Sevierville ( ) is a city in and the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County ( ) is a county of the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 98,380. Its county seat and largest city is Sevierville. Sevier County comprises the Sevierville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area, which ...
, United States,
located in
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...
. The
population
Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
was 17,889 at the
2020 United States Census.
History
Native Americans of the
Woodland period
In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 BC to European contact i ...
were among the first human inhabitants of what is now Sevierville. They arrived circa 200 A.D.
Between 1200 and 1500 A.D., during the
Dallas phase of the
Mississippian period, a group of Native Americans established
McMahan Mound Site, a relatively large village centered on a
platform mound
A platform mound is any earthwork or mound intended to support a structure or activity. It typically refers to a flat-topped mound, whose sides may be pyramidal.
In Eastern North America
The indigenous peoples of North America built substru ...
and surrounded by a
palisade
A palisade, sometimes called a stakewall or a paling, is typically a row of closely placed, high vertical standing tree trunks or wooden or iron stakes used as a fence for enclosure or as a defensive wall. Palisades can form a stockade.
Etymo ...
just above the confluence of the West Fork and the Little Pigeon River. This mound was approximately high and across. An excavation in 1881 unearthed burial sites, arrowheads, a marble pipe, glass beads, pottery, and engraved objects. At the time of this first excavation, the mound was located on a farm owned by the McMahan family, and was thus given the name "McMahan Indian Mound."
By the early 18th century, the
Cherokee
The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
controlled much of the Tennessee side of the
Smokies and had established a series of settlements along the
Little Tennessee River. A section of the
Great Indian Warpath
The Great Indian Warpath (GIW)—also known as the Great Indian War and Trading Path, or the Seneca Trail—was part of the network of trails in eastern North America developed and used by Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans w ...
forked at the mouth of Boyd's Creek, just north of Sevierville. The main branch crossed the French Broad and continued along Dumplin Creek to the
Nolichucky basin in northeastern Tennessee. The other branch, known as the Tuckaleechee and Southeastern Trail, turned south along the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River. This second branch forked again at modern-day Pigeon Forge, with the main trail turning east en route to
Little River and the other branch, known as Indian Gap Trail, crossing the crest of the Smokies to the south and descending into the
Oconaluftee area of North Carolina. The various Cherokee trails crossing Sevier County brought the first Euro-American traders and settlers to the area.
Early Euro-American settlement
European
long hunters and traders arrived in the Sevierville area in the mid-18th century. Isaac Thomas (c. 1735–1818), the most notable of these early traders, was well respected by the Cherokee and may have lived at the
Overhill town of
Chota at one time. Europeans like Thomas were mainly in the area in search of animal furs, which they exchanged for manufactured goods.
As settlers began to trickle into East Tennessee, relations with the Cherokee began to turn hostile. During the
Revolutionary War, the Cherokee, who had aligned themselves with the British, launched sporadic attacks against the sparse settlements in the Tennessee Valley. In December 1780,
Col. John Sevier, fresh off a victory against the British at
King's Mountain, launched a
punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beha ...
against the Cherokee. Sevier defeated the Cherokee at the Battle of Boyd's Creek and proceeded to destroy several Cherokee settlements along the Little Tennessee.
A temporary truce secured by
James White in 1783 led to an influx of Euro-American settlers in the French Broad valley. Hugh Henry (1756–1838) erected a small fort near the mouth of Dumplin Creek in 1782 known as Henry's Station. He was joined the following year by Samuel Newell (1754–1841), who established Newell's Station along Boyd's Creek, and Joshua Gist, who settled near the creek's mouth. Other early forts in the area included Willson's Station at the confluence of the East and Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon and Wear's Fort at the junction of the Southeastern and Tuckaleechee Trail and Indian Gap Trail. The Cherokee signed away all rights to what is now Sevier County in the 1785
Treaty of Dumplin Creek, which was negotiated at Henry's Station.
