In the 19th century, the Quakers wielded considerable influence in Blount County, and were partially responsible for the abolitionist movements arising in the county in the years leading up to the Civil War. Along with nearby Greenback and possibly Cades Cove, Friendsville provided a stop on the Underground Railroad.Durwood Dunn, Cades Cove: The Life and Death of an Appalachian Community (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), 125. A cave (since filled in) near the Friends Meetinghouse was stocked with provisions by Quakers such as William J. Hackney to provide a stopover for fugitive slaves and later soldiers en route to join the Union army."Underground Railroad - Tennessee Stations ." The Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University (2005). Retrieved: December 29, 2007.
In the 19th. century, the Quakers wielded considerable influence in Blount County, and were partially responsible for the abolitionist movements arising in the county in the years leading up to the Civil War. Along with nearby Greenback and possibly Cades Cove, Friendsville provided a stop on the Underground Railroad.Durwood Dunn, Cades Cove: The Life and Death of an Appalachian Community (Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988), 125. A cave (since filled in) near the Friends Meetinghouse was stocked with provisions by Quakers such as William J Hackney to provide a stopover for fugitive slaves and later soldiers en route to join the Union army."Underground Railroad - Tennessee Stations ." The Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University (2005). Retrieved: December 29, 2007.