Limestone is a station on the East Tennessee, Virginia & Georgia Railroad, in the western part of the county.  The site was originally owned by Thomas Gillespie.  The first store was built in 1859 by Broyles & Strain.  Since the war the town has grown considerable in importance.  The present business men are Copp Brothers, J. S. Biddie, D. W. Williams, Nelson & Strain, A. B. Slaughter and Dr. J. R. Duncan.  an extensive flouring-mill is conducted by T. B. & Jacob Klepper.

        The first church in the village, known as "Urbana," was erected by members of the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  since that time a Methodist Episcopal Church has been established.

        Tilford [Telford] is a small station on the railroad between Limestone and Jonesboro.  It is the seat of a somewhat extensive agricultural implement manufactory, which, however, is not now in operation.

        The largest and most enterprising town in Washington County is Johnson City.  The site upon which it is built was originally entered by Abraham Jobe, and upon the completion to this point of the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad, the greater part of the land was owned and farmed by Tipton Jobe, the nephew of Abraham.  Franklin and Montgomery Hoss owned land on the northeast and north sides of the town.  The first building erected at this place was a dwelling and store built by Henry Johnson from which circumstance the place was called Johnson's Depot.  This house now forms a portion of the brick building west of the railroad at the crossing of what was once the stage road.  For a time it was used as a hotel and railroad depot as well as store and dwelling.  Soon after, Mr. Johnson, at his own expense, built a large brick depot on the site of the present Hoss House, which was used by the company until after the war.  The second house was built in 1857, by T. A. Farr, on land lying on the north of the stage road.  It was a a frame store house.  The next year he built a dwelling near Knob Spring, and in 1860 erected a large store house, which was not occupied until 1867.  From the completion of the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad the town increased rapidly, receiving among its accessions, Elder James Miller, John H. Bowman, James M. Wheeler, Dr. J. H. Mingle, Dr. J. W. Seehorn, S. H. Hale and James Barnes.  During the war the town waS named Haynesville in honor of L. C. Haynes, but it soon resumed its old name, and when incorporated it waS as Johnson City.  Since the war the town has steadily advanced, but its growth during the past three or four years has been especially rapid.  It now has a population of about 3,000.  The principal manufacturing establishments now in operation are the Watauga Tannery, established in 1883 by Horton Locum & Co., who still operate it.  It is equipped with all the latest machinery, and appliances, and the establishment can turn out about 150 hides per day.  The number of hands employed, varies with the season, reaching at times nearly 300.  John City Foundry and Machine Shops were put into operation in 1884, and now employ a large number of hands.  The president of the company is Col. T. E. Matson.  In 1884, also, Miller Bros., A.P. and N. J. Miller established their machine shops, which have proven highly successful.  Another flourishing establishment is the Johnson City Furniture Company, which was begun about three years ago, and the planing mill company of Grant, Stephens & Co.; a tobacco manufactory, a large steam flouring-mill and a furniture and trunk factory are all expected to be put into operation in a short time.

        The commercial interests of the town are represented by the following firms and individuals:  John C. Campbell, J. F. Crumley, H. P. King, Charles S. Earnest, John W. Clarke, general merchandise;  Gump & Co., clothing;  Sutton & Co., Lewis & Son, G.W. Hickey, John Harr and Moore & Martin, groceries;  F. M. Critzman and _____Beckner, jewelry;  McNeal & Wolf, furniture and house furnishing goods;  W. A. McFarland and J. B. Hash, drugs;  C. K. Lide and D. C. Seaver, hardware;  E. D. Strain, confectionery;  Mathes & Co., produce;  Crandall, Barnes & Co., tobacco warehouse, and the Johnson City Bank.

        The town has had but two newspapers, both of which are now published:  the Enterprise, an independent, non-political paper, established in 1882 by W. S. Mitchell, and the Comet, one of the ablest Democratic papers in upper East Tennessee.  The latter was established in 1883 by R. L. Taylor and Robert Burroughs.

        The town has four white and two colored churches, all of which have been built since 1870.  The first erected was the Presbyterian Church, and the second the Methodist Episcopal Church South.  These were built early in the seventies.  Recently, a Methodist Episcopal Church and a Baptist Church have been erected, although the congregations of these denominations were organized several years before.

