Editing Clinton, Tennessee (section)

==History==

=== Early history ===
Prehistoric [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] habitation was common throughout the [[Clinch River]] valley, especially during the [[Woodland period]] (1000 B.C. – 1000 A.D.) and the [[Mississippian culture|Mississippian period]] (1000–1550 A.D.). A number of such habitation sites were excavated in the 1930s and 1950s in anticipation of the construction of [[Norris Dam]] and [[Melton Hill Dam]], respectively. The Melton Hill excavations uncovered two substantial Woodland period villages along the Clinch at Bull Bluff and Freels Bend, both approximately {{convert|20|mi|km}} downstream from Clinton.<ref>Glyn DuVall, "[http://www.eh.doe.gov/NEPA/ea/EA1548/appxa.pdf A Phase I Archaeological Survey of Proposed Potable Water Storage and Force Main Facilities, Y-12 National Security Complex Site, Anderson County, Tennessee]{{dead link|date=August 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}."  August 2005.  Retrieved: February 21, 2008.</ref>

[[File:Clinton-tennessee-1939-tva1.gif|left|210px|thumb|View of Clinton in 1938]]

By the time Euro-American explorers and [[Longhunter|longhunters]] arrived in the Clinch valley in the mid-18th century, what is now Anderson County was part of a vast stretch of land claimed by the [[Cherokee]].<ref>Snyder Roberts, "[http://www.roanetn.com/anderson.htm Historical Background of Anderson County, TN] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511153911/http://www.roanetn.com/anderson.htm |date=2008-05-11 }}," originally published in ''History of Clinton Senior High School'', 1971.  Retrieved: February 21, 2008.</ref> Although the [[Treaty of Holston]], signed in 1791, was intended as a negotiation with the Cherokee to prohibit Euro-American settlement of the area including what is today Anderson County, the treaty became ineffective as more settlers moved through the [[Appalachian Mountains]] from [[Virginia]] and [[North Carolina]] into Tennessee. The earliest settlers in Anderson County included the Wallace, Gibbs, Freels, Frost and Tunnell families. The flooding of white settlers into the Indian domain was cause for several skirmishes, which eased after the [[Treaty of Tellico]] in 1798 (including an origination point for the land to be relinquished from the Cherokee being the [[Tellico Blockhouse]]) allowed for greater ease in settling the area.<ref>{{cite book |last= Overholt |first= James |title= [[Anderson County, Tennessee]] |publisher= [[The Donning Company]] |year= 1989 |isbn= 0-89865-770-9 |pages=13–20}}</ref>

Founded in 1801, the town of Burrville was named in honor of [[Aaron Burr]], first-term [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] under [[Thomas Jefferson]]. Land was selected and partitioned for a courthouse, and Burrville was designated as the county seat for the newly formed Anderson County. The county was partitioned from portions of [[Grainger County, Tennessee|Grainger County]] and [[Knox County, Tennessee|Knox County]] in 1801; neighboring [[Roane County, Tennessee|Roane County]] was also formed from a portion of Knox County in 1801.<ref>{{cite book |last= Wells |first= Emma Middleton |title= History of Roane County, Tennessee, Volume 1 |publisher= The Lookout Publishing Company |year= 1927 |isbn= 0-8063-8003-9 |pages=9–11}}</ref>

On November 8, 1809, by an act of the Tennessee State Legislature, the town of Burrville was renamed because of the disgrace of the [[Burr–Hamilton duel]], which resulted in the death of [[Alexander Hamilton]]. The selection of the name "Clinton" was most likely to honor [[George Clinton (vice president)|George Clinton]] or his nephew, [[DeWitt Clinton]].<ref>Tara Mitchell Mielnik, [http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=23 Anderson County]." ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009.  Retrieved: February 11, 2013.</ref> George Clinton was one of Burr's New York political rivals who, along with [[Alexander Hamilton]], destroyed Burr's bid for the governorship of New York after his single-term vice presidency. George Clinton succeeded Burr as the second-term vice president for Jefferson in 1805 (and also served as [[James Madison]]'s vice president, making Clinton the first vice president to serve under two presidents and the first vice president to die in office). Because of the political position of George Clinton as vice president at the time of Burrville's name change, compared to DeWitt Clinton's position as the mayor of [[New York City]], most likely the residents of the town of Burrville would have been more readily identifiable and more honorable toward George Clinton than DeWitt; therefore, it is most likely Clinton was named after George Clinton, barring historical proof.

