Port Royal State Historical Area

Early Tennessee: Port Royal was the site one of the earliest colonial communities and trading posts in middle TN being first settled in the early 1780’s as well as being a Longhunter camp as early as 1775. The town of Port Royal was founded in 1797 and rose to great prominence in the early part of the 19th century because of its strategic location at the head of navigation on the Red River, serving all of northern middle TN and south central KY and at a major stage line route.
Being situated at an important junction of roads and rivers, Port Royal became the only stop in TN on the "Great Western Road" stagecoach line between Nashville, Tennessee, and Golconda, Illinois and served as such until the 20th century. In 1977, the State of Tennessee received the deed to 26 acres of land at Port Royal, and designated it a State Historic Park in 1978.
Trail of Tears
Port Royal is designated as an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The Trail of Tears commemorates the forced removal of Native Americans from their homelands in the Southeastern United States and the paths they traveled westward in 1838 and 1839. Diary records of the removal mentioned Port Royal, the last stop before leaving Tennessee, as an encampment site where the Cherokee stayed overnight or longer to re-supply, grind corn and rest.
Port Royal State Park is the second Tennessee State Park to be named an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, joining Red Clay State Historic Park in Bradley County. Other official sites in Tennessee include Audubon Acres, Brainerd Mission Cemetery and the Chattanooga Regional History Museum in Chattanooga and the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore. For more information about the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, visit www.nps.gov/trte.

From Nashville travel west on I-24. Take Exit 11 and travel east for 5 miles. Port Royal is located approximately 12 miles southeast of downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, off Hwy. 76.