.<ref>Evelyn Parrott Graham, Rolfe Godshalk (editor), ''Newport'' (Newport, Tennessee: Clifton Club, 1970), 36, 40-45.</ref>

While New Port had strong religious beginnings, its situation as a river trading hub on the edge of the Appalachian frontier inevitably led to a certain lawlessness. Saloons were a mainstay in the town throughout the 19th century. Henry Ker, a traveler who visited New Port in 1816, recalled:

<blockquote>
I set out for Newport, a small town on the French Broad River. At sunset I arrived, having much difficulty in finding the town for it was hid in a deep valley. It is the most licentious place in the State of Tennessee, containing about twenty houses of sloth, indolence and dissipation.<ref>Evelyn Parrott Graham, Rolfe Godshalk (editor), ''Newport'' (Newport, Tennessee: Clifton Club, 1970), 41.</ref>
</blockquote>

New Port's residents countered this lawlessness with swift methods of justice. The town had a [[pillory]], [[stocks]], and a [[Cucking stool|ducking chair]]. Hangings were not uncommon.<ref name="Evelyn Parrott Graham 1970"/>