Johnson City, Tennessee

Johnson City is a city located primarily in Washington County, Tennessee; however a small part of the city is located inside Carter County, Tennessee. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 55,469.

History

Founded in 1856 by Henry Johnson as a railroad station called "Johnson's Depot," Johnson City became a major railway center for the southeast, as three railway lines crossed in the downtown area. During the Civil War, before it was formally incorporated in 1869, the name of the town was briefly changed to Haynesville in honor of Confederate Senator Landon Haynes. Henry Johnson's name was quickly restored following the war, with Johnson elected as the city's first Mayor on January 3, 1870. The town grew rapidly from 1870 until 1890 as railroad and mining interests flourished. However, the national depression of 1893, which caused many railway failures and a resulting financial panic, halted Johnson City's boom town momentum resulting in foreclosures and failed local businesses.

Related Topics:
1856 - 1869 - 1870

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In 1901, the Mountain Branch of the National Soldiers Home (now the Veterans Affairs Medical Center) was created by an Act of the US Congress introduced by Walter P. Brownlow. Construction on this 450 acre campus, designed to serve disabled Civil War veterans, was completed in 1903 at a cost of $3 million. Prior to building of this facility, the assessed value of the entire town was listed at $750,000. The East Tennessee State Normal School was authorized in 1911 and the new college campus located directly across from the National Soldiers Home. Johnson City again entered a rapid growth phase becoming the fifth largest city in Tennessee by 1930.

Related Topics:
1901 - National Soldiers Home - 1903

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During the 1920s, rumored ties to bootlegging activity gave Johnson City the nickname of "Little Chicago." Stories persist that the town was the southern headquarters for Al Capone who was a part-time resident of Montrose Court, a luxury apartment complex now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An annual "Little Chicago Blues Festival" is held commemorating the legends surrounding the Prohibition-era speakeasies and railroad glory days of Johnson City.

Related Topics:
Bootlegging - Al Capone

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The city is featured in a song and video by Travis Tritt called "Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde."

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