If you're in the market for Grainger County
real estate, whether buying or selling, KnoxRealEstate.org
is a great place to begin your search. From this site you
can search the public MLS for new homes, condos, and land
with some of the best real estate agents in Grainger County.
Check this site often as the Grainger
County real estate market is always changing. If you need
more information
about local neighborhoods, Grainger County schools, or general
information about the area, then contact one of the qualified
Realtors on this site. They would be happy to assist you
with any of your Grainger County real estate needs.
Grainger County holds the distinction of
being the only Tennessee county named for a woman, Mary Grainger
Blount, the wife of
Territorial Governor William Blount. The state legislature
formed the county in 1796 from parts of Hawkins and Knox Counties,
and it once included parts of Campbell, Claiborne, Hamblen,
and Union Counties. The county seat was located in Washburn
in North Grainger County, for some time before moving to Rutledge
in 1801.
Nestled between the Holston and Clinch
Rivers, Grainger County retains much of its rural nature. Rutledge,
the county
seat,
has a population approaching 2,500. Founded in 1798, the
town was named in honor of General George Rutledge of Sullivan
County.
Blaine traces its origins to the 1700s, when it was known
as Blaine's Crossroads because of its proximity to the residence
of Robert Blaine. George Bean Sr., goldsmith, jeweler, and
gun maker, settled Bean Station, the county's most recently
chartered town (1997). Bean Station served as a crossroads
along the Old Kentucky Road (U.S. Route 25E) and the New
Orleans
to Washington Road (U.S. Route 11W). These towns lie to the
south of Clinch Mountain, which splits the county into two
geographical sections. Communities north of the mountain
include Thorn Hill, Washburn, and Powder Springs.
Agriculture still
accounts for a significant portion of the county economy,
with tobacco the major money crop, though cattle
raising continues to make important gains. Grainger County
tomatoes have become a national trademark.
Small businesses
represented a second source of economic development. Grist
mills, hatters, saddle makers, tailors, lawyers, and
dry goods merchants supplied the necessities for isolated
agricultural communities. Taverns such as the nationally renowned
Bean Station
Hotel along the New Orleans to Washington Road provided accommodations
and refreshments to weary travelers.
By the late 1800s a tourism
industry had developed around the mineral springs flowing
from Clinch Mountain. The most famous,
Tate's Springs, flourished until the Great Depression. It
included mineral baths and waters, an enormous hotel, cabins,
and a
golf course. The resort declined and closed following the
Great Depression and a major fire. Today a gazebo is the most
important
reminder of its former grandeur. More recently, the Tennessee
Valley Authority's construction of lakes on both sides of
the county, Cherokee Lake to the south and Norris Lake to the
north,
has revived the recreational industry. Fishing, camping,
water sports, and development of lakefront property continue
to contribute
to the county's economy.
Grainger County's industrial growth
has been limited. The Shields family operated Holston Paper
Mill, one of the earliest
local
industries. The Knoxville and Bristol Railway, which once
ran through the Richland Creek Valley, succumbed to flooding.
The
vegetable canneries of the 1910s closed after a tomato
blight destroyed their primary produce. Locally owned Clinchdale
Lumber Company logged the county's timber in the early
part
of the
century. Later, timbering gave way to knitting mills and
zinc mining. Black marble is quarried in Thorn Hill. In
1974 the
county built an industrial park to spark economic growth
with mixed results. Almost half the people of the county
now travel
to surrounding towns for employment. Overall, the county
remains one of small businesses and agriculture, although
a 1999 count
identified 3,643 residents employed in the industrial sector.
During
the Civil War a state of near-guerrilla warfare brought economic,
political, and social chaos. A major skirmish occurred
near Blaine around Christmas of 1862. A year later the
battle of Bean's Station pitted the forces of Confederate General
James Longstreet against a Union army under General J.
M.
Shackleford in a planned surprise attack that failed through
the blunders
of Longstreet's staff.
Grainger County claims a number of notable
citizens. James Ore, pioneer Indian fighter and Knoxville
merchant, was one
of the county's first settlers. Several members of the Cocke
family served in the state and national legislatures, including
John Cocke (1796-1801, 1807-13, 1843-45), Sterling Cocke
(1815-19), William Cocke (1813-15), and William Michael Cocke
(1855-57).
Members of the Lea family associated with Sam Houston, founded
a city in Texas, surveyed the Iowa territory, and taught
at the University of Tennessee. Andrew Johnson operated a tailor's
shop in Rutledge. DeWitt Clinton Senter, successor to Governor
William G. Brownlow, grew up in Grainger County, as did Spencer
Jarnagin, a U.S. senator (1843-47). John K. Shields held
posts
as Tennessee Supreme Court chief justice and U.S. senator
(1913-25). His brother, Knoxville banker W. S. Shields, provided
the land
for the University of Tennessee football stadium. John Williams
served as U.S. minister to Turkey. Dr. Herbert Acuff achieved
national recognition as a surgeon. Roy H. Beeler became attorney
general of Tennessee. Theo Tate was U.S. treasurer, and Robert
Taylor Jones served as governor of Arizona.
information from wikipedia.org
