CLINTON, TENNESSEE

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IMAGES From Nostalgiaville
TENNESSEE- CLINTON, TN- 5/21/98

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Your help is needed to make this site better for all the people inside and outside of ANDERSON County, Tennessee. We are particularly interested in documenting the history of ANDERSON County. If you have useable information we are anxious to publish it on this site or will provide a link if you have it already posted on the net. Many thanks.

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CLINTON, TENNESSEE

HISTORY of CLINTON

THE MARKET PLACE OF PEARLS
From about 1895 to 1936 Tennessee was one of the nation's six leading states in marketing pearls. Clinton was listed as one of three Tennessee towns known as centers of the pearling industry. New York dealers came regularly to Clinton during the pearling season. Saturdays were trading days for pearl hunters and buyers. In 1900 Clinch River pearls were featured at the Paris France Exposition.

Contributed by Dr. J Myers 9'07
What this marker doesn't tell you is that it and the small park, are both on the location of what was a first class hotel back in the days of the pearl trade. I no longer remember the name of the hotel, but it was easy to see its former glory, even in the extremely run down condition it was in, in my childhood. When in town, the pearl traders made the hotel their base camp, and it catered well to them. Sometime in the early sixties, if memory is serving me correctly, there was a fire in the old hotel. Given its age, and the economics of repairing and restoring the old building in a downtown that was in decline*, it was decided to tear down the old landmark, and use the property for a sitting park. The marker in the park is a recreation of one of the plaques that originally adorned the old hotel. The other described the basic history of the hotel itself.

* With the completion of I-75 rerouting traffic that formerly traveled 25W, and the expansion of Route 61 bypassing downtown Clinton, the downtown area experienced a rapid decline, turning Market St. into a virtual ghost town. Only recently has it started seeing a ray of hope of returning to its former glory through the majority of Market St. becoming an antiques mecca.

There was one other plaque on the walls of the old hotel that caused quite a controversy. The third plaque explained how the boon generated by the creation of the TVA and the building of Norris Dam was the death knell for the fresh water oyster beds of the Clinch (Pellisipi) River, the source of the high quality black and silver fresh water pearls that made Clinton famous, starting the first decline in the fortunes of the city.

HISTORIC TIMELINE for CLINTON

1801	The county seat of Anderson County was named Burrville The name was in honor of Aaron Burr who was Vice President of the U S Burr's duel and fatal wounding of Alexander Hamilton caused Burrville's name to be changed
1809	An act by the Tennessee Legislature changed the name of the town to Clinton on November 8 It is believed that the town was named for the Mayor of New York City, Dewitt Clinton
1867	Charles D McGuffey was appointed the first County School Superintendent in October
1869	The first train crossed the Clinch River Bridge and into Clinton in October
1890	Clinton was incorporated
1894	The beginning of the present Union-Peoples Bank was organized September 20
1908	A fire destroyed 17 business houses and 14 residences in Clinton in January The first motor car seen in the county made its appearance in May
1910	The first new "electric picture theater" in the county opened in Clinton on November 1
1913	There were 67 schools in Anderson County

1914

Southern Railway Depot at Clinton

1918	Passenger bus service was introduced into the county
1926	City free mail delivery began in Clinton in March The courthouse was wired for electric lights in April

CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS of CLINTON

DOWNTOWN CLINTON

-A small log courthouse was completed in 1805
-A two-story stone courthouse was build near the log structure in the 1830's
-A third courthouse was a brick structure erected in 1889-1890
-The courthouse had a tower with clock, twin staircases in the front hall and a circular courtroom
-The total cost was $35,500
-This courthouse stood until the existing courthouse was erected in 1965

New Courthouse

Anderson County Bicentennial Time Capsule
American Revolution Bicentennial 1776 - 1976
Sealed- July 4, 1976
To be Opened- July 4, 2076

Anderson County Courthouse