Native Americans were living in the Lenoir City area for thousands of years before the arrival of the first European settlers. On
Bussell Island, which lies across the Tennessee River to the south, archaeologists have discovered evidence of habitation dating to as early as the
Archaic Period (8000–1000 B.C.). The island is also believed to have been the location of "Coste", a village visited by Spanish explorer
Hernando de Soto in 1540. The
Cherokee called the Lenoir City area ''Wa'ginsi'' and believed it to be the home of a large serpent that brought bad luck to anyone who saw it. By the early 19th century, an early East Tennessee pioneer, Judge David Campbell, had laid claim to part of what is now Lenoir City, where he built a log cabin and a
gristmill. In the early 19th century, the state of North Carolina granted General
William Lenoir a tract of land—which included what developed as Lenoir City—as payment for his services in the
American Revolutionary War. David Campbell and another early settler,
Alexander Outlaw, filed a case against Lenoir in court, arguing they had already laid claim to parts of the Lenoir tract. After the case was settled in favor of Lenoir in 1809, Lenoir deeded the tract to his eldest son,
William Ballard Lenoir. In 1810 the younger Lenoir moved to the tract with his wife and established a large plantation. His workforce was composed of enslaved African Americans. Lenoir's agricultural enterprise included producing hams from a herd of
Berkshire hogs. He also developed several small-scale industries, including a sawmill and flour mill. In the early 1830s, he built the
Lenoir Cotton Mill—one of the earliest in the South—sited along the banks of Town Creek, a tributary of the Tennessee River.
Lenoir City Company In the late 1880s, an abundance of financial capital, the popularity of social theories regarding
planned cities, and a thriving coal mining industry in East Tennessee's
Cumberland Plateau region led to the development of several
company towns to support coal mining throughout the upper
Tennessee Valley. Most of these were funded by investors from the Northeastern United States or Knoxville. In 1889, Knoxville railroad magnate
Charles McClung McGhee and his friend and associate
Edward J. Sanford formed the Lenoir City Company. They believed the Lenoir plantation would be the ideal location to develop such a town. The company incorporated in April 1890 with $800,000 in stock Lenoir City was laid out in a grid pattern with four quadrants, west of Town Creek and north of the railroad tracks. The city's northwest quadrant was planned for middle class and affluent residents, whereas the northeast quadrant would be for the city's wage-workers. The southwest quadrant would contain heavy industry, such as blast furnaces, steel works, and other large factories, while the southeast quadrant would contain woodworking, furniture, and canning factories. Influenced by late 19th-century reform movements that stressed health and
temperance, the developers set aside several lots for public parks, and a large garden area was planned between the railroad tracks and the river.
20th century Beginning in the 1930s during the
Great Depression, a series of federal government projects provided a needed boost to Lenoir City's economy and invested in regional infrastructure. The
Tennessee Valley Authority's construction of
Fort Loudoun Dam and reservoir, which began in 1940, provided hundreds of locals with jobs. It also resulted in numerous road improvements and generation of hydropower for electrification of the region. In the 1950s and 1960s, construction associated with the
Interstate Highway System resulted in building
I-75 and
I-40—two trans-national highways that intersect just northeast of Lenoir City.
U.S. Highway 321 was built through Lenoir City in the 1980s primarily to provide greater access to the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, some southeast. In April 1985, Alice Clayton was elected Lenoir City's first woman city council member. Clayton came in second in the election and served a four-year term. Clayton was appointed by Mayor Charles Eblen as the street commissioner and served on the planning commission, the finance committee and the celebration committee for Homecoming '86, a celebration of Tennessee's 100th anniversary. On February 21, 1993, an
F-3 tornado touched down in eastern Roane County (just west of town) and tracked east-southeast directly toward the city. The tornado devastated parts of the city. Parts of downtown, as well as the area near A Street and 5th Avenue, were destroyed. The Lenoir City High School/Middle School property suffered major damage (it was redeveloped as River Oaks Place). The tornado continued east-southeastward, going through the town of Friendsville before lifting in western Maryville. One person died in Lenoir City, and 55 people were injured. In March 1998, a historic landmark, the William B. Lenoir Hotel, the block of Broadway (US 11) between A and B streets, was destroyed by a massive fire. The entire block was lost as it had been built with a common attic and basement, meaning there were no firewalls between buildings. Wilburn's Barbershop, the Lenoir City Public Library, a Mexican grocery, offices for
TV Readers magazine and Habitat for Humanity, a school photography company and photo finishing lab, and several apartments, were all destroyed by the blaze. This block was redeveloped for Roane State Community College, Tennessee Career Center, and a new Lenoir City Public Library.
21st century In the early 2000s, Lenoir City's economy expanded and many new businesses developed along U.S. Highway 321. Fort Loudoun Medical Center was built to replace the old Fort Sander's Loudon Hospital in nearby Loudon. In the late 2000s, two major commercial developments were announced. Creekwood Park is located parallel to I-75 between US-321 and US-70. A new four-lane road was built between the two highways. A luxury apartment complex was built on part of the site. In 2014, business development finally started in the area, with a few medical offices completed. From 2016 to 2017, the city constructed a new community center called "The Venue", and a new headquarters here for the Lenoir City Utilities Board here. Dr. Bob Overholt, a local physician and TV personality, announced another development: The Market at Town Creek, planned to connect US-321 and Harrison Road near the Lenoir City High School and Middle School property. In 2013 Town Creek Parkway, a four-lane road connecting US-321 and Harrison Road, was completed. In 2016, the city appointed the second female city councilwoman, Jennifer Wampler. She was appointed to complete the remainder of the term vacated by the death of her late husband, Harry Wampler. The first woman elected to Lenoir City Council was Alice Clayton in April 1985. ==Geography==