Kingston, TN
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Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Roane County, Tennessee, United States. This city is thirty-six miles southwest of Knoxville. It had a population of 5,934 at the
2010 United States census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...
, and is included in the Harriman Micropolitan Statistical Area. Kingston is adjacent to
Watts Bar Lake Watts Bar Lake is a reservoir on the Tennessee River created by Watts Bar Dam as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority system. Geography Located in the U.S. state of Tennessee about midway between the cities of Chattanooga and Knoxville, the l ...
.


History

Kingston has its roots in
Fort Southwest Point Fort Southwest Point was a federal frontier outpost at what is now Kingston, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. Constructed in 1797 and garrisoned by federal soldiers until 1811, the fort served as a major point of interaction between t ...
, which was built just south of present-day Kingston in 1792. At the time, Southwest Point was on the fringe of the legal settlement area for Euro-Americans. A Cherokee village, headed by Chief Tollunteeskee, was situated just across the river, at what is now Rockwood. In 1805, Colonel Return J. Meigs, who operated out of Southwest Point, was appointed Cherokee Agent, effectively moving the agency from the Tellico Blockhouse to Southwest Point. The city of Kingston was established on October 23, 1799, as part of an effort to partition Knox County (the initial effort to form a separate county failed, but succeeded two years later). Kingston was named after Major Robert King, an officer at Fort Southwest Point in the 1790s.Samuel Cole Williams, ''Early Travels in the Tennessee Country, 1540–1800'' (Johnson City, Tenn.: The Watauga Press, 1928), 500. On September 21, 1807, Kingston was Tennessee's state capital for one day. The
Tennessee General Assembly The Tennessee General Assembly (TNGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is a part-time bicameral legislature consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The Speaker of the Senate carries the additional title ...
convened in Kingston that day due to an agreement with the Cherokee, who had been told that if the Cherokee Nation ceded the land that is now Roane County, Kingston would become the capital of Tennessee. After adjourning that day, the Assembly resumed meeting in Knoxville. At the outset of the Civil War in 1861, Kingston was selected as the site of the third session of the
East Tennessee Convention The East Tennessee Convention was an assembly of Southern Unionist delegates primarily from East Tennessee that met on three occasions during the Civil War. The Convention most notably declared the secessionist actions taken by the Tennessee sta ...
, which attempted to form a new, Union-aligned state in East Tennessee. Due to the Confederate occupation of the region, however, this third session, which was scheduled for August 1861, never took place.Oliver Perry Temple,
The Knoxville-Greeneville Convention of 1861
" ''East Tennessee and the Civil War'' (R. Clarke Company, 1899), p. 351.
In October 1861, William B. Carter and several co-conspirators planned the East Tennessee bridge burnings from a command post in Kingston.David Madden, "Unionist Resistance to Confederate Occupation: The Bridge Burners of East Tennessee," East Tennessee Historical Society ''Publications'', Vols. 52-53 (1980-1981), pp. 22-40. On November 24, 1863,
Confederate Cavalry The American Civil War saw cavalry tactics move largely away from the offensive towards the defensive, with the emphasis on screening, raiding, and reconnaissance. Development of the rifled musket had also rendered the cavalry charge both i ...
under Joseph Wheeler numbering about 500–1,000 men tried to take Kingston from the Union in the
Battle of Kingston The Battle of Kingston (November 24, 1863) saw Major General Joseph Wheeler with two divisions of Confederate States Army, Confederate cavalry attempt to overcome the Union (American Civil War), Union garrison of Kingston, Tennessee, led by Colone ...
, but they were unsuccessful. In 1955, the Tennessee Valley Authority completed work on the
Kingston Fossil Plant Kingston Fossil Plant, commonly known as Kingston Steam Plant, is a 1.4-gigawatt (1,398 megawatt, MW) coal-fired power plant located in Roane County, Tennessee, Roane County, just outside Kingston, Tennessee on the shore of Watts Bar Lake. It is o ...
, which at the time was the world's largest coal-burning power plant. The plant, which consumes roughly of coal daily, can produce up to 1,456 megawatts of electricity.TVA: Kingston Fossil Plant
" Retrieved: 2 January 2008. The plant's 1,000-foot (305 m) smokestacks are a familiar sight to those driving on the Roane County stretch of Interstate 40. On December 22, 2008, a impoundment containing fly ash slurry from the power plant
broke Broke may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film and television * ''Broke'' (1991 film), a 1991 British television film by Stephen Bill in the anthology series ''ScreenPlay'' * Broke (2009 film), a Canadian documentary film * '' Broke*'', ...
, spilling more than of waste into the surrounding area.


