ABOUT HOME FIELD COMMONS
The town center Blountville never had.
FROM SCHOOL TO COMMON GROUND
- 1930s
Blountville High opens its doors — the first school on this ground.
- 1950s
The elementary school joins the campus. Two schools, one community.
- 90 years
Generations of Sullivan County families walk these halls, play these fields, and grow up together.
- 2021
Schools consolidate to a new location. The community asks: what happens to this place?
- 2022
Sullivan County keeps the campus in public hands. Renovation begins.
- 2025
Ball fields break ground. County offices move in. The farmers market finds a permanent home.
- 2026
Home Field Commons opens — twenty-five acres for everyone.
"This ground has always belonged to the people who live here. We just made sure it stayed that way."
Mayor Richard Venable
Sullivan County, Tennessee
FROM SCHOOL GROUNDS TO COMMON GROUND
If you grew up in Blountville, you probably walked these halls. You ran these fields. You sat in these classrooms. Maybe your parents did, too — the campus dates back to the 1930s, when Blountville High first opened its doors. The elementary school followed in the 1950s. For nearly a century, this 25-acre campus was the center of everything.
When the schools consolidated in 2021, people across the community asked the same question: what happens to this place? The answer came quickly. Sullivan County purchased the campus and began the work of bringing it back to life — not as what it was, but as what it needed to become.
County offices moved into the renovated school buildings. The old cafeteria became a community center. New Little League fields rose where the old practice fields used to be. A farmers market found a permanent home. Walking paths, pickleball courts, a pavilion for live music — all on the same ground where generations of families made their memories.
Home Field Commons is what happens when a community holds onto what matters. It's not just a name. It's a promise: this ground will always belong to the people who live here.
HOME FIELD COMMONS
County Offices & Community Center
Finance, Mayor's Office, Trustee, Purchasing, EMS Administration, Emergency Operations. The administrative hub of Sullivan County.
Sullivan County Library
Adjacent to the main campus. Public library services for the Blountville community.
Sullivan County Fire Department
Adjacent station providing fire and emergency services.
Football Field & Track
Full-size football field with surrounding track. New bleachers, press box, and 6' perimeter fence. Rubberized track surface planned for Phase 2.
Baseball & Softball Fields
Three fields: two new Little League fields (Phase I, completed December 2025) plus one existing field.
Batting Cages
Practice facility for youth baseball and softball programs.
Pickleball Courts
Dedicated courts for Sullivan County's fastest-growing sport.
Playground
Community playground adjacent to the athletic facilities.
Pavilion
Covered pavilion for live music, community gatherings, and rental events.
Farmer's Market
The planned permanent home of the Blountville Farmer's Market. Local produce, eggs, baked goods, and crafts every Thursday during market season. SNAP/EBT accepted with Fresh Savings.
Food Truck Area
Designated space for rotating food trucks. Regular weekly and event-based programming.
Concession & Restroom Building
Full concession stand and restroom facilities serving the athletic complex.
Walking Path
Perimeter walking/jogging loop around the full campus.
Parking
Four lots with 280+ total spaces: Office Lot, Field Lot, Market Lot, Track Lot.
THE COUNTY SEAT
Blountville is the county seat of Sullivan County — one of Tennessee's oldest counties, established in 1779. Home Field sits at the center of the Blountville Historic District, within walking distance of the Sullivan County Courthouse, the historic Deery Inn (c. late 1700s), and Rocky Mount State Historic Site, the first capitol of the Southwest Territory (1790–1792), just a few miles south in Piney Flats.
This part of Tennessee was the frontier before Tennessee existed. Daniel Boone passed through here. The first courts west of the Appalachians convened here. And for nearly 250 years, Blountville has been the place where Sullivan County comes together.
Home Field is the latest chapter. Not the first, and not the last.
MY HOME FIELD STORY
Almost everyone in Blountville has a memory of this place. A first-grade teacher. A Little League game. A cafeteria lunch. A Friday night. These buildings held generations of Sullivan County kids — and those stories deserve to be told.
We're collecting Home Field stories from anyone who walked these halls, played on these fields, or grew up on this ground. Your memories will be part of a permanent display in the community center, and we'll share the best ones right here and on social media.
Have old yearbook photos or team pictures from Blountville High, Middle, or Elementary? We'd love to see them. Email them to homefield@sullivancountytn.gov or drop them off at the community center.
Who Made This Happen
Home Field exists because a community refused to let go of its common ground — and because county leadership listened. The purchase, renovation, and ongoing investment in this 25-acre campus is the largest community recreation project in Sullivan County history.
This project was made possible by Mayor Richard Venable and the Sullivan County Commission, with construction by J.A. Street & Associates and ongoing support from Sullivan County Parks, the Sullivan County Highway Department, and dozens of community volunteers and organizations.
HOME FIELD COMMONS
Dedicated Spring 2026
This campus was preserved and transformed
for the people of Sullivan County
through the vision and leadership of
Mayor Richard Venable
and the Sullivan County Commission.
“This ground belongs to the people who live here.”
Sullivan County Commission
John Gardner, Chairman · Zane Vanover, Pro Tem
David Akard III · Darlene Calton · Joe Carr · Michael Cole
Larry Crawford · Andrew Cross · Joyce Crosswhite
Hershel Glover · Cheryl Harvey · David Hayes
Barry Hopper · Daniel Horne · Mark Ireson
Samuel Jones · Dwight King · Tony Leonard
Hunter Locke · Joe McMurray · Jessica Means
Archie Pierce · Gary Stidham · Travis Ward