The town of McKenzie was organized in 1867 when the Nashville and
Northwestern Railroad completed its track and intersected with the
Memphis and Ohio Railroad. The name of the community derived from the
family which previously owned the land where the railroads crossed.
James Monroe McKenzie gave the property to the railroad company with
the stipulation that his son George McKenzie would be given the
position of station agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis
Railroad. It was first known as McKenzie Station was soon shortened to
McKenzie. The town began to develop rapidly after the tracks were
completed and was officially incorporated by the State of Tennessee o n
January 22, 1869.
The lure of the
railroad drew many residents from the nearby established communities
of Caladonia and McLemoresville. By 1870, the population of McKenzie
had grown to over 500 residents. In the 1880's the size of the town
doubled and business thrived. On October 15, 1887 the President of the
United States, Grover Cleveland, visited the bustling town and stayed
the night at the McKenzie Hotel. By the turn of the century, a city
park was created, public schools were built and roads paved with
gravel. The town continued to expand at a steady rate until the Great
Depression struck in October of 1929. Banks and businesses closed
their doors and the community's labor base evaporated overnight. It
would be not until 1936 that conditions began to show economic growth
and improvement.
Just prior to
the Second World War, the Federal Government began construction on a
munitions plant and arsenal east of Milan. During the war, the plant
would hire thousands of laborers and increase the population of
McKenzie more than any time in its history. Between 1940 and 1950, the
population of the city increased by over 1,300 people and was second
to only Oak Ridge in population growth statewide. Following the war
the city has kept a steady rate of growth and continues to be a
productive and prosperous community. |