In 1783, Isaac Thomas established a farm, trading post, and tavern at the confluence of the West Fork and the Little Pigeon River. He was joined shortly thereafter by Spencer Clack (1740–1832) and James McMahan, and a community known as "Forks of the Little Pigeon" developed around them. In 1789, Reverend Richard Wood (1756–1831) established Forks-of-the-River Baptist Church, which reported a congregation of 22 in 1790. By 1795, the congregation had 94 members.
Antebellum Sevierville
Sevier County was created in 1794 and named after
John Sevier
John Sevier (September 23, 1745 September 24, 1815) was an American soldier, frontiersman, and politician, and one of the founding fathers of the State of Tennessee. A member of the Democratic-Republican Party, he played a leading role in Tennes ...
. At a meeting at Thomas' house the following year, the Forks-of-the-Little-Pigeon area was chosen as the county seat and renamed "Sevierville." James McMahan donated a tract of land for erecting a town square. This tract was parceled out into lots of that purchasers were required to build brick, framed, or stone structures on.
The first Sevier County Courthouse was built in 1796. According to local legend, court was held in a flea-infested abandoned stable before its construction. The lore suggests that irritated lawyers paid an unknown person a bottle of whiskey to burn down the stable, forcing the new county to build an actual courthouse.
As the county grew, several large farms were established in the fertile Boyd's Creek area. In 1792, Andrew Evans purchased a tract of land near the mouth of Boyd's Creek and built a ferry near the site of the old ford. In 1798, he sold the farm to John Brabson, and it became known as
Brabson's Ferry Plantation. In the early 1790s, Thomas Buckingham established a large farm between Boyd's Creek and Sevierville. He went on to become the county's first sheriff. In the early 19th century, Timothy Chandler and his son, John Chandler (1786–1875), established the
Wheatlands plantation in Boyd's Creek.
As towns situated along the French Broad are connected via waterway to
New Orleans
New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
,
flatboat trade flourished along the river in the early 19th century. In 1793, James Hubbert, who lived along Dumplin Creek, established Hubbert's Flat Landing to trade with flatboats moving up and down the river.
In the early 19th century, Knoxville and Asheville were connected via Route 17, a crude road that followed the banks of the French Broad. This new road gave Tennessee's cattle drovers greater access to markets along the east coast. In 1820, a stagecoach road connected Sevierville with Maryville to the west. Sevierville's status as a county seat along these early roads helped it grow. By 1833, the town had a population of 150, including two doctors, two carpenters, a tanner, two tailors, a shoemaker, three stores, a hatter, two taverns, and two mills. Distilleries were popular means of supplemental income. By 1850, John Chandler's distillery was producing 6,000 gallons of whiskey per year.
A notable late arrival in Sevierville was Dr.
Robert H. Hodsden (1806–1864), who was an attending physician for the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...
. In 1846, Hodsden began construction on a plantation near Fair Garden, just outside Sevierville to the east. Known as
Rose Glen, this plantation was worth $28,000 in 1860, making it one of the most valuable in the county.
In 1856, a fire swept through Sevierville, burning a recently constructed courthouse, 41 houses, and several shops in the downtown area. The county lost nearly all of the vital records of its early settlers.
The Civil War
Slavery
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
was not common in Sevier County, although it did occur, especially at the large plantations along the French Broad River. Even before the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, Sevierville – a hotbed of abolitionist activity – was home to a relatively large community of free African-Americans. In 1861, only 3.8% of the residents of Sevier County voted in favor of secession from the Union.
In late 1861, a pro-secession speech delivered by Henry Foote sparked an angry response in Sevierville and was followed by a series of explosive anti-secession speeches. The following year, pro-Union Knoxville newspaper editor
Parson Brownlow gave a rousing anti-secession speech in Sevierville en route to a hideout in
Wears Valley. Brownlow's audience remained gathered throughout the night after a rumor spread that
Confederate forces were approaching.
Union supporters in Sevier County were harassed and threatened throughout the war, even after Union forces under
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everts Burnside (May 23, 1824 – September 13, 1881) was an American army officer and politician who became a senior Union general in the American Civil War and a three-time Governor of Rhode Island, as well as being a successfu ...
occupied Knoxville in September 1863.
