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CITY HISTORY 
 
Athens has a storied history to tell with many intriguing elements including Indians, railroads, the infamous 
Trail of Tears, a private college, divided family loyalties resulting from the Civil War, a major ice cream 
manufacturer, and a battle of local government corruption that received national attention.  
Early Years 
During the very early years, the Cherokee Indian tribe was living in present day Athens and McMinn County. 
Nearby were the Overhill Cherokee villages of Great Tellico to the north and Great Hiwassee to the south. 
During February 1819, a group of Cherokee Indians, led by Major John Walker, a Cherokee Indian Chief, 
met with U.S. Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, and signed the Calhoun Treaty. This negotiated land 
cession treaty, known as the “Hiwassee Purchase,” sold the Cherokee land between the Hiwassee Ri ver, 
Little Tennessee River, and the Big Tennessee River lying west of Starr Mountain and the foothills of the 
Great Smoky Mountains, including future McMinn County, to the United States resulting in a vast amount 
of land ripe for settlement.  
The Tennessee legislature was in session in Murfreesboro during November 1819 and was discussing the 
recent acquisition of the “Hiwassee Purchase.” During this time, the legislature decided that two new 
counties needed to be created to provide services to the new settlers that will be arriving. During that 
November, two counties were drawn out from the existing Roane County. The county to the north was named 
Monroe County in honor of former President James Monroe and the county to the south was named McMinn 
County in honor of the current governor of Tennessee, Joseph McMinn. The Tennessee legislature formally 
approved the creation of McMinn County on November 18, 1819. The home of Major John Walker, a 
Cherokee Indian Chief that assisted in negotiating the Calhoun Treaty, was designated as the place for county 
government in the present-day town of Calhoun, which was named after John C. Calhoun by Walker. Over 
time, Polk, Meigs, and Bradley counties were born out of McMinn County.  
The town of Athens was created in 1822 on land obtained from William Lowry and Joseph Calloway and 
consisted of 35 acres bordering on the Eastnalle Creek, a source of waterpower to operate various mills that 
were located along the waterway. Athens received  its official name on August 23, 1822 by the Tennessee 
legislature. The name of Athens may have been selected by a local commissioner, Elijah Hurst, based on a 
description of the ancient city in Greece which he had read about. During 1823, the county seat was moved 
from its original location in Calhoun to Athens to make the seat of local government more accessible to the 
majority of county citizens.  
The railroad was a prominent feature in the growth of Athens. The Hiwassee Railroad received its charter in 
the mid -1830s to construct a railroad between Knoxville, Tennessee and Dalton, Georgia. Construction 
began in 1837, was delayed due to financial and legal problems, resumed construction under the name of 
East Tennessee and Georgia Railroad, and was completed during 1851. 
In 1836, U.S. General John E. Wool arrived in Athens to assist in coordinating the voluntary removal of the 
Cherokee Indians which become a forced removal in 1838 and known as the Trail of Tears.  
 
 
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