Johnson City Tennessee
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- Related Websites: Appalachian-Railroads.org | Southern-Railroads.org
Johnson City Tennessee
Johnson City Tennessee owes its beginnings and its long term prosperity to railroads. Over various times in its history, railroads played a pivotal role in transforming the city from a small town to today’s largest city in the region.
Small Railroad Rest Stop – 1850s
First….it was a water tank and rest stop along the region’s first railroad, the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad (Southern Railway/Norfolk Southern).
Photo courtesy of the Cy Crumley Collection and Johnson’s Depot.
Manufacturing Center and Railroad Boomtown – 1880s
Second….it was prime location for industry such as iron ore furnaces, lumber mills and lumber-related manufacturing which were tapping into the natural resources of the surrounding region. At one point it was said that Johnson City would become the next Birmingham, or the next Pittsburgh. A second railroad was created, with Johnson City as its headquarters, the East Tennessee & Western North Carolina Railroad.
Photos: Two of Johnson City’s early industries: The Cranberry Furnace and the Model Mill Company. Courtesy of the Cy Crumley Collection and Johnson’s Depot.
Regional Education and Medical Center – 1900s
Third…..With the building of the very successful Clinchfield Railroad through the city in the early 1900’s, Johnson City’s true destiny was just beginning. The Railroad’s founder, George L. Carter, donated land for a new state college, which eventually became East Tennessee State University and the James H. Quillen Medical School. About that same time a regional Veteran’s Hospital, Mountain Home, was built and opened. These two institutions were the beginning of what would become Johnson City’s hallmark and legacy as a regional education and medical center.
More Information on Johnson City
Click here for more information on Johnson City’s History.
Johnson City Stats
- Coordinates: 36°20′N 82°22′W
- Elevation: 1,634 feet above sea level
- Originally known as: Johnson’s Depot
- Founded: 1869
- Population: 71,046 (2020)
- County: Washington
Clinchfield.org Sources and Resources
- Personal Maps & Memorabilia – Documents, maps and track charts that I have from the CRR, CC&O, and S&W
- Archives of Appalachia
- Book – Drury: The Historical Guide to North American Railroads
- Book – Goforth: ‘Building the Clinchfield’
- Book – Goforth: ‘When Steam Ran the Clinchfield’
- Book – Graybeal: ‘The Railroads of Johnson City’
- Book – Helm: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad in the Coal Fields’
- Book – Irwin & Stahl: ‘The Last Empire Builder: The Life of George L. Carter’
- Book – King: ‘Clinchfield Country’
- Book – Marsh: ‘Clinchfield in Color’
- Book – Poole: ‘A History of Railroading in Western North Carolina’
- Book – Poteat & Taylor: ‘The CSX Clinchfield Route in the 21st Century’
- Book – Stevens & Peoples: ‘The Clinchfield No. 1 – Tennessee’s Legendary Steam Engine’
- Book – Way: ‘The Clinchfield Railroad, the Story of a Trade Route Across the Blue Ridge Mountains’
- Article – Flanary: ‘The Quick Service Route, The Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Flanary: ‘Men Against Mountains, Running Trains on the Clinchfield‘ October 2001
- Video – Ken Marsh on Kingsport area railroads and region’s history Video #1
- Video – Ken Marsh on railroads and region’s history Video #2:
- Articles – ‘Johnson City Comet‘
- Article – Scientific American: ‘The Costliest Railroad in America‘
- Article – Classic Trains: ‘Remembering the Clinchfield Railroad‘
- Article – Railway Age: ‘This Coal Road Is Also A Speedy Bridge Line,’ Sept 1, 1952 edition
- Article – ‘Railway Signaling and Communications‘
- Website – Carolana.com – North Carolina Railroads, South Carolina Railroads
- Website – StateOfFranklin.net which hosts Johnson’s Depot
- Website – RailFanGuides.us for Johnson City and for Erwin
- Website – The Radio Reference Wiki
- Website – SteamLocomotive.com
- Website – Clinchfield Railroad 1982 Track Chart at Multimodayways.org
- Website – Newspapers.com
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3Cs Websites
Appalachian-Railroads.org | Clinchfield.org | Southern-Railroads.org