Geography

The town is situated at the confluence of the Clinch,
Emory Emory may refer to: Places * Emory, Texas, U.S. * Emory (crater), on the moon * Emory Peak, in Texas, U.S. * Emory River, in Tennessee, U.S. Education * Emory and Henry College, or simply Emory, in Emory, Virginia, U.S. * Emory University ...
, and Tennessee rivers. These confluences are now part of Watts Bar Lake, a reservoir created by the impoundment of the Tennessee by
Watts Bar Dam Watts Bar Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Tennessee River in Meigs and Rhea counties in Tennessee, United States. The dam is one of nine dams on the main Tennessee River channel operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam i ...
several miles to the southwest.''Harriman, TN'' and ''Bacon Gap, TN,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangles, USGS, 2001 & 1981 revisions''Tennessee Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 10th ed. 2014, p.39 Kingston is located near the junction of
U.S. Route 70 U.S. Route 70 or U.S. Highway 70 (US 70) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. It is a major east–west highway of the Southeastern United States, Southeastern, Southern Unite ...
, which connects Kingston with Knoxville to the east and
Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
to the west, and
State Route 58 The following highways are numbered 58: International * European route E58 Australia * Riverina Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 58 * Highway 58 (Ontario) * Saskatchewan Highway 58 Finland * Finnish national road 58 India * National Highw ...
, which connects Kingston with Oak Ridge to the northeast and
Chattanooga Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
to the south. Interstate 40 passes through Kingston, running roughly parallel to U.S. 70. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 9.56%, is water.


Demographics


2020 census

As of the
2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
, there were 5,953 people, 2,225 households, and 1,335 families residing in the city.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,264 people, 2,263 households, and 1,532 families residing in the city. The population density was 803.7 people per square mile (310.3/km2). There were 2,478 housing units at an average density of 378.4 per square mile (146.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 93.75% White, 3.55% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.49%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 0.97% of the population. There were 2,263 households, out of which 26.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were
married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...
living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.77. In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.5% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,071, and the median income for a family was $44,979. Males had a median income of $40,186 versus $22,971 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,301. About 6.0% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.6% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.


Newspapers

Roane County News


Notable people

*
Robert K. Byrd Robert King Byrd (November 4, 1823 – May 2, 1885) was an American soldier and politician. A Southern Unionist, he commanded the Union Army's First Tennessee Infantry during the Civil War, and saw action at Cumberland Gap, Stones River, and ...
(1823–1885), Union Army colonel and state senator *
George Lewis Gillespie, Jr. George Lewis Gillespie Jr. (October 7, 1841 – September 27, 1913) was an American soldier who received the highest military decoration that the United States bestows to members of the military, the Medal of Honor, for his actions during the Ame ...
(1841–1913), U.S. Army general and Medal of Honor recipient *
Jennie Jackson Jennie Jackson (1852 – May 4, 1910) was an American singer and voice teacher. She was one of the original members of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, an African-American ''a cappella'' ensemble. She toured with the group from 1871 to 1877. In 1891 sh ...
(1852-1910), one of the original Fisk Jubilee Singers *
Martin W. Littleton Martin Wiley Littleton (January 12, 1872 – December 19, 1934) was an American attorney known for his involvement in a number of high-profile trials during the early 1900s, including serving as chief defense counsel for Harry Kendall Thaw at his ...
(1872–1934), U.S. congressman and attorney, known for defending Harry Thaw at his murder trial *
Sam Rayburn Samuel Taliaferro Rayburn (January 6, 1882 – November 16, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 43rd speaker of the United States House of Representatives. He was a three-time House speaker, former House majority leader, two-time ...
(1882–1961), U.S. congressman and
Speaker of the House The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
* Bowden Wyatt (1917–1969), University of Tennessee football coach *
Wil Crowe William Chandler Crowe (born September 9, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in MLB for the Washington Nationals. Amateur career Crowe attended Pigeon ...
Professional baseball player for the
Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...


References


External links

* *
Municipal Technical Advisory Service entry for Kingston
— information on local government, elections, and link to charter {{authority control Cities in Tennessee Cities in Roane County, Tennessee Tennessee County seats in Tennessee Tennessee populated places on the Tennessee River