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General Information / Education / Medical / Cultural / Entertainment
The History … August 1946, some Americans, brutalized by their county government, used armed force to overturn it. These Americans wanted honest, open elections. For years they had asked for state or Federal election monitors to prevent vote fraud, forged ballots, secret ballot counts, and intimidation by armed sheriff's deputies, by the local political boss.
Americans' absolute refused to knuckle-under and had been hardened by service in World War II. Having fought to free other countries from murderous regimes, they rejected vicious abuse by their county government.
These Americans were Tennesseans of McMinn County, located in Eastern Tennessee. The main towns of McMinn County are Athens, Etowah.
The depression of McMinn County had ravaged the county. Drought broke many farmers, workforces shrank. The Cantrell family backed Franklin Roosevelt in the election in 1932, hoping that the programs would help the local economy.
At the end of World War II in 1945, 3,000 veterans returned to McMinn County. Many newly re-turned ex-GI’s decided to challenge Cantrell politically, the sheriff of McMinn County. Offering an honest ballot counts, and reform of county government. The GI’s felt that the principals that they had fought for in the past war did not exist in McMinn County.
The GI’s won 1,168 votes to Cantrells 789. Other GI candidates won by similar margins if five precincts. Once the GI candidates’s victory had been certified, they cleaned up the county government. The GI’s wanted honest government, they set up a three man governing committee, the jail was fixed, and newly elected officials accepted a $5,000 pay limit.
The general election passed quietly. McMinn countains having restored the Rule of Law returned to their daily lives.
Airports
McMinn County
Longest Runway 4,700 FT.
Banks
The Bank of Athens
1305 Decatur
Athens, TN 37371-1008
(865) 745-8246
Athens Federal Saving and Loan
106 Washington St.
Athens, TN
(865) 745-1111
Citizens National Bank
2 Park Avenue
Athens, TN
(865) 745-0261
The First National Bank
204 Washington Ave
Athens TN
(865) 745-2542
McMinn Bank
720 Tennessee Ave.
Etowah, TN
(865) 263-5566
Climate
| Annual Average Temperatures | 59 |
| Monthly Average | Jan 43 | July 97 |
| Monthly Average Low Temp | January - 26 | July - 69 |
| Annual Average Precipitation | 69" |
| Annual Average Snowfall | 5" |
Golf Courses
Ridgewood Golf Club
387 County Road
Athens, TN
Highways
US Highway
I-75, 11, 411
State Highways
2, 30, 33, 39, 68, 163, 305, 307, 310
Location
McMinn County is located near I-75, between Knoxville and Chattanooga.
Newspaper
Daily Post
320 Jackson Avenue
Athens, TN
(865) 745-5664
The Etowah Enterprises
710 Ohio Ave
(865) 263-5411
Utilities
Athens Utilities Board
(865) 745-4501
Education
The McMinn County School System includes 7 elementary schools, 2 high schools, and a vocational school. The district has approximately 5,800 students. McMinn County has 3 different school systems within its boundaries.
The McMinn County System is a ten- (10) school K-12 system of approximately 5,800 students. These attitudes absolutely have to be fostered and nurtured by administrators.
Colleges and Universities
Hiwassee College
Cleveland State Community College
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Tennessee Wesleyan College
Lee College
Maryville College
Medical
The health care providers in McMinn County treat patients with the most modern equipment and facilities available. The Woods Memorial Hospital District serves the McMinn County area.
Woods Memorial Hospital
Highway 411N
Cultural
McMinn County Living Heritage Museum, have you ever imagined what it would be like to wear the moccasins of the Cherokee or to experience the satins of the Victorian era? Have you ever heard the whirl of the spinning wheel or felt the camaraderie of a quilting bee? Relive more than a century of the rich, turbulent history of Southeast Tennessee at the McMinn County Living Heritage Museum.
Thirty permanent exhibit areas depict life from the Cherokee Indians and early pioneer settlers through 1940. The extraordinary antique glassware collections of approximately 100 piece features many rare and one-of-a-kind items.
Louisville & Nashville Railroad Station/Museum--Etowah-The 2-story Victorian rail station, built in 1906 tells the story of this town built as a planned community by the L&N Railroad and traces its working class history. The rail yard is outside where visitors enjoy trains switching, changing crews and passing through. There is a Picnic area and park with walking trail.
Lost Sea - Located on Hwy 68 between Sweetwater & Madisonville. The World's largest underground lake. Guided tours and boat rides. Lost Sea is the world's largest underground lake. Designated as a Registered National Landmark, the earliest known visitor to the cave was a sabre-toothed tiger,
whose fossilized remains are now in the Museum of Natural History. A guided walk to the bottom of the cavern is rewarded with a trip in a glass bottom boat.
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Entertainment
McMinn County offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities for both young and old.
McMinn County so named because it was home to the Cherokee Towns that rested on the western slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. McMinn County is best known for its rivers-the Ocoee, Hiwassee, Tellico and Little Tennessee. These rivers, along with Lake Ocoee, Tellico Lake and other smaller lakes and streams, offer more than enough for a vacation of whitewater rafting, floating, canoeing, sailing, fishing and water skiing.
McMinn County residents can follow rivers and trails to explore the Cherokee National Forest by car, foot, horseback or boat. For those who love adventure, there is gliding, rappelling, caving, and gold panning and hunting.
And there's more. Outdoor recreation is just one offering for McMinn County. Museums, historic sites and reenactments spin tales of Cherokee Indians, fur traders, settlers, loggers, miners, railroaders, textile workers, and farmers. You won't find high rises or glass and steel buildings. Many of the points of interest lie along highways and backroads surrounded by streams, mountains, forests and small towns.
Cherokee National Forest, the only National Forest in Tennessee. The southern portion of the forest lies in McMinn Count, Monroe, Polk County. The forest is open for camping, picnicking areas, top fishing, whitewater rafting, and miles of hiking and horseback trails. Some of the most scenic driving views can be seen here in the Cherokee National Forest.
FERGUSON REALTORS
Knoxville Member for Superior Relocation Services
Toll Free 800-747-0713
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