Since the Knoxville and Ohio Railroad (now the Southern Railway) had extended their tracks from Knoxville through the community in 1860, the availability of rail transportation plus a supply of suitable clay for brickmaking encouraged the Knoxville Brick Company to locate a plant in Powell Station in 1889. The brickyard facility included nine kilns; equipment for drypressing ornamental brick and making common brick; mixing areas for clay, water, and other ingredients; curing room; and other miscellaneous facilities for making and handling the brick and materials. Most of the clay was obtained from the “Brickyard Farm.”
VIEW OF WORKS, SHOWING SIX OF THEIR NINE KILNS
Dry Pressed Front and Ornamental
and Common Building Brick
A narrow-gauge railway network extended from the “Brick Works” (or plant) to the area where the digging of the clay was in progress. A steam-powered “dinkey” would transport the clay loaded into “dirt cars” back to the “Brick Works” for processing. The operation at Powell Station continued for approximately forty years.
Brickyard Workers
Mr. J. E. Groner was superintendent of the Knoxville Brick Company. He realized that the need existed for a general merchandise store in Powell Station. The J. E. Groner and Company store was established in 1921 as a modern general merchandise store including a soda fountain near the front of the building. As the community grew, the store was remodeled and changed to keep up with the trends of progress. The store served the community well with Mr. A. H. (Hobe) Rhodes as manager from the time it was established until his death in 1964. Alvin Rhodes, son of Hobe Rhodes, then became manager and continued the service to the community until he reached retirement age. The landmark store closed its doors on September 28, 1988, after 67 years of operation.
The community was called Powell Station until November 1949 when the name was legally changed to Powell. This community has grown from a small “typical” rural village in the early 1900s to an area extending several miles in all directions. Although Powell is considered a residential community, several industries and businesses have located in the community. These include Levi-Strauss and Company facilities, Plasti-Line, Inc., Stat Medical Corporation, National Mailroom Service, Inc., Alltel Tennessee, Inc. (formerly Powell Telephone Exchange), just to name a few of the larger ones. Shopping centers and many other service-oriented facilities such as banks, medical facilities, physicians, dentists, restaurants, hardware stores, power equipment (lawn mowers, etc.), and airport facilities for small planes have also found the Powell community to be a profitable place for conducting their business. All
things considered, this community provides a pleasant and convenient area to live and rear a family.
Doug Mason, a News-Sentinel staff writer, authored an article which was published in the July 11, 1984, edition of the newspaper entitled Powell: The Place Horace Greeley Would Have Recommended. The following portion of this article probably reflects the feeling of many of the residents of this great community. The article says:
“In their minds they know that Powell is the greatest community in the greatest state in the greatest country in the world.”