Town of the Week: Maryville, Tennessee
June 26, 1999

Welcome to Rocky Top and corn in a jar, Tennessee. More than 200 years ago, in 1795, Blount County and the town of Maryville were created by the legislature in central Eastern Tennessee. Blount County was named for then Governor William Blount, and Maryville, the county seat, takes it's name from the Governor's wife, Mary Grainger Blount.

Much of the county lies within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country's most visited national park. Maryville has a twin city in Alcoa, established in 1919 through the efforts of the Aluminum Company of America, which located three plants there. A bridge over Pistol Creek in Bicentennial Park links the two towns. In the early days of Maryville, Sam Houston taught school in a one-room log cabin,which is still open to the public. One of the oldest colleges in the south is also located here, Maryville College. It holds the distinction of awarding the first Bachelor of Arts degree in Tennessee to a woman.

Among Maryville's esteemed sons is former Governor and Presidential candidate Lamar Alexander. Tourism, lumbering and manufacturing lead the economic forces of Maryville and Blount County. It's a busy and pretty place, our Town of the Week, Maryville, Tennessee.

Visit the Official Page of Maryville