Bean Station was one of Tennessee's earliest settlements. The valley was a warpath for the Cherokees, led Daniel Boone to Cumberland Gap, and was traveled by Davy Crockett. Across Highway 11W to the right stood Bean Fort, built by William Bean, the first permanent white settler in Tennessee. In front of the fort stood Bean Station Tavern, the largest tavern between Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. It housed Presidents Polk, Johnson, and Jackson. During the Civil War, the Battle of Bean Station was fought around the tavern.