Our Heritage
From Wilderness Road gateway to the city built in a crater — the story of Middlesboro, Kentucky.
Nestled at the gateway to Cumberland Gap in Bell County, Middlesboro is a city like no other — built entirely inside a meteorite impact crater. From Daniel Boone's frontier trails through the historic gap to the English investors who envisioned a great industrial city, our story is woven into the fabric of America's westward expansion.
A Timeline of Middlesboro
The Wilderness Road
Daniel Boone blazes the Wilderness Road through Cumberland Gap, opening Kentucky and the trans-Appalachian West to pioneer settlement just a few miles from present-day Middlesboro.
The Founding
English investors, led by Alexander A. Arthur, establish the town of Middlesborough, named after Middlesbrough, England. They envision a great industrial city powered by iron ore and coal.
A City Rises
Middlesboro is officially incorporated. The town quickly grows with a streetcar line, electric lights, an opera house, and the Middlesboro Country Club — the oldest golf course in Kentucky.
The Crater Discovery
Geologists recognize that Middlesboro sits inside a 3-mile-wide meteorite impact crater, formed roughly 300 million years ago — one of the few astroblemes in the world large enough to contain an entire city.
Cumberland Gap Park
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park is established, preserving the historic gap and surrounding mountains that make Middlesboro the 'Gateway to the West.'
Living Heritage
Middlesboro blends its rich pioneer heritage, meteor crater geology, and Cumberland Gap wilderness with modern amenities and a vibrant community spirit.
Historic Landmarks
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
America's first great gateway to the West. 24,000 acres of trails, the Pinnacle Overlook, Gap Cave, and the historic pass where Daniel Boone crossed into Kentucky in 1775.
Downtown Cumberland Avenue
The historic commercial district at the intersection of Cumberland Avenue and 20th Street, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wilderness Road Heritage
The trail Daniel Boone blazed through the Cumberland Gap that opened Kentucky to settlement — preserved within the national park on Middlesboro's doorstep.
The Middlesboro Crater
One of the few meteorite impact craters in the world large enough to contain an entire city. Visible from the Pinnacle Overlook in Cumberland Gap National Park.