Welcome to Mount Carmel

Mount Carmel was incorporated in 1961. The Town derived its name from the Mount Carmel Methodist Church which once stood where the Liberty Hill Cemetery is today. Mount Carmel,
a name that is very old is the Mount of the prophet Elijah in Palestine. Even today it is a sacred place and refuge.

The Town is located in upper-east Tennessee in the gently rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. Situated in the northeastern most end of Hawkins County, it is one of five incorporated towns or cities in the county. The other four are Rogersville, the county seat, Church Hill, Surgoinsville, and Bulls Gap. It is located approximately 80 miles northeast of Knoxville, and adjacent to Kingsport, which is part of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area of Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is only an hour and a half drive away. The tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are located on the outskirts of the park.

The Town covers 7 square miles and has 55 miles of roadway inside of its corporate boundaries. The population is 5,429 according to the 2010 census. A board of mayor and six aldermen govern the town. Mike Housewright serves as the city manager.

Mount Carmel a GREAT place to live. It is a Community with strong values. We welcome you to see what Mount Carmel has to offer you.

History

The area is rich in civil war history. There are many civil war reenactment events every year. We are located in Hawkins County, which was called Spencer County in the civil war era as part of the State of Franklin. The State of Franklin was formed from eight counties in the western corner of North Carolina around 1772. The Watauga Association was created from the eight counties and John Sevier was elected as governor. Sevier went to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 in Philadelphia at Independence Hall and tried unsuccessfully to have the State of Franklin declared a state. Article IV, Section 3 of the then proposed national constitution stated “no new state could be formed without the consent of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of Congress.