JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — This month's Hometown Spotlight took us to Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City as we celebrated Jefferson County. Hometown Girl Katie Inman, who grew up in Dandridge, shared information about the towns she grew up enjoying as a kid.
Jefferson City:
Originally named Mossy Creek, Jefferson City's first settlers came here from Virginia with their 7 children. It became Jefferson City officially on February 7, 1901.
Dandridge:
Dandridge gets it's name from our nation's first First Lady. In fact, it's the only town in the America named after Martha Dandridge Washington, the wife of President George Washington.
Carson-Newman University:
The schools' history dates back to the early 1840's when a group of Baptist leaders decided they wanted to prepare people for the ministry. The first graduate, Richard Scruggs, became a physician which lead the school to change their focus from being a ministry school to include general academia. In 1889, the college's name was changed to Carson-Newman.