Part 1 – Thomas Hall

In 1785, the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill instructing militiamen to cut and clear a road by the most eligible route to Nashville at least ten feet wide and fit for passage of wagons and carts. Part of this road is now known as Emory Road, which runs along a stretch of Tennessee State Route 131 in the Halls Crossroads area. One of the earliest settlers was Thomas Hall who arrived in the valley around 1796 from Orange County, North Carolina. Hall married Nancy Hais September 25, 1783, two years after his release from a British prisoner of war camp in Charleston, South Carolina. He fought for freedom and was captured by the British in the Siege of Charleston. For this service the U.S. government presented Hall a parcel of land. It is to this northern side of Black Oak Ridge that Hall settled.    

Thomas Hall’s Cabin

Thomas Hall Cemetery and Grave Site Marker

Two generations later Thomas Hall’s grandson Pulaski went west during the California Gold Rush and settled on a ranch in Oregon. He returned to Halls and married Joyce Hall on September 8, 1859. Pulaski and his family owned and operated one of the first businesses in the Halls area as early as 1860, which included a general store and inn as well as a blacksmith shop. The store was known as Halls Crossroads due to its location at the crossroads of Emory Road and Andersonville Pike, giving the basis for the name behind the unincorporated town. A historical marker at the site was erected by the Halls Crossroads Women’s League.

The name Halls Crossroads would be officially recognized by the state of Tennessee for the community, in order to prevent confusion with Halls in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, an incorporated town.

Part 2 – Other Early Settlers

(coming soon)