Historic Businesses

Business & Industry

It would be impossible to compile a complete history of businesses in Jefferson County.

The Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce (532 Patriot Drive, Dandridge, TN  37725) can provide information on local businesses within the past 30 years.

The Jefferson County Museum & Archives (located in the Courthouse) has several business account books and day books (ledgers) that cover the approximate period 1802-1930.  There are no indications on most of these books as to which merchant kept them.  Because of their fragile condition, they are not open for public inspection.  A list of those records on deposit as of January, 1995, is linked from the "Museums, Libraries & Archives" page.

The County Clerk's office has records of Merchants' Licenses that were granted by the County as early as 1835. Two large, early general merchants that survived into the 20^th Century were Minnis (New Market) and Gass (Dandridge).

Possibly the earliest businessman in Jefferson County was Jesse Cheek, who established a trading post that became known as Cheek's Crossroads (now Russellville).

Dandridge quickly became the center of commerce for Jefferson County.  John Fain was probably the county's earliest merchant, opening his store in Dandridge in 1810.  Mossy Creek was served by Thomas Humes before 1795.  The earliest Strawberry Plains merchant was a Mr. Williams (1810).

Some of the earliest businesses were ordinaries (inns and taverns), whose existence and rates charged for rooms, meals and beverages, and personal services were legislated by the Jefferson County Court.  The earliest were run by Edward George (1795), John Coulter, Alexander Outlaw, William Robinson, Jeremiah Shelley, James Roddy(e), James Doherty, Thomas Jarnigan (1793), and James Jack.

Tradespeople were well-established by the time Jefferson County formed.  They were concentrated around Dandridge.  Some of the trades represented were blacksmith, saddler, tailor, tanner, cabinet-maker, and cobbler.

Grist mills were important to residents of the growing County.  Owners of mills were required to petition the County Court for permission to establish a mill, whether it was for public or private use.  Often, owners of grist mills also had distilleries on-site.  The Dumplin Mill may have been in operation before Jefferson County was established.

Early grist mills included the following:

Jefferson County's first industrial activity has long been thought to have been Haynes Iron Works, established on Mossy Creek before Tennessee statehood.  Tradition holds that Christopher Haynes established the business to secure a grant for the adjoining land, but Court records indicate the Iron Works may have been sold to Haynes by Nicholas Perkins.  (Perkins Iron Works is noted in the original boundaries of Jefferson County in 1792).  Perkins received a grant for land on Mossy Creek in 1792; Christopher Haynes received his grant in 1794, for land on Mossy Creek adjoining Nicholas Perkins.  Later known as Mossy Creek Iron Works, it continued operation until after the Civil War.  County Court Minutes from 1800 mention "works on Dumplin Creek," but the nature of the activity is not included in the record.

Other important activities include a powder mill in operation by 1810 in Mossy Creek and Samuel McSpadden's powder mill in the Shady Grove community (opened 1812).  Several textile mills have operated in the county.

Hospitals & Clinics

The earliest recorded doctor in Jefferson County Court Minutes is a Dr. Irvin in 1796.  Since 1960, Jefferson County has been served by only one hospital, Jefferson Memorial.  Few medical institutions have existed within the County.  Early physicians practiced medicine in their offices, which were usually located in their homes.  Hospitals and clinics identified thus far are as follows:

Newspapers

As far as can be determined, only a few Jefferson County newspapers have been published.  Existing issues have been microfilmed.  A few original editions are in archive collections.  An article in a 1962 edition of the Dandridge Banner stated the county had been "served over 150 years" by newspapers.

The Knoxville Gazette, first published in 1791 by George Roulstone, was read in Jefferson County.  After moving to Knoxville, Roulstone also served as Postmaster.  As such, he handled mail for most of East Tennessee.  Everyone traveling through the territory was an ad hoc mail carrier.  Roulstone also opened a private postal service, with the goal of increasing subscriptions to his newspaper.  This regular post connected area residents on a weekly basis:

He will set out every other Monday, and go by Maryville to Sevierville; from thence, by Dandridge, to Hugh Neilson's, Esq., on Lick Creek; from thence to Hawkins' Court-House; and from thence, by Haine's Iron Works, crossing at McBee's Ferry, to Knoxville.

The route was expected to be extended as subscribers were added.  Other papers, published in Knoxville, Rogersville, Morristown, Newport, and Sevierville, have provided Jefferson County coverage through the years.

The Standard Publishing Company (P. O. Box 310, Jefferson City, TN 37760) publishes Jefferson County's largest local newspaper bi-weekly, The Standard Banner.  It has original volumes of the Jefferson County Standard-Banner from approximately 1965.

The following table contains a list of known Jefferson County newspapers and their dates of publication:

A detailed list of issues that have been microfilmed and that exist in their original format is included in Guide to Genealogical and Historical Research in Jefferson County, Tennessee, by Billie R. McNamara.