The first railroad, built by the Virginia and Southwestern Railroad in 1899, ran from Elizabethton to Butler.
By 1910 it extended to Mountain City and Shouns. The trains were used to carry logs and iron ore.
The Twentieth Century
The first railroad, built by the Virginia and Southwestern Railroad in 1899, ran from Elizabethton to Butler.
By 1910 it extended to Mountain City and Shouns. The trains were
used to carry logs and iron ore.
The first newspaper written in
Johnson County was the Taylorsville Reporter. It was established in
1874 by W.J. Keys. Later the paper was renamed The Tomahawk.
In 1885 the town Taylorsville was renamed Mountain
City. This change took place when Roderick Random Butler who served
in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry convinced the people of the town to
change the name. The new name came not only from its location at the
foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, but also because it was in
one of the highest valleys in Tennessee.
The first newspaper written in Johnson County was
the Taylorsville Reporter. It was established in 1874 by W.J. Keys.
Later the paper was renamed The Tomahawk.
In 1885 the town Taylorsville was renamed Mountain
City. This change took place when Roderick Random Butler who served
in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry convinced the people of the town to
change the name. The new name came not only from its location at the
foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, but also because it was in
one of the highest valleys in Tennessee.
Smith's Mill was also renamed Butler in honor of
Roderick Random Butler.
In 1900 the railroad finally came to Johnson
County. The ETWNC (Tweetsie) Railroad which served as a shipper from
Butler to Hampton had been the closest railroad before this. The
V&SW Railroad originally planned mainly to carry iron ore out of
upper East Tennessee became a major means to transport farm and
timber products. Several logging operations came to the area
creating a thriving railroad related business.
In 1907 the Pea Vine Railroad traveled through
Laurel on its way from Damascus to Mountain City. This railroad also
ran to Forge Creek.
In just a few years a large portion of Johnson
County had been over logged. At this time many private land owners
began selling their land to the United States government to form the
Cherokee National Forest. Other land owners turned to agriculture to
make a living. The railroad was being used less and less. After
flooding destroyed large portions of the railroad track in 1940
the track was not replaced and the railroad no longer traveled through the county.
From 1935 to 1950 Johnson County was a leading
producer of green beans. In the early 1950’s it was called the
“Bean Capital of the World”. Mechanical pickers ended the
success of the crop in Johnson County. Mechanical pickers were
cheaper than hand picking so farmers stopped raising bean crops.
Today the largest agricultural product is our county is tobacco.
Since 1966 many industries have moved into and out
of Johnson County. Today approximately 2300 people are employed by
various industries in the county.
In 1992 Johnson County had a population of 15,209
and Mountain City's population was 2,252. The population per square
mile in 1992 was 51.
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