ABOUT HOME FIELD
The community name for Blountville Athletic Park.
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
Phase I athletic facilities take shape on the former school campus.
- 2026
Blountville Athletic Park officially opens on May 9 with youth ball, pickleball, food trucks, Touch-A-Truck, and a ribbon cutting.
"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. Pickleball courts opened with first play and a tournament. Future phases are expected to add more community amenities on the same ground where generations of families made their memories.
Home Field 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.
BLOUNTVILLE ATHLETIC PARK
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.
Future Recreation Amenities
Future recreation amenities described publicly include basketball courts, more pickleball, playgrounds, walking trails, and the farmers market area.
Baseball & Softball Fields
Two new youth baseball and softball fields opened with Phase I on May 9, 2026.
Covered Gathering Areas
Covered gathering and seating areas serving Phase I games and events.
Pickleball Courts
Pickleball courts opened with first play and a tournament during the grand opening.
Future Playground
Playground improvements are described in public reporting as future phase work.
Future Gathering Use
Covered areas opened with Phase I. Public event-use details should be confirmed with Sullivan County.
Farmer's Market
The farmers market area is described in public reporting as a future phase item.
Food Truck Area
Food trucks appeared at the official grand opening. Recurring truck programming has not been published.
Concession & Restroom Building
Full concession stand and restroom facilities serving the athletic complex.
Future Walking Trails
Walking trails are described as part of future phase possibilities.
Parking
Event parking may vary. County posts recommend the rear and side entrance near the Sullivan County Public Library for large events.
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 want Home Field to keep those stories visible. If you walked these halls, played on these fields, or grew up on this ground, send us the memory so future updates can include the people behind the place.
Have old yearbook photos or team pictures from Blountville High, Middle, or Elementary? Send a note through the contact page so we can confirm the best place to share them.
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 turned the former Blountville school campus into a public athletic park.
This project was made possible by Mayor Richard Venable and the Sullivan County Commission, with construction support reported from J.A. Street & Associates and ongoing work by county departments and community partners.
BLOUNTVILLE ATHLETIC PARK
Officially opened May 9, 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