Sevierville, situated at a major crossroads south of Knoxville, suffered consistent harassment, looting, and confiscation of property by both Union and Confederate forces moving through the town in 1863 and 1864. Vance Newman, a Union recruiting officer living in Sevierville at the time, later recalled:
A guard of rebel soldiers in 1864 threatened to burn my house, and the rebel soldiers so often threatened to take my life that I cannot particularize. They were always after me because of my Union sentiments.
After Confederate General
James Longstreet
James Longstreet (January 8, 1821January 2, 1904) was a General officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War and was the principal subordinate to General Robert E. Lee, who called him his "Old War Ho ...
failed to retake Knoxville in the
Battle of Fort Sanders, Union and Confederate forces quickly initiated a series of maneuvers to gain control of the strategic fords along the French Broad, culminating in an engagement near Hodsden's farm at Fair Garden in January 1864. Although the Union forces were victorious, they were later forced to retreat due to lack of supplies. A state of general anarchy ensued that continued until the end of the war. On October 30, 1864, Sevierville resident Terressa McCown wrote in her diary:
The robbers have come at last, they robbed my husband of his pocketbook, money and papers and pocket knife. Times get worse everyday. We know not what will come next. I feel this morning like nothing but destruction awaits us.
At the war's end, most of the county's few remaining Confederate sympathizers, most notably members of the Brabson family, were forced to flee.
Postwar-present
Sevierville recovered quickly from the war, with a number of new houses and businesses being built in the 1870s. Two members of the town's African-American community — house builder
Lewis Buckner (1856–1924) and brickmason Isaac Dockery (1832–1910) — played a prominent role in Sevierville's post-war construction boom. Buckner designed a number of houses in the Sevierville area over a 40-year period, 15 of which are still standing. Dockery's contributions include the New Salem Baptist Church in 1886 and the
Sevier County Courthouse in 1896, both of which are still standing.
By the 1880s, Sevierville was growing rapidly, as was the population of Sevier County. In 1887, the town had four general stores, two groceries, a jeweler, a sawmill, and two hotels. It was also home to the Sevierville Lumber Company, which was established to harvest trees in the area. Tourists also started to trickle into Sevier County, drawn by the reported health-restoring qualities of mountain springs. Resorts sprang up throughout the county, with Seaton Springs and Henderson Springs located just south of Sevierville.
In 1892, a vigilante group known as the "Whitecaps" was formed to rid Sevier County of vice. The group wore white hoods to conceal their identities and used
Ku Klux Klan
The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
-like tactics, although they were not considered a racist entity. The Whitecaps initially threatened women accused of prostitution, and the group began launching nightly attacks in the mid-1890s. In 1893, Sevierville physician J.A. Henderson took over an anti-Whitecap group, which he renamed the "Blue Bills." The two vigilante groups clashed at Henderson Springs in 1894, with deaths occurring on both sides. In 1896, the Whitecaps' murder of a young Sevierville couple led to widespread outrage, and in 1898, the Tennessee State Legislature banned "extra-legal conspiracies" and vigilante groups. Due to this measure and the efforts of Sevier County Deputy Sheriff Thomas Davis, the Whitecaps largely vanished by the end of the century.
After a fire destroyed much of the downtown area in 1900, businesses shifted from the old town square at Main Street to the new Sevierville Commercial District, viz. Court Avenue and Bruce Street, which centered on the new courthouse. The town incorporated in 1901.
In 1910, Indiana entrepreneur William J. Oliver finished work on the Knoxville, Sevierville and Eastern Railroad, which was Sevier County's first
standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
rail line. Known as the
Smoky Mountain Railroad, this line offered passenger service between Knoxville and Sevierville until 1962.
With the opening of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934, tens of thousands of tourists began passing through Sevierville, which was situated about halfway between the park and Knoxville. U.S. 441, initially known as Smoky Mountain Highway, was completed to Sevierville in 1934 and later extended to North Carolina.
Entertainer
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
was born in Sevierville in 1946. Her Parton ancestors had migrated to
Greenbrier sometime around 1850 and later moved to Locust Ridge (near Pittman Center), where Parton was born, after the establishment of the national park. In more recent years, the town erected a statue of Parton on the lawn of the courthouse and named Dolly Parton Parkway after her.
