Port Royal is a "little bedroom community" in Northeast Montgomery
County with a rich history. It is one of the oldest towns in Tennessee,
once considered as a possible capital for the state, according to Gina
Slater.
It began as a river community, full of tobacco farmers who used the
Red River to transport goods, Slater said. Port Royal was the last
Tennessee site on the historic Trail of Tears.
The area once was known for a covered bridge and state park, which
had drawn visitors since the late 1970s. But a flood badly damaged the bridge several times, and the park was closed.
The community also is known for its mulberry trees, planted in the 1800s. Residents imported the white mulberry
trees and pooled their money to send to England with a neighbor to launch a silk manufacturing company — but
the neighbor never returned.
The park is host to the annual Clarksville Area Intertribal Powwow.
Port Royal