The town of Appalachia is considered to be a largely intact "era" town of the late 1800's, early 1900's. At one time, the town was the center of a booming coal mining culture. The town was the "hub" of eight "coal camps" located along the outskirts of the town. Presently, many of the coal camps remain as does much of the coal mining equipment. The town sprang up after the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Southern Railroad made a junction there in 1890. Many railroad buildings still remain in the town. It was named after the Appalachian Mountains, in the heart of which it stands. Several items of interest remain in the town, including: Bee Rock Tunnel-listed in the Ripley's Believe It or Not as the "Shortest Railroad Tunnel in the World". The tunnel is 47 ft., 7 in.