=== Growth and industry ===
With the construction of Clinton's Southern Railway depot in the 1890s and the nearby booming coal industry, the population rose from about 325 in 1874 to 1,198 in 1890. During this time, the Southern Hotel accommodated overnight visitors arriving via passenger train until it burned down in 1908 in a fire that also affected most of Depot Street (now Market Street). Another Southern Railway depot was constructed in 1914 while coal mining continued to be a large enterprise for Anderson County.

Clinton's first large manufacturing company, Magnet Knitting Mills, a [[textile mill]] for men's socks, opened in 1906 with less than 60 workers. By 1910, the workforce grew to over 200 employees. In 1916, the mill employed over 500 workers, constructed an addition to its building, and started planning for the production of women's silk hosiery.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Overholt |first=James |title=Anderson County Tennessee: A Pictorial History |publisher=The Donning Company |year=1989 |isbn=0-89865-769-5 |edition=Limited |pages=68-69}}</ref>

Prior to the flooding cause by the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]]'s construction of the [[Melton Hill Dam]], the [[Clinch River]] adjacent to Clinton was known for its freshwater pearl industry, however when river depths rose in the mid-20th century due to the dam, the warmer water temperature disrupted the mussels' habitat so that pearls were no longer harvestable.

===World War II===
The [[Clinton Engineer Works]], named after Clinton, was the official name for the [[Manhattan Project]] site in Tennessee which produced the [[enriched uranium]] used in the 1945 [[bombing of Hiroshima]], as well as the first examples of reactor-produced [[plutonium]]. The site was also known by the name of its largest township, Oak Ridge. The works were located starting about {{convert|3|mi|km}} southwest of Clinton, continued for {{convert|10|mi|km}} towards [[Kingston, Tennessee|Kingston]] and contained roughly {{convert|58,900|acre|ha}}.

===Clinton High School desegregation controversy===
[[File:Afro-American students enter Clinton High School.tif|right|210px|thumb|African-American students entering Clinton High School, December 1956]]{{further|Clinton High School, Tennessee#Integration}}
In 1956, Clinton gained national attention when segregationists opposed the [[desegregation]] of [[Clinton High School (Clinton, Tennessee)|Clinton High School]]. Following the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] decision in the case of ''[[Brown v. Board of Education]]'', a court order required the desegregation of the high school. Twelve [[African-American]] students enrolled in the high school in the fall of 1956. On August 27, 1956, [[The Clinton 12]] attended classes at Clinton High School for the first time, becoming the first African-Americans to desegregate a state-supported public school in the Southeast. 

While the first day of classes occurred without incident, pro-segregation forces led by [[John Kasper]] and [[Asa Carter]] arrived in Clinton the following week and rallied the city's white citizens. Riots broke out in early September, forcing Governor [[Frank G. Clement]] to station National Guard units in Clinton throughout September. Sporadic violence and threats continued for the next two years, culminating in the bombing of Clinton High School on October 5, 1958. With an influx of outside aid, however, the school was quickly rebuilt.<ref>Carroll Van West, "[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=279 Clinton Desegregation Crisis]."  ''The Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture'', 2009.  Retrieved: February 11, 2013.</ref> A museum dedicated to the desegregation crisis, the Green McAdoo Cultural Center, is housed in Clinton's segregation-era [[Green McAdoo School]]. The Green McAdoo School served elementary school-aged black children, so until the desegregation movement, black high school-aged children were expected to travel to Knoxville for education. 

===Rogers Group quarry pushback===

In the 1990s, the Rogers Group, a firm specializing in road paving, began a campaign to reactivate an abandoned [[quarry]] and build an [[asphalt plant]] just east of Clinton near the community of Bethel. The initiative met with opposition from local and environmental groups, who were concerned that the plant would release cancer-causing toxins into nearby residential neighborhoods. Others were concerned about plummeting property values, noise pollution, damage from rock blasting, and environmental damage to Buffalo Creek. The company argued that it would follow stringent environmental and pollution guidelines, [[retention pond]]s would limit runoff, and that the site would be surrounded by vegetation. Nevertheless, Anderson County refused to rezone the quarry property for industrial uses, and Rogers Group sued the county in 1995.<ref name="Leean Tupper 2008">Leean Tupper, "[http://www.aggregateresearch.com/articles/12921/Citizens-sue-Rogers-Group.aspx Citizens Sue Clinton and Rogers Group] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307152114/http://www.aggregateresearch.com/articles/12921/Citizens-sue-Rogers-Group.aspx |date=2016-03-07 }}," September 19, 2007. Retrieved: February 21, 2008.</ref><ref>Bob Fowler, "[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/aug/21/clinton-passes-annex-rezoning/ Clinton Passes Annex Rezoning]."  August 21, 2007.  Retrieved: February 21, 2008.</ref>

