Updated: 7/5/2008 10:55:05 AM
In preparation for Fourth of July weekend, Downtown Rogersville is filled with festive red, white, and blue. Historic homes line main street, giving off an array of southern charm and character. In the center of Rogersville sits the oldest operating courthouse in the state of Tennessee. It was built in 1836.
"It's one of the most photographed buildings there is in the South," Hawkins County Mayor Crockett Lee says.
Many of the buildings surrounding the courthouse are just as historic, like the Hale Springs Inn and the Kyle House. Both were used during the Civil War as headquarters for the north and south. Yet, in a county that is so rich with history, there is still something missing.
"All counties had flags and we didn't," Lee says.
In 1999, the county commission passed a resolution to design a county flag.
"It got designed and just stopped right there," Lee says.
It was actually a student who designed the flag. Dillon Barker was 15 at the time, now he's Law School grad. After nine years Hawkins County is ready to make sure their flag flies.
"It will be flown on the same pole as the American Flag and the Tennessee Flag," Lee says.
The flag holds a lot of significance with the Hawkins County seal in the left hand corner, and six gold stars.
"The six stars that you see are the locations of the six municipalities that are in the county," Lee says. "We've got the town of Bulls Gap, Church Hill, Rogersville, Mount Carmel, Surgoinsville, and a portion of the city of Kingsport." "The gold band on the right will represent all the areas outside of the six municipalities," Lee says.
Hawkins County believes their new flag will heighten a sense of pride and appreciation for their community.
