Strawberry Plains, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Strawberry Plains is an unincorporated community straddling the boundary between Jefferson
and Sevier
and Knox
counties in the U.S. state
of Tennessee
. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Strawberry Plains as a populated place
.
Strawberry Plains is located on the bank of the Holston River
. According to the United States Geological Survey
, a variant name is Straw Plains. Strawberry Plains has been the site of a post office
since 1806. The postal zip code
is 37871. Strawberry Plains is said to be named for the wild strawberries that grew there in abundance when white settlers from North Carolina
first arrived in the area. According to a history of the community written by local high school students circa 1935, the name Straw Plains was a shorthand name used by railroad porter
s and flagmen on trains that passed through Strawberry Plains, and that came to be used as the name of the local railroad depot and on some local post office postmark
s.
Early in the Civil War
, in 1861, the railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains was one target of Union sympathizers who aimed to burn several East Tennessee bridges
to hinder Confederate military progress. The conspirators failed in their efforts to burn the Strawberry Plains bridge, but succeeded in their attacks of some of their other targets.
Through much of the 20th century, Strawberry Plains was the site of a Tennessee limestone
quarry and an underground zinc
mine. The zinc mine shut down in 2001, but reopened in 2006. In December 2008 it was announced that the mine would close again in February 2009.
In September 2007 the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
announced plans to build an office facility and crime lab
in Strawberry Plains, with an estimated cost of more than $10 million.
The Strawberry Plains exit of Interstate 40
, exit 398 at Strawberry Plains Pike (several miles southwest from Strawberry Plains in Knoxville) has grown rapidly. There are several hotels and restaurants, with more under construction.
Jefferson County, Tennessee
*...
and Sevier
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
and Knox
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. The United States Geographic Names System classifies Strawberry Plains as a populated place
Populated place
A populated place is a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population referenced with geographic coordinates...
.
Strawberry Plains is located on the bank of the Holston River
Holston River
The Holston River is a major river system of southwestern Virginia and east Tennessee. The three major forks of the Holston rise in southwestern Virginia and have their confluence near Kingsport, Tennessee. The North Fork flows southwest from Sharon Springs in Bland County, Virginia...
. According to the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, a variant name is Straw Plains. Strawberry Plains has been the site of a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
since 1806. The postal zip code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
is 37871. Strawberry Plains is said to be named for the wild strawberries that grew there in abundance when white settlers from North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
first arrived in the area. According to a history of the community written by local high school students circa 1935, the name Straw Plains was a shorthand name used by railroad porter
Porter (railroad)
A porter is a railway employee assigned to assist passengers aboard a passenger train or to handle their baggage; it may be used particularly to refer to employees assigned to assisting passengers in the sleeping cars....
s and flagmen on trains that passed through Strawberry Plains, and that came to be used as the name of the local railroad depot and on some local post office postmark
Postmark
thumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
s.
Early in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, in 1861, the railroad bridge at Strawberry Plains was one target of Union sympathizers who aimed to burn several East Tennessee bridges
East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy
The East Tennessee bridge-burning conspiracy was a Civil War-era guerrilla warfare operation carried out by Union sympathizers in Confederate-occupied East Tennessee in 1861. The operation, which was planned by Carter County minister William B...
to hinder Confederate military progress. The conspirators failed in their efforts to burn the Strawberry Plains bridge, but succeeded in their attacks of some of their other targets.
Through much of the 20th century, Strawberry Plains was the site of a Tennessee limestone
Holston Formation
The Holston Formation, alternately known as the Holston Limestone, is a stratigraphic unit of Ordovician age within the Chickamauga Group in the Ridge-and-Valley physiographic province of the southeastern United States...
quarry and an underground zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
mine. The zinc mine shut down in 2001, but reopened in 2006. In December 2008 it was announced that the mine would close again in February 2009.
In September 2007 the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is the criminal investigative arm of the state government of Tennessee.It was established by the Tennessee General Assembly on March 27, 1980, as an independent state agency...
announced plans to build an office facility and crime lab
Crime Lab
A crime laboratory - often shortened to crime lab - is a scientific laboratory, using primarily forensic science for the purpose of examining evidence from criminal cases.- Lab personnel :A typical crime lab has two sets of personnel:...
in Strawberry Plains, with an estimated cost of more than $10 million.
The Strawberry Plains exit of Interstate 40
Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
, exit 398 at Strawberry Plains Pike (several miles southwest from Strawberry Plains in Knoxville) has grown rapidly. There are several hotels and restaurants, with more under construction.