Tennis Anyone - ‘Lost’ State Is Not Forgotten

Franklin is not forgotten. This "lost" state – the one that never won a star on Old Glory – remains a point of intrigue in East Tennessee.

Why, just look at the phone book.

You can buy a house from State of Franklin Realty, seek wellness from the State of Franklin Healthcare Associates or possibly grow rich at the State of Franklin Savings Bank.

You’ll also find a listing in Johnson City for the State of Franklin Nuclear Lab – a place I’m sure Tennessee pioneer John Sevier never even dreamed would exist when the seeds of the State of Franklin were planted.

Back then, long before the nuclear age, what is now Northeast Tennessee was part of North Carolina. The Revolutionary War ended in 1783, and North Carolina officials opted to cut loose its land west of the mountains – in what is now Tennessee – and give it to the federal government to help pay the war debt.

So, in 1784, some early settlers figured they would just take that land and make a new state. Col. John Tipton and Rev. Samuel Houston wanted to call it "Frankland" – a word meaning "Land of the Free." But politics intervened: Sevier sent a letter to Benjamin Franklin to request congressional recognition for the state. Playing politics to the hilt, Sevier changed the name of the new state to honor the country’s elder statesman.

It didn’t matter. Sevier didn’t get Franklin’s support. And then? North Carolina leaders changed their minds and decided to reclaim the land they were trying to give away.

As it turned out, two state governments would lay claim to the same place. The State of Franklin’s leaders continuously waged power struggles with North Carolina, as both states attempted to levy taxes, elect officials and perform marriages.

Next came a showdown in 1788. The State of Franklin ended on a date that comes once every four years – Feb. 29. This year, that’s Friday.

A showdown erupted at what is now the Tipton-Haynes Farm in Johnson City. And Sevier, the leader of the State of Franklin, was defeated. The next day, Evan Shelby was supposed to take the governor’s chair on March 1. But he refused. And the State of Franklin simply ceased to exist.

Unless, of course, you look in the phone book.