In December 2006, after Rogers Group's lawsuit had stagnated, the city of Clinton voted to annex the quarry property.<ref name="Leean Tupper 2008"/> On August 20, 2007, the Clinton City Council voted 6–1 to rezone the quarry property for industrial uses, paving the way for the plant's construction. In response, a local advocacy group known as Citizens for Safety and Clean Air filed a lawsuit on behalf of several Bethel residents in Anderson County Chancery Court contending that the council's rezoning was unconstitutional and seeking an injunction preventing the council from rezoning the property as an industrial zone.<ref>Bob Fowler, "[http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local/group-files-lawsuit-over-clinton-councils-rezoning-ep-412663088-360161971.html Group Files Lawsuit Over Council's Rezoning]."  September 19, 2007.  Retrieved: February 26, 2016.</ref>

===Modern day===
[[File:Clinton-water-tower-tn1.jpg|thumb|Magnet Mills factory site and water tower in 2016]]
In 2018, urban developers and city officials met with the proposal to redevelop the downtown and waterfront area of Clinton after the [[Tennessee Department of Transportation]] began construction on a new bridge to carry [[U.S. Route 25W in Tennessee|US 25W]]-[[Tennessee State Route 9|SR 9]] across the Clinch River.<ref name="redevelop">{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Jim |title=Clinton envisions major downtown makeover, sparked by new bridge |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/2018/04/06/clinton-tennessee-downtown-redevelopment-bridge/470975002/ |access-date=August 3, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=April 6, 2018}}</ref> The highlight of the project is the 7-acre site of the former Magnet Mills complex, having 1,400 feet of Clinch River frontage. Proposed additions to the site include improved commercial development and pedestrian access in the downtown area, and a waterfront esplanade and multi-story mixed-use buildings with upper-level residential space and ground level retail and restaurant space.<ref name="redevelop"/> 

Since 2018, an unknown developer based out of Knoxville has planned, under contract, the purchase of the Magnet Mills site along with a nearby plot of land with the intention of converting the area into a mix of residential and retail use.<ref name="renewal">{{cite news |last1=Gaines |first1=Jim |title=Redevelopment of Clinton's downtown gains steam |url=https://www.knoxnews.com/story/money/business/2019/01/02/clinton-tn-downtown-magnet-mills-bridge-work/2281500002/ |access-date=August 3, 2020 |work=[[Knoxville News Sentinel]] |date=January 2, 2019}}</ref> The City of Clinton has also applied for grants towards the improvement of the streets and sidewalks in the city's downtown area, including the historical Depot Street (now Market Street).<ref name="renewal" /> In July 2019, the remaining structures of Magnet Mills site, excluding the water tower, were demolished as the developer closed the sale on mill site.<ref name="demolish">{{cite news |last1=Leinart |first1=Ken |title=Magnet Mills site reaches milestone |url=https://mycouriernews.com/articles/2019/07/2645/magnet-mills-site-reaches-milestone |access-date=August 3, 2020 |work=The Courier News |date=July 24, 2019}}</ref> 

In early 2019, Aspire, a 370-acre multi-amenity park, was planned for development south of Clinton's downtown area. The park was proposed by the local non-profit organization, the Hollingsworth Foundation, which owns land for the site along with the [[Tennessee Valley Authority]].<ref name="aspire">{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=Shannon |title=Massive multi-amenity park planned for south Clinton |url=https://www.wbir.com/article/news/massive-multi-amenity-park-planned-for-south-clinton/51-df9a1e1b-29ba-4a66-8abb-c87583712d90 |access-date=August 3, 2020 |work=[[WBIR-TV]] |date=March 25, 2019}}</ref> Construction work began in October 2019<ref name="release">{{cite news |title=Aspire Foundation issues release |url=https://mycouriernews.com/articles/2019/10/2911/aspire-foundation-issues-release |work=The Courier News |date=October 9, 2019}}</ref> and the park opened in October 2024. Aspire boasts a restaurant, The Pearl; an event venue, The Exchange; a boat and canoe/kayak put-in, The Launch; dog park; playground; mountain bike circuit; lawn, wildflower meadow, and shade gardens; 22 miles of hiking and biking trails; and a military monument.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carroll |first=Amber Lynn |date=15 November 2024 |title=LIVE: On the Road with Living East Tennessee to Aspire for Adventure with the Whole Family in Clinton, Tennessee |url=https://www.wate.com/living-east-tennessee/aspire/ |url-status=live |access-date=3 February 2025 |website=WATE: Living East Tennessee}}</ref>