Post Civil War and Businesses

The slow recovery after the Civil War left a little community with a train station, a telegraph office and a bank. In 1950 the train depot was torn down and passenger service halted. The Bank of Strawberry Plains was started in 1919 in an old store. In 1924 a new bank was built. In 1938 the bank and the telegraph office was closed down during the Depression.

The oldest store in Strawberry Plains was Bailey's Store. Billy Rhines owned the first garage. This was the only garage between Knoxville and Jefferson City. Strawberry Plains also had a Ford Motor Company which sold the newest model car. The first gristmill in Strawberry Plains was at Big Springs. Strawberry Plains has also had a sawmill and a canning factory.

The Strawberry Plains Post Office was originally in the stores in the area. In 1922 it had its own building. Another building was built in 1985, which it shares with the First People's Bank. In 1905 local people owned the first telephone exchange. The first switchboard was in the old Masonic Hall.

In 1929 the Bell Telephone Company took over the exchange and installed a dial system. A toll was then charged for calling all areas except Mascot.

Other businesses were soon established in the area. In 1903 the Campbell-Dean Quarry was started. The Mascot Zinc Mines later purchased it. It employed many men in Strawberry Plains. The quarry was leased to the American Zinc Company and became the Holston Quarry. The settlement around it was called Holston Hills. On June 27,1922 an explosion at the quarry killed nine men. Strawberry Plains also boasted a watercress industry. The watercresses were shipped to New York. The Blue Grass Dairy Farm in Strawberry Plains had over 100 cows. The milk was sold in Knoxville. It-was also used to make cheese.

In 1924 Highway 11E was constructed through Strawberry Plains. Before that time there were no public roads from Strawberry Plains to Mascot, Knoxville, Dandridge, or Jefferson City. Later in 1932 a hard surface was added to the road.

At one time Strawberry Plains had three general stores, one bank, three restaurants, one gristmill, two garages, and four filling stations! Today Strawberry Plains has fewer businesses perhaps because of the availability of Knoxville and Jefferson City. These cities offer citizens from Strawberry Plains stores, restaurants, banks and other businesses to meet every need. Improved transportation and roads have encouraged people to travel farther and shop in larger cities.