A documentary exploring "The Mysterious Lost State of Franklin" will air at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

Greeneville served as the capital of this almost-official state from 1785 to 1788.

The State of Franklin is sometimes referred to as the first attempt at secession from the Union.

The original log building believed to have been the capitol building of Franklin from 1785-1788 sat at the corner of Main and Depot Streets. A replica of that structure is located on College Street, across from Greeneville Town Hall.

The half-hour documentary scheduled for Tuesday night chronicles the attempt by the counties in what was then western North Carolina to break away from North Carolina and establish the new state as part of the new United States of America.

Nolichucky Pictures, LLC (NolPix) produced the documentary, which was released in May 2011.

"Due to tax burdens, the State of North Carolina ceded its western land to the U.S. government," according to the film summary on the NolPix website.

"Feeling abandoned, some of the citizens of the ceded territory -- the counties of Washington, Sullivan and Greene -- began their own government and called themselves the State of Franklin, named after the esteemed statesman Benjamin Franklin," the website continues.

"Even after North Carolina rescinded the cession, the State of Franklin continued to struggle for four chaotic years.

"Finally, the State of Franklin ended in violence and a failed bid to become the country's 14th state."

The website also notes that the documentary is an "official selection" of the 2012 Southern Appalachian Film Festival, and states that the film received awards including the 2012 Award of Merit from the American Association for State & Local History, the 2012 Award of Merit from the East Tennessee Historical Society, and the 2011 Best Documentary from the Secret City Film Festival.

PBS is broadcast on Channel 2 for local Comcast customers and on Channel 1422 for DirecTV customers.