Fork Mountain

Tennessee's ghost towns are copper, coal, and iron towns in the eastern mountains, plus Civil War-era settlements.

Fork Mountain, Tennessee, is a former coal mining camp, located on Tennessee State Route 116 and the New River, at the Morgan County-Anderson County line. Petros is 4.2 miles to the south. Frozen Head State Park is nearby with the park boundary including part of the Morgan County portion of the old town. The town was the site of at least six underground mines, a school, a railroad siding, and a sizable population in the early 1950s, but by 1980 these had all been dismantled as were most of the homes in the town.

The on-the-ground condition of Fork Mountain is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.

Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.

Here's the honest truth: access to Fork Mountain is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times. The mapped point for Fork Mountain is roughly 36.1267, -84.4200 — use it as a starting point and cross-reference a current topographic map before leaving pavement.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.