The Tennessee town meant to save English sons with no inheritance

Rugby (Tennessee)

Thomas Hughes (British author and social reformer) founded Rugby Colony on October 5, 1880, about 7 miles from Sedgemoor.

The settlement peaked in the 1880s with 300-400 residents. They banned booze, shared business profits, and built Gothic cottages among the trees.

A typhoid hit and bad soil killed the dream within seven years. Most colonists fled by 1887. But the Victorian buildings stayed put.

This is the story of Rugby’s doomed utopia, still standing on the Cumberland Plateau where you can walk through history.

Thomas Hughes and His Vision

Thomas Hughes (1822-1896) gained fame through his 1857 novel “Tom Brown’s School Days,” based on his time at Rugby School in England.

As a Queen’s Counsel and former Member of Parliament, Hughes tackled the harsh realities of primogeniture laws.

He envisioned a community where the “second sons” could thrive through farming.

Though Hughes never lived full-time in Rugby, his yearly visits until 1887 showed his dedication to the community and its goals of social equality.

Factors Influencing Land and Location

Franklin W. Smith, a key partner in the venture, chose Rugby’s location mainly for its resort-like qualities, rolling hills, and flowing rivers.

The recent completion of the Cincinnati-Southern Railroad made the once-isolated region more reachable for potential colonists and visitors.

Clear Fork and White Oak Creek nearby formed a natural pool called “The Meeting of the Waters,” a popular spot for colony residents to relax and enjoy.

Community Design and Early Construction

The first building in Rugby, known as the “Asylum,” later became Pioneer Cottage. Workers finished this modest frame structure in early 1880.

By 1884, around 65 frame buildings, many in Carpenter Gothic Victorian style, gave the Tennessee wilderness a distinctly English look.

The grand three-story Tabard Inn, named after the hostelry in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” became the colony’s social hub.

Hughes himself attended the official opening on October 5, 1880, marking the formal start of his social experiment.

Cultural and Social Life in Rugby

People from various backgrounds joined the community. French and German immigrants lived alongside English and American settlers.

Residents embraced built tennis courts, regularly played rugby and football, and enjoyed horseback riding and croquet.

Oxford graduate Osmond Dakeyne ran The Rugbeian, the colony’s newspaper that tracked community events and linked residents to the wider world.

The Typhoid Epidemic of 1881

Disaster hit Rugby in the summer of 1881 when typhoid fever swept through a contaminated water cistern near the Tabard Inn.

Seven colonists died, including newspaper editor Osmond Dakeyne.

The typhoid outbreak in Rugby significantly impacted the colony’s development, as detailed in a 2019 Forbes article by Regina Cole.

Many settlers fled in panic after the outbreak. By the end of 1881, only about 60 residents remained in the community.

Family Ties That Held it Together

Margaret Hughes, Thomas Hughes’ 83-year-old mother, moved to Rugby in 1881. She lived in Uffington House until 1887.

Margaret counted famous British writers Alfred Tennyson and Charles Dickens as friends, linking the remote settlement to cultural circles.

William “Hastings” Hughes, Thomas’s brother, briefly joined his mother in Rugby before moving to Massachusetts.

Emily Hughes, Thomas’s niece, used her photography skills to document Rugby’s early years, creating valuable visual records of colonial life.

The Thomas Hughes Free Public Library

The Thomas Hughes Free Public Library opened on October 5, 1882, exactly two years after the colony’s dedication.

British and American publishers donated around 7,000 pre-1900 books, covering literature, history, science, and more.

Historians regard it as one of the South’s oldest freestanding public libraries still standing. It remains preserved with its original furnishings.

Modern visitors can experience the space much like Rugby’s early residents, with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and original reading tables.

The Tabard Inn and Its Demise

The Tabard Inn was Rugby’s social hub, with ads claiming “the finest trout and bass fishing in the South within a stone’s throw.”

Disaster struck on October 16, 1884, when fire engulfed the building. Colony director Robert Walton led efforts to save furnishings from the burning hotel.

In 1887, colonists rebuilt the Tabard Inn in grand Queen Anne style, but it burned down again in 1899, delivering another blow to the struggling community.

Challenges That Led to its Decline

The Cumberland Plateau’s poor soil hindered farming, a critical mistake by Franklin Smith, who chose the site more for beauty than agriculture.

Land ownership disputes created legal problems for the colony when local Appalachian residents refused to sell their property.

Unusually severe winters further complicated their situation, exposing the gap between Rugby’s idealistic vision and practical challenges.

Hughes tried to establish a tomato cannery to create jobs, but inexperienced farmers could not grow enough crops.

By 1892, Sir Henry Kimber reorganized the Board of Aid into the Rugby Tennessee Company, shifting from farming to resource extraction.

Legacy and Preservation of the Colony

By 1900, most original colonists had left, though a small community persisted. This continued habitation, however, it was limited.

William Walton (1887–1958), son of colony director Robert Walton, preserved key buildings like the Thomas Hughes Library, Christ Church, and Kingstone Lisle.

In the 1960s, Brian Stagg recognized Rugby’s historic value. His efforts led to the 1966 founding of Historic Rugby, a nonprofit focused on restoration and preservation.

In 1972, the Rugby Colony was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, cementing its historical significance.

Visiting Rugby Community Today

Today, around 85 people live in Historic Rugby on Tennessee’s Scenic Highway 52, balancing life as a vibrant village and a historic site for visitors.

The Visitor Centre introduces guests to Rugby’s story through guided tours and a 22-minute film called “The Power of a Dream.”

Christ Church Episcopal (1887) is one of Rugby’s most impressive preserved buildings, hosting continuous worship since its founding.

It features an 1849 harmonium from England and a baptismal font carved by Henry Fry, who once crafted a throne for Queen Victoria.

Visitors can experience Rugby more deeply by staying in historic lodging and exploring hiking trails within the adjacent Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

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