        The following have been the officers of Washington County since its organization:

        Clerks of the county court- John Sevier, 1778-85;  James Sevier, 1785-88 (under Franklin Government); John Tipton, 1787;  Thomas Gourley, 1787-90;  James Sevier, 1790-1822;  Matthew Stephenson, 1822-24;  James Sevier, 1824-36;  Samuel Greer, 1836-44;  William H. Smith, 1844-56;  Henry Hoss, 1856-60;  J. A. Conley, 1860-66;  John F. Grisham, 1866-78;  E. A. Shipley, 1878-86;  Jacob Leab, 1886.

        Clerks of the circuit court- James V. Anderson, 1810-36; John Ryland, 1836-48; Worley Embree, 1848-70; C. Wheeler, 1870-74;  S.S. Luttrell, 1874-78;  W. E. Mathes, 1878-86; Lewis Cooper, 1886.

        Clerks and masters of the superior court of equity- David Allison, 1788-91;  Andrew Russell, 1791-92;  Archibald Roane, 1792-93; Landon Carter, 1793-94;  John Carter, 1796-1806;  James V. Anderson, 1806-10.

        Clerks and masters of the chancery court- Seth J. W. Lucky, 1836-42;  J. F. Deaderick, 1842-65; Henry _____, 1865-70;  B. F. Swingle, 1870-82; A.B. Bowman, 1882.

        Sheriffs- Valentine Sevier, 1778-80; C. Barsksdale [?], 1780-83;  Thomas Talbott, 1783-88;  Edmund Williams, 1788 (under Franklin government);  George Mitchell, 1787;  Jonathan Pugh, 1787-89;  Michael Harrison, 1789-94;  George Gillespie, 1794-98;  Brice Blair, 1798-1800;  Joseph Crouch, 1800-06;  Joseph Brown, 1806-14;  Samuel Hunt, 1814-1827;  John Ryland, 1827-36;  William Dosser, 1836-38;  John Bricker, 1838-40;  G. W. Willett, 1840-46;  Joseph Crouch, 1846-52;  John Ryland, 1852-58;  Mark Bacon, 1858-60;  J.T. Shipley, 1860-64;  Samuel W. Baines, 1864-65;  Shelby T. Shipley, 1865-68;  Samuel E. Griffith, 1868-74;  R. M. Young, 1874-76; Alexander M. Stuart, 1876-82;  S.A. Pouder, 1882-84;  G.W. Willett, 1884.

        Trustees- John Sevier, 1778; Charles McCray, 1796-98;  John Strain, 1798-1820;  John C. Harris, 1820-36;  Robert J. West, 1836-42;  Joseph McLin, 1842-46;  G. W. Willett, 1846-48; James A. Dilworth, 1848-52;  G. W. Willett, 1852-56;  Shelby T. Shipley, 1856-62;  E. Armstrong, 1862-64;  Azariah Peoples, 1864-65;  Alexander Mathes, 1865-66;  George McPherson, 1866-74;  John H. Naff, 1874-76;  John M. Morrow, 1876-78;  McC.Wagner, 1878-82;  A. M. Stuart, 1882-84;  John S. Mathes, 1884.

        Registers- John McMahon, 1778;  William Stephenson, 1789-1800;  John Adams, 1800-14;  Samuel Greer, 1814-36;  William H. Smith, 1836-40;  Edward Armstrong, 1840-48;  Phillip Parks, 1848-52;  Joseph A. Conley, 1852-60;  E. Taylor, 1860-66;  George W. Douglass, 1866;  A. C. Collins, 1866-68;  M.S. Mahoney, 1868-70;  E.M. Jackson, 1870-74;  C.R. Jones, 1874-78;  S. T. Shipley, 1878-86;  D.P. O'Brien, 1886.

Transcribed by Pat Sabin
August 1999

Please note:  In the process of transcribing this history I recognized what I believe are typographical errors in surnames.  If you notice a mistake, please contact me.  If the mistake is present in the printing, I will make a correction in the form of a postscript.
Pat Sabin.

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