 Soon, all of the commerce and culture that the town had enjoyed for so long moved to other towns with railroad access.By the early 20th century, Port Royal had become a small crossroads town and in 1941, when the post office closed, Port Royal was merely a small farming community.Noting the importance of Port Royal in the history of the State of Tennessee and the nation, the Tennessee Division of State Parks decided to acquire the land and preserve it in perpetuity.