Much of
Cormac McCarthy
Cormac McCarthy (born Charles Joseph McCarthy Jr.; July 20, 1933 – June 13, 2023) was an American author who wrote twelve novels, two plays, five screenplays, and three short stories, spanning the Western, post-apocalyptic, and Southern Got ...
's 1973 novel ''
Child of God'' takes place in Sevierville and the surrounding area.
Registered historic sites
*
Riley H. Andes House: African-American carpenter
Lewis Buckner designed and built this house in 1890. Added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1980, the house is still in use today as an art gallery.
*
Brabson's Ferry Plantation: Established by Andrew Evans in the early 1790s and purchased by John Brabson in 1798, this plantation site near
Boyd's Creek includes a plank house from the late 18th century and two plantation houses. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
*
Buckingham House: Located between Sevierville and Boyd's Creek, this home was built in the late 18th century by Thomas Buckingham, the first sheriff of Sevier county. It is the oldest house in the county and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
* New Salem Baptist Church: This historic church was built by Isaac Dockery for the local African-American community in 1886. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
*
Perry's Camp: Now known as Flat Branch Cottages, the area was developed as a tourist resort by Charlie Perry in the late 1920s. The site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
*
Rocky Springs Presbyterian Church: Built in 1891, this
Folk Victorian-style church also has elements of
Queen Anne architecture. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
*
Rose Glen: The former home of
Dr. Robert H. Hodsden, it was built in the 1840s and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Surviving buildings include the plantation house, loom house, physician's office, and a barn.
*
Sevier County Courthouse: Designed by the
McDonald Brothers of
Louisville
Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...
and constructed by C.W. Brown of
Lenoir City in 1895, this courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It's an example of the
Beaux Arts style and has brickwork completed by Isaac Dockery.
* Sevierville Commercial Historic District: Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, this district includes Court Avenue, Bruce Street, and Commerce Street, all near the courthouse. The area became a commercial center when the old commercial district burned in the early 20th century.
*
Sevierville Masonic Lodge: Built in 1893 for use by a local
Masonic lodge
A Masonic lodge (also called Freemasons' lodge, or private lodge or constituent lodge) is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry.
It is also a commonly used term for a building where Freemasons meet and hold their meetings. Every new l ...
, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
* Thomas Addition Historic District: This housing area in southeast Sevierville is mostly made up of bungalows and Queen Anne cottages built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The area was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
* Trotter–McMahan House & Farm (Boundary Increase): Built in 1848 by Dr. William Harrison Trotter, this house has a style designed by architect Frederick Emert to be different from other houses in the area. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. A separate registration increased the boundary of the site to include the surrounding farm and outbuildings in 2001.
* U.S. Post Office – Sevierville: A
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture.
The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...
style building built in 1940 by the
Works Project Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; from 1935 to 1939, then known as the Work Projects Administration from 1939 to 1943) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to c ...
, it has been the site of a heritage museum since 1995 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
* Dwight and Kate Wade House: This Colonial Revival home was designed by female architect
Verna Cook Salomonsky based on plans for a home she designed for the
1939–1940 New York World's Fair. Built in 1940, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
* Walker Mill Hydroelectric Station: Located on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River near Sevierville, the site includes a
dam
A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
, substructure, and powerhouse. It began generating electricity in 1914 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
* Waters House: This
Victorian home was designed by Lewis Buckner and built around 1895. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
*
Wheatlands: Named for its focus on wheat farming, this plantation was built in the early 19th century by John Chandler, who also owned a distillery that made
wheat whiskey. The smokehouse, storage shed, and plantation house were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
*
Harrisburg Covered Bridge: Crossing the East Fork of the
Little Pigeon River near Sevierville, this
king post truss style bridge was completed in 1875 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Geography
Sevierville is located along the
Little Pigeon River which is formed by the confluence of its East Fork and Middle Fork, both of which flow down from their sources high in the
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridg ...
