Rugby, Historic district and unincorporated community in Tennessee, US
Rugby is a historic district and unincorporated community on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee. Around 20 Victorian-era buildings from the 19th century still stand along its streets, including a church, a library, and several houses.
Rugby was founded in 1880 by British author Thomas Hughes, who wanted to build a cooperative community without class divisions. The settlement once reached around 350 residents before gradually declining, leaving only a small core behind.
Rugby sits on the Cumberland Plateau and can be reached in roughly an hour from larger towns in Tennessee. A visitor center offers a good starting point, with an introductory film and information about the historic buildings.
The Thomas Hughes Library opened in 1882 and still holds around 7,000 books along with most of its original furnishings. This makes it one of the oldest public libraries in the southern US that has remained largely unchanged.
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