The first fort, or station, in Blount County, Tennessee, stood about one and one-half miles south of Eusebia Church, near Ellijoy. The tract of land for the fort was selected in 1784 by Robert McTeer, a Revolutionary soldier from Pennsylvania. He was the first to explore and bring people to the colony and settle in what is now Blount County. Once the fort was no longer needed for protection, it served as the first school in Blount County, and the first county election was held within its walls. After the erection of a new school building, the old fort was used as a blacksmith shop for many years. There are no visible parts of the fort remaining that stood atop a knoll on Jeffries Hollow Road approximately one quarter mile south of our marker. The Mary Blount Chapter organized a fund drive to purchase a marker for the fort and placed the marker in September, 1936 on property that we were deeded.
The chapter presented this historic photo for the Blount County Court building on April 1, 1929. For several years, the settlement suffered from Indian raids as port holes and bullet scars are plainly visible. The proximity of the mountains, which furnished safe hiding places, made it necessary to constantly guard the frontier. In 1786, Reverend Archibald Scott of Virginia visited the fort and established Eusebia Presbyterian Church. It was the first church in Blount County as was its cemetery. It is located at the intersection of Highway 411 (Sevierville Road) and Burnett Station Road.