Book excerpt: The communities of northeast Tennessee are among the oldest settlements west of the Appalachian Mountains and the original 13 colonies. The cities of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport and surrounding towns of Elizabethton, Erwin, Greeneville, Jonesborough, Mountain City, and Rogersville are home to some of the most remarkable historic houses in the country. The region is home to the oldest frame structure in Tennessee--the Carter Mansion in Elizabethton--and Pres. Andrew Johnson's residences in Greeneville, the Rocky Mount State Historic Site in Piney Flats, the Allandale Mansion in Kingsport, and the Roderick Butler Mansion in Mountain City. Northeast Tennessee features mountain log cabins, brick Federal-style residences, Georgian, Colonial, and Victorian mansions, urban apartment dwellings, row houses, and a number of other architectural styles. The region's oldest homes were built in the late 1700s, including the Gillespie stone house in Limestone.