Powell, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Powell is an unincorporated community in Knox County
, Tennessee
, United States
. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Powell as a populated place
. The area is located in the Emory Road (State Route 131) corridor, just north of Knoxville
, southeast of Clinton
, and east of Oak Ridge
. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
into the frontier. Among these early settlers was Stockley Donelson (1753–1804), a brother-in-law of President Andrew Jackson
. Donelson's home, now known as the Alexander Bishop House, still stands on Bishop Lane. Attracted by a ready supply of water and good farming land, some settlers stayed to establish one of the first trading outposts in Knox County
. The community got its name from the Powell Station train stop. The train station is not currently in use but still sits in the town's "downtown" area. Downtown Powell consists of local restaurants, various businesses along Depot Drive, Spring Street, Emory Road, and Brickyard Road. Spring Street is a street that runs through the original neighborhoods of Powell.
, are:
Church-related educational institutions in the community include:
's Pulitzer Prize winning memoir, A Death in the Family
, takes place in Powell.
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Powell as a populated place
Populated place
A populated place is a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population referenced with geographic coordinates...
. The area is located in the Emory Road (State Route 131) corridor, just north of Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
, southeast of Clinton
Clinton, Tennessee
Clinton is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 9,409 at the United States Census, 2000. It is the county seat of Anderson County. Clinton is included in the "Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area".-Geography:...
, and east of Oak Ridge
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Despite the fact that it is unincorporated, Powell is considered to be more of an "independent" small town than it is a suburb. One of the reasons behind this is that it was established in 1789 (2 years before the establishment of Knoxville) by settlers moving through East TennesseeEast Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
into the frontier. Among these early settlers was Stockley Donelson (1753–1804), a brother-in-law of President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
. Donelson's home, now known as the Alexander Bishop House, still stands on Bishop Lane. Attracted by a ready supply of water and good farming land, some settlers stayed to establish one of the first trading outposts in Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
. The community got its name from the Powell Station train stop. The train station is not currently in use but still sits in the town's "downtown" area. Downtown Powell consists of local restaurants, various businesses along Depot Drive, Spring Street, Emory Road, and Brickyard Road. Spring Street is a street that runs through the original neighborhoods of Powell.
Businesses
- The Weigel'sWeigel'sWeigel's is a gas station and convenience store chain located in the Knoxville, Tennessee area.- History :The Weigel family entered the dairy business in 1931 with a "herd" of four cows, selling raw milk for nine cents a gallon. In 1936, a used pasteurizer was purchased and the dairy became one of...
chain of convenience stores started and is still headquartered in Powell. - The largest employer in Powell is DeRoyal Industries, which manufactures and markets medical products.
- Powell was home to a Levi's jeansJeansJeans are trousers made from denim. Some of the earliest American blue jeans were made by Jacob Davis, Calvin Rogers, and Levi Strauss in 1873. Starting in the 1950s, jeans, originally designed for cowboys, became popular among teenagers. Historic brands include Levi's, Lee, and Wrangler...
manufacturing plant that closed in 2002. The former Levi's property, adjacent to DeRoyal Industries, is now the site of Crown CollegeCrown College (Tennessee)The Crown College, also called Crown College of the Bible, is an Independent Baptist bible college, seminary, and music conservatory in Powell, Tennessee. The college offers the Bachelor of Biblical Studies degree, with concentrations in pastoral ministry, youth ministry, missions, music ministry...
. - Knoxville Realty Inc./Realty Executives Associates is a real estate company owned and operated by Larry and Laura Bailey www.knoxvillerealty.com
Education
Public schools in Powell, operated by Knox County SchoolsKnox County Schools
Knox County Schools is the school district that operates all public schools in Knox County, Tennessee.- History :Before the 1987-1988 school year, the city of Knoxville and Knox County operated separate school districts...
, are:
- Powell High School
- Powell Middle School
- Powell Elementary School
- Brickey-McCloud Elementary School
- Copper Ridge Elementary SchoolCopper Ridge Elementary SchoolCopper Ridge Elementary School is a public elementary school located at 2502 E. Brushy Valley Road in Powell, Tennessee, operated by Knox County Schools. The current principal is Terry Frost. Total student enrollment is 599 ....
Church-related educational institutions in the community include:
- First Baptist Academy
- Crown CollegeCrown College (Tennessee)The Crown College, also called Crown College of the Bible, is an Independent Baptist bible college, seminary, and music conservatory in Powell, Tennessee. The college offers the Bachelor of Biblical Studies degree, with concentrations in pastoral ministry, youth ministry, missions, music ministry...
- Temple Baptist AcademyTemple Baptist Academy (Powell)Temple Baptist Academy is a private school located in Powell, Tennessee. It was established in 1971 by the Temple Baptist Church as a ministry to educate their students of their Christian values....
Religion
Temple Baptist Church is a church located at 1700 Beaver Creek Drive in Powell.Notable people
- John CooperJohn Cooper (coach)John Cooper is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Tulsa , Arizona State University , and Ohio State University , compiling a career record of 192–84–6...
- ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
college football analyst, member of the College Football Hall of FameCollege Football Hall of FameThe College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and museum devoted to college football. Located in South Bend, Indiana, it is connected to a convention center and situated in the city's renovated downtown district, two miles south of the University of Notre Dame campus. It is slated to move...
, and former head football coach at Ohio State, Arizona State, and Tulsa. - Archie CampbellArchie CampbellArchie Campbell was an American writer and star of Hee Haw, a popular long-running country-flavored network television variety show...
- country musician and Hee HawHee HawHee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
writer/cast member.
In literature
The central action of James AgeeJames Agee
James Rufus Agee was an American author, journalist, poet, screenwriter and film critic. In the 1940s, he was one of the most influential film critics in the U.S...
's Pulitzer Prize winning memoir, A Death in the Family
A Death in the Family
A Death in the Family is an autobiographical novel by author James Agee, set in Knoxville, Tennessee. He began writing it in 1948, but it was not quite complete when he died in 1955. It was edited and released posthumously in 1957 by editor David McDowell. Agee's widow and children were left with...
, takes place in Powell.