Cosby is a census-designated place (CDP) and unincorporated community in Cocke County in the U.S. state of Tennessee.

[4] The community has given its name to the northeastern section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which forms its southern boundary.

The community is spread out over a narrow valley that runs from Allen Grove near Newport in the north to the border of the national park to the south.

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is to the south and southwest with the community forming several segments of its boundary.

For centuries, lands along the northern rim of the Great Smokies, including Cosby, were used primarily as hunting grounds by the Cherokee.

[10] In response to these attacks, William Whitson (c. 1740/41-1819) erected a small fort just south of where Cosby Creek empties into the Pigeon River.

"[15] Cocke County, like much of East Tennessee, was divided between Union and Confederate sentiments during the American Civil War.

[18] Some residents supplemented their income by gathering ginseng, evergreens, and moss in the mountains,[19] and some distilled corn liquor.

I mentally pictured the Devil as a monstrous red animal with horns and a long tail, who carried a four-pronged pitchfork.

[22] The pains of the Depression were eased when the Civilian Conservation Corps established a camp at what is now Cosby Creek Campground to construct trails for the newly created Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the TVA began work on Douglas Dam on the other side of English Mountain.

Unlike many other Smoky Mountain communities, such as Cades Cove and the Sugarlands, only part of Cosby was incorporated into the national park.

Many farmers were indeed glad to sell their land, but according to Mary Bell Smith: The day was mournful for many families when the government bought the Great Smoky Mountains and created a national park.

[26] Eventually, farmers struggled to break even, and in the late 19th century began to supplement their income by selling moonshine.

As liquor supplies were strained with the rise of prohibition in the early 20th century, demand for the mountaineers' moonshine grew steadily.

While many mountain communities were difficult to access, Cosby was connected by road to Newport and Knoxville, giving it an early advantage.

Furthermore, Cosby never managed to attract the tourism dollars that spilled into other park border towns, such as Gatlinburg and Townsend.

Smith recalls: On my walks to the country store, I have stood barefoot, watching as the hauler carefully brushed away his tire tracks with pine boughs.

[25] The practice of illegally distilling liquor largely declined with the demise of dry laws in various counties around East Tennessee.

While most residents of Cosby were no doubt law-abiding citizens, the notoriety the town gained as a moonshine mecca still hangs over it today.

Cosby's economy feeds off a lot of tourism, especially off visitors and tourists from the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas.

Known for its small, mountain town like culture and environment, Cosby has multiple motels, cabins, and country-style restaurants.