Corryton, Tennessee

Corryton, Tennessee
Unincorporated community
Corryton Village
Corryton Depot near the intersection of Corryton Road and Corryton Luttrell Road
Corryton Location in Tennessee and the United States Show map of Tennessee Corryton Corryton (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 36°09′13″N 83°46′57″W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
County	Knox
Settled	1785
Founded by	John Sawyers
Named for	Corryton Woodbury[1]
Government [2]
• Type	County Commission
• Commissioner	Richie Beeler (District 8)
Elevation [3]	1,043 ft (318 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	37721
Area code	865
FIPS code	47093
GNIS feature ID	1281332[3]

Corryton, also known as Corryton Village,^[4] is an unincorporated bedroom community^[5] in northeastern Knox County, Tennessee, United States, about 15 miles northeast of Knoxville. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Corryton as a populated place.^[3] It is included in Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Corryton is situated near two mountains, House Mountain (the highest point in Knox County)^[6] and Clinch Mountain. It includes two elementary schools, a middle school, a high school, a public library, community center, and several churches including Little Flat Creek Baptist Church (founded in 1797, making it the first Baptist church organized in Knox County), Corryton Church (formerly Corryton Baptist) and Rutherford Memorial United Methodist.

History

John Sawyers, a Revolutionary War veteran, settled in the vicinity of what is now Corryton in 1785. He subsequently built a small fort along the Emory Road. The community remained primarily agricultural until the construction of the Knoxville, Cumberland Gap and Louisville Railroad through the area in the late 1880s. The rail station that served the community was initially known as "Floyd."^[7]

In 1887, a developer named Corryton Woodbury purchased property surrounding the rail depot to grow the community into a suburban town.^[8] The lots failed to sell, and the venture was unsuccessful, with the community remaining a predominantly rural hamlet.^[9]

On April 25, 1983, Thomas Knauff set an FAI world record flying a glider on an out-and-return course of 1,646.68 km (1,023.20 mi), releasing from tow over Williamsport Regional Airport in Pennsylvania, flying south along the Ridge-and-valley Appalachians to take a turn-point photograph of the Little Flat Creek Church in Corryton, then returning for a landing after a 10-hour flight. The photographs were published in National Geographic magazine.^{[citation needed]} This world record stood until 2003 when it was broken in Argentina, but still stands as a U.S. national record.^[10]

Notable people

• Kenny Chesney – country music singer-songwriter, Gibbs High School alumni
• Phil Leadbetter – bluegrass musician, Gibbs High School alumni
• Ashley Monroe – singer-songwriter, Gibbs High School alumni
• Morgan Wallen – country pop singer-songwriter, Gibbs High School alumni

References

1. Miller, Larry (2001). Tennessee Place Names. Indiana University Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-253-33984-7. Retrieved July 25, 2020.
2. "Commissioners". Knox County, Tennessee. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Corryton, Tennessee
4. "2015 Northeast County Sector Plan" (PDF). Knoxville-Knox County Metropolitan Planning Commission. December 10, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
5. West, Carroll Van (1995). Tennessee's Historic Landscapes: A Traveler's Guide. University of Tennessee Press. pp. 166–167. ISBN 9780870498817.
6. Tom Dunigan (December 8, 2013). "Tennessee county high points". Tnlandforms.us. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
7. Steely, Mike (April 16, 2017). "How Knox County places were named". The Knoxville Focus. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
8. Mayshark, Jesse (July 25, 2019). "Precinct Profile: Knox County #80". Knoxville Compass. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
9. Rothrock, Mary (1972). The French Broad-Holston Country A History of Knox County, Tennessee. East Tennessee Historical Society. pp. 349–350. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
10. Gliding World Records ID 5427 Archived June 11, 2007, at archive.today, Fédération Aéronautique Internationale