. Five miles (8 km) downstream to the west, the Little Pigeon absorbs its West Fork before turning north and flowing for another five miles (8 km) to its mouth along the
French Broad River
The French Broad River is a river in the U.S. states of North Carolina and Tennessee. It flows from near the town of Rosman, North Carolina, Rosman in Transylvania County, North Carolina, into Tennessee, where its confluence with the Holston R ...
. Sevierville is centered on the stretch of land between these two junctions of the East and Middle Fork and the West Fork, known traditionally as Forks-of-the-Pigeon or Forks-of-the-River.
Situated in an area where the Foothills of the Great Smokies give way to the
Tennessee Valley
The Tennessee Valley is the drainage basin of the Tennessee River and is largely within the U.S. state of Tennessee. It stretches from southwest Kentucky to north Alabama and from northeast Mississippi to the mountains of Virginia and North C ...
, Sevierville has long acted as a nexus between
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
to the north and the
Appalachia
Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
n towns in the mountains to the south.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
is located approximately ten miles south of Sevierville.
Due to its hilly terrain and the relatively poor roads of 19th-century Sevier County, a number of smaller communities developed independently along the outskirts of Sevierville. These include Harrisburg and Fair Garden to the east and Catlettsburg and Boyd's Creek to the north. In addition, the
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
associates the name "Sevierville" with
ZIP codes for much of Sevier County, including some of the town of
Pittman Center and other geographically extensive areas located outside Sevierville's city limits.
Several major state and federal highways intersect in Sevierville.
U.S. Route 441, commonly called "The Parkway," connects Sevierville with Knoxville to the north and the national park and
Cherokee, North Carolina
Cherokee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Swain and Jackson counties in Western North Carolina, United States, within the Qualla Boundary land trust. Cherokee is located in the Oconaluftee River Valley around the intersection of U.S. ...
, to the south. The Sevierville section of U.S. 441 has been named "Forks-of-the-River Parkway."
State Route 66, also called Winfield Dunn Parkway, connects Sevierville with
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...
to the north.
U.S. Route 411 traverses Sevierville from east to west, connecting Sevierville with
Blount and
Cocke counties. State Route 416 connects Sevierville with Pittman Center and
U.S. Route 321 at the park boundary to the southeast.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (0.45%) is water.
Neighborhoods
There are several neighborhoods located within Sevierville, offering different lifestyles and retail opportunities:
* East Sevierville
* Northview-
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...
* Old Town
* Riverview
* South Sevierville
Climate
Demographics
Sevierville is the principal city of the Sevierville, Tennessee,
Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Sevier County, and is part of the
Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette Combined Statistical Area.
2020 census
As of the
2020 United States census, there were 17,889 people, 6,026 households, and 3,949 families residing in the city.
2010 census
As of the
2010 United States Census, Sevierville had 14,807 people, 5,979 households, and 3,706 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 7,764 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.9%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.5%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.6%
Native American, 1.3%
Asian, 0%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 6.1% from
other races, and 1.7% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race accounted for 10.3% of the population.
Of the 5,979 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 15% of those living alone were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35, and the average family size was 2.9.
The population consisted of 24.4% of individuals under the age of 20, 7.2% from 20 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 24% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The
median age
A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...
was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.3 males.
According to 2012–2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, the
median income
The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of unde ...
for a household in Sevierville was $37,784, and the median income for a family was $39,840. Males had a median income of $32,404 versus $29,172 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $21,779. About 18.7% of families and 23.3% of the population were living below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 34.8% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or older.
Economy
Like other towns situated along the Parkway in Sevier County, Sevierville has reaped the benefits of the burgeoning tourism industry brought on by the development of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As of 2004, nearly 50 percent of businesses based in Sevierville were linked to tourism. For example, there are more than 2,000
hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
and
motel
A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the Parking lot, parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central Lobby (room), lo ...
rooms in the city that generate more than $500,000 in hotel-motel tax revenues each year. There are a large number of cabins available as
short term rentals in Sevierville.
In 2004, Sevierville established a Tourism Development Zone (TDZ) of to improve the central business district, funded by $150 million in bond sales between 2004 and 2008 (equivalent to $ million in ). Sales tax revenues received from businesses in the TDZ are earmarked for bond payments, while property taxes are often rebated to help developers pay for their development projects in the TDZ.
