Utopian Dreams

Libraries open worlds of opportunity for us to travel to faraway places, discover new worlds and take us back in time for a glimpse into our storied past.  Tucked away in the forests of Morgan County, Tennessee, a library started by an influential Englishman helps open all these worlds without the need of  turning a single page. 

The Thomas Hughes Library’s prominence in the historic settlement of Rugby, Tennessee goes well beyond its floor to ceiling collections of 7,000 books, all published before the 20th Century began.  This bluish-gray building topped with a burgundy roof and an ornate spire immediately give you the sense that something important happened in this Victorian Era Community.

Thomas Hughes’ Tom Brown’s School was first published in the 1850’s and remains his most well-known literary work.  It centered around life at England’s Rugby School, a centuries old institution of learning between London and Birmingham.  Rugby, as you might think, is considered the birthplace of the game Rugby and according to the school’s website,  also served as an inspiration for the modern Olympic Games.

Concern for the future of England’s “second sons” prompted Hughes to launch a bold experiment in Utopian living along the rugged Cumberland Plateau.  That vision became Rugby, Tennessee, a place unlike any you’ll find in the region.   The Rugby Colony started with grand hopes and dreams and grew to have about 300 residents.  However, a string of hardships including droughts, fires and a typhoid epidemic kept Rugby from coming even close to what Hughes had imagined.  

While the Utopia Hughes envisioned never materialized, a 20th Century effort to preserve the town’s historic buildings and preserve its natural surroundings created a place that to some might consider a Utopian World of its own. 

Learning the History of Rugby

The original colonists of Rugby set out to leave their mark on a rugged part of the Cumberland Plateau.  Step inside the Historic Rugby Visitors Center and a 32-foot wide mural helps you see the community these men and women envisioned.  You also get a chance to meet the key players in Rugby and a few of the buildings that are no longer part of the Rugby picture.

Before heading out for the guided tour you’ll watch a short film telling the story of Rugby, meet its most important residents and supporters, and get an understanding of why the experiment failed. You’ll also learn how a local teenager inspired a movement to preserve what was left behind.

The Guided Walking Tour allows visitors access to four of the town’s most recognizable buildings; the Thomas Hughes Library, Kingstone Lisle (Thomas Hughes’ home), Christ Church Episcopal and the Schoolhouse.  Along the way the history of this Utopian experiment comes into clearer view through stories, pictures and dozens of items found along the way.

Laurel Dale Cemetery is not on the tour, but it is a place worthy of adding to your Rugby itinerary. There’s a big field beside the road heading out to the cemetery with a historical marker. This is where the Tabard Inn once stood. It was destroyed not once, but twice, both times succumbing to fire. The large parcel of property that is now privately owned gives you a good idea of how large the inn was and how prominent it must have been.

Shopping in Historic Rugby

Being a travel blogger in the 21st Century I am certainly grateful I don’t have to use the process at the Historic Rugby Printing Works to get my posts to readers.  However, it is truly fascinating to  watch Historic Rugby volunteer, Peter Merrill demonstrate the process.  He even printed up a couple of souvenirs for me to take home.

Walk along the wooden sidewalk just beyond the Print Works and you’ll find the Gallery at Rugby and the Commissary and Museum Store.  The latter is the best place to  find a piece of Rugby to bring home.  This store features locally crafted items, books about the area, and unique Rugby mementos including a special blend of loose tea created just for Historic Rugby. Across the street you’ll find the Spirit of Red Hill, an artsy mix of handmade products and antiques.

R.M. Brooks Store

While Historic Rugby gives you a slice of English living, the R.M. Brooks Store on the edge of “town” gives you a true slice of Americana.  Pull into the front of the store and the old Gulf sign, gas pump and nostalgic signs on the side of the building immediately take you back in time. 

Step up to the door, pull the handle and as soon as the squeaky springs of the old screen door pull back into place you’ve stepped through a portal back into the early 20th Century.  One of the first things you’ll notice is the old Post Office in the front corner of the store.  Not sure when it actually stopped being a Post Office, but looking at items sitting on the desk,  I’m guessing most people using it when it closed had know idea that Color TV would soon be taking over the airwaves.

People come into R.M. Brooks to shop but it’s the food that is the real star of the show.  Upon entering the store I immediately thought about the days when I was a kid and my dad would take me over to a country store in Baileyton, TN where bologna was often the sandwich of choice.   And while I kind of burned out on bologna as a kid, there’s just something about a fried bologna sandwich I couldn’t resist, so I ordered one.   The R.M. Brooks fried bologna sandwich is topped with hoop cheese  and whatever other toppings you want, all between two slices of white bread.

After savoring the bologna sandwich, I had to ask about the hoop cheese. Tiffany Terry who owns the store along with her husband, is the great granddaughter of R.M. Brooks, the store’s founder.  She took me up to the counter where a giant circle of cheese with a red coating sat on a rotating wheel near the register.  The cheese gets its name from the “hoop” where it’s made.  It doesn’t have to be refrigerated and is sliced using an attachment connected to the wheel. 

Tiffany talked a little about how her grandfather liked to enjoy the hoop cheese.  She cut off a sliver of cheese, placed it on a saltine cracker and topped it with a squirt of mustard. I must say it was a tasty way of enjoying this one-time staple of country stores like this one.

Rest and relax

Tiffany’s mother lives within view of the R.M. Brooks store and she’s a major force in bringing people to Rugby.  Linda Brooks Jones owns and operates the Grey Gables Bed and Breakfast Inn.  This center for hospitality has been welcoming guests for decades.  Former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalind are among the hundreds of people who’ve stayed at the inn over the years.

A porch that spans the entire length of the inn is one of the first things you will notice as you head down the long gravel drive.  Step inside and you become instantly immersed in the charm of the Grey Gables.  Artwork you might find in Victoria Magazine lines the walls and throughout the home antiques and things from simpler times make you feel right at home.

One collection that truly stood out to me was Linda’s collection of red glass dinnerware.  It is all housed in beautiful cabinets strung with lights to make the dishes really stand out.  For dinner on my second night at the inn, Linda had the table set with her prized dishes perfect for here “Plateau Gourmet” dinners.

Guests at Grey Gables may not know each other when they arrive, but by the time they leave they will likely be friends.  Guests are treated to a hearty country breakfast and the “Plateau Gourmet” dinner, eating out on the back porch or in the dining room, both are perfect places for striking up a conversation and getting to know the other people staying at the Inn.

In addition to Grey Gables you have plenty of other overnight lodging options in Rugby.  If you like to camp, there is a campground behind the R.M. Brooks Store.  It is equipped to handle RV’s and tent camping.   Historic Rugby also offers overnight accommodations at the Newbury House and other historic buildings in the village.

Activities and more information

Whether it is Irish Road Bowling, Ghostly Gatherings or Christmas, each season brings new reasons to visit Rugby.  You can check out more about tours, lodging and events at historicrugby.com . Big South Fork National Recreation Area provides plenty of outdoor opportunities like hiking, swimming and fishing.  Jamestown, Oneida and Wartburg are the nearest towns to Rugby and each is fun to explore on its own.