Monteagle’s settlement history began with a 5,000-acre land grant to John Bostick in 1792. In 1855, construction began on the Mountain Goat Railroad, extending first from Cowan to Sewanee, then through what would become Monteagle, and on to Tracy City.
It was on this railroad in May 1870 that John Moffat, a Scottish born temperance leader, came to the mountain. His train stop hamlet officially became known as Moffat Station in 1871, later becoming “Mont Eagle,” and finally present- day “Monteagle” when the town was officially incorporated in 1962, as construction began on the first section of Interstate 24 in this area.
Monteagle's story is rich and varied. From the Highlander Folk School to the DuBose Conference Center, its history encompasses diverse experiences. Figures like Al Capone and Andrew Lytle have connections here, alongside landmarks like the "Dixie Highway" and Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. The stories of the Great Eagle Caper; a daring heist in which an eagle statue was taken by Tennessee Tech students from Monteagle and later installed on the Cookeville campus; Hamper McBee, a renowned moonshiner, storyteller, and ballad singer whose colorful life embodied Appalachian folk traditions; Madame Chiang Kai-shek, the influential First Lady of the Republic of China who spent time in Monteagle; and the Trail of Tears, which saw thousands of Cherokee forcibly relocated through the region; add further depth to its complex and fascinating history.