East Tennessee Radio Group owns and operates the Sevierville area's primary local radio stations,
WPFT-FM 106.3 and FM 105.5. Also,
WWST-FM 102.1, a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
music station serving the Knoxville market, is licensed by the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) to Sevierville.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
* Bloomin' Barbeque & Bluegrass Festival
* Dumplin Valley Bluegrass Festival
* Corvette Expo
* Sevier County Fair
* Shadrack's Christmas Wonderland
* Sevierville's Annual Christmas Parade
Tourism
*
Burchfiel Grove Memorial Arboretum
* AdventureWorks Climb Zip Swing
* Forbidden Caverns
* Sevier Air Trampoline Park
*
Douglas Dam
* Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo
* FoxFire Mountain Adventure Park
* Sevier County Heritage Museum
* Tennessee Museum of Aviation
* Scenic Helicopter Tours
* Tennessee Mountain Paintball
* NASCAR Speedpark
* Sky High Air Tours
* Tanger Outlets
* Smoky Mountain Knife Works & National Knife Museum
The following are located in the
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company, referred to simply as Kodak (), is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...
area of North Sevierville:
* Great Smokies Flea Market
*
Smokies Stadium
Education
Sevierville is served by the Sevier County public school system. The educational system consists of the following public institutions:
* Elementary-Grammar level:
** Sevierville Primary School – Grades: Kindergarten-Second
** Sevierville Intermediate School – Grades: Third-Fifth
** T. Lawson Early Childhood – Grades: Pre-Kindergarten-Kindergarten
* Elementary-Grammar/Junior High level:
** Catons Chapel Elementary School – Grades: Kindergarten-Eighth
** New Center Elementary School – Grades: Kindergarten-Eighth
* Junior High level:
** Sevierville Middle School – Grades: Sixth-Eighth
* Junior High/Secondary level:
** Hardin Alternative Learning Center – Grades: Seventh-Twelfth
** Parkway Academy – Grades: Sixth-Twelfth
* Secondary level:
**
Sevier County High School – Grades: Ninth-Twelfth
Sevierville is also home to the following private institutions:
* Elementary-Grammar level:
** Riverside Academy – Grades: Pre-Kindergarten-Fourth; Enrollment: 35
* Elementary-Grammar/Junior High/Secondary level:
** Covenant Christian Academy – Grades: Pre-Kindergarten-Twelfth; Enrollment: 450
** St. Andrew's School – Grades: Third-Twelfth; Enrollment: 26
* Ungraded:
** New Center Christian School – Enrollment: 11
In addition to the preceding institutions, Sevierville is home to the Sevier County satellite campus of
Walters State Community College, based in
Morristown, Tennessee.
King University, based in
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary be ...
, also operates a satellite campus in Sevierville at the Walters State Community College location.
Notable people
*
Irene Bailey Baker (1901–1994): A former
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
for the 2nd District in Tennessee, Baker was born and raised in Sevierville.
*
Reese Bowen Brabson (1817–1863): Brabson was a former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives and a U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 3rd district.
Brabson's Ferry Plantation near Sevierville is on the National Register of Historic Places.
*
Lewis Buckner (1856–1924): Enslaved before the Civil War, Buckner became a
carpenter
Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...
and furniture maker after abolition. Two of the homes he built in Sevierville in Sevier County –
Riley H. Andes House and Trotter-Waters House – are on the National Register of Historic Places.
*
Kristian Bush (1970–): Raised in Sevierville, Bush is one half of country duo
Sugarland (with
Jennifer Nettles
Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based bands ...
) and the great-grandson of the founder of
Bush Brothers and Company (the makers of Bush Beans).
*
Bruce Connatser (1902–1971): Born in Sevierville, Connatser played first base for
Major League Baseball's Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
.
*
Andrew E. Farmer (1979–): A current member (2018) of the
Tennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.
Constitutional requirements
According to the state constitution of 1870, this body is to consis ...
from the 17th district, Farmer is a resident of Sevierville.
*
Robert H. Hodsden (1806–1864): A planter and doctor who provided medical care along the
Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the forced displacement of about 60,000 people of the " Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850, and the additional thousands of Native Americans and their black slaves within that were ethnically cleansed by the U ...
, Hodsden served as President of the East Tennessee Medical Society and spent several terms in the Tennessee House of Representatives. His former home near Sevierville,
Rose Glen, is on the National Register of Historic Places.
*
Jason Layman (1973–): Born and raised in Sevierville, Layman played college football for the
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...
and was drafted as an offensive lineman for the
Houston Oilers
The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...
in the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
.
*
Roy Hardee "Red" Massey (1890–1954): A Major League Baseball player who played one season for the
Boston Braves
The Boston Braves were a Major League Baseball club that originated in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, and played from 1871 to 1952. Afterwards they moved to History of the Atlanta Braves#Milwaukee, Milwaukee (and became the Milwaukee Braves). ...
, Massey was born in Sevierville.
*
Zachary D. Massey (1864–1923): Throughout his life, Massey served as a U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 1st district, a senator in the
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the U.S. state of Tennessee , Tennessee's state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.
The Tennessee Senate has the power to pass resolutions concerning essentially any ...
, and
postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
of Sevierville.
*
The McCarters: The vocal country music trio consisting of Jennifer, Lisa, and Teresa McCarter grew up in Sevierville.
*
John Porter McCown (1815–1879): Born near Sevierville, McCown was a career soldier in the
U.S. Army who resigned to join the
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...
during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
. He also fought in the
Seminole Wars
The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...
and the
Mexican-American War
Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
.
*
Richard Montgomery
Richard Montgomery (2 December 1738 – 31 December 1775) was an Irish-born American military officer who first served in the British Army. He later became a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and ...
(1946–): A former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from the 12th district, Montgomery was born in Sevierville and served on the Sevier County
Board of Education
A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution.
The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...
for 16 years.
*
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, actress, and philanthropist, known primarily as a country music, country musician. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton's debut album ...
(1946–): Country music star Dolly Parton has composed more than 3,000 songs throughout her career and was inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amass ...
. Sevierville is her home town.
*
Randy Parton (1953–2021): The younger brother of Dolly Parton, Randy was a country singer, songwriter, and actor.
*
Stella Parton (1949–): The younger sister of Dolly Parton, Stella is also a country singer and songwriter.
*
Cecil T. Patterson
Cecil T. Patterson (June 22, 1930 – October 27, 2002), among America’s earliest karateka, introduced the Wadō-ryū style of karate into the Eastern United States in 1958. Before his death in 2002, he had firmly established the United States ...
(1930–2002): Born in Sevierville, Patterson introduced the
Wadō-ryū
is one of the four major karate styles and was founded by Hironori Ōtsuka (1892–1982). Ōtsuka was a Menkyo, Menkyo Kaiden licensed Shindō Yōshin-ryū practitioner of Tatsusaburo Nakayama and a student of Yōshin-ryū prior to meeting the O ...
style of
karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
into the
Eastern United States
The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital.
As of 2011, the Eastern ...
in 1958 and later established the United States Eastern Wadō-ryū Federation.
*
Isaac Thomas (1784–1859): An early U.S. Representative for Tennessee's 3rd district, Thomas was born in Sevierville.
*
Gary R. Wade: A former
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of Sevierville (1977–1987), Wade also served on the
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
The Court of Criminal Appeals is one of Tennessee's two intermediate appellate courts. It hears trial court appeals in felony and misdemeanor cases, as well as post-conviction petitions. Appeals in civil cases are heard by the Tennessee Cou ...
and the
Tennessee Supreme Court.
*
Ella May Wiggins (1900–1929): A ballad writer and union organizer for the National Textile Workers Union, Wiggins was murdered during the
Loray Mill Strike in
North Carolina
North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. She was born in Sevierville.
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
External links
*
Convention and Visitors BureauTennessee
{{Authority control
Cities in Tennessee
Cities in Sevier County, Tennessee
Communities of the Great Smoky Mountains
County seats in Tennessee