A history of Alcoa,
since 1919
Postcards, papers and photographs of Alcoa from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Shortly after the Pittsburgh Reduction Company changed its name to the Aluminum Company of America in 1907, the company began investigating the possibility of establishing a large smelting operation in East Tennessee. The hydroelectric potential of the Little Tennessee River, which exits the mountains about 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Alcoa, was one of the primary incentives, as the company's aluminum smelting operation would require massive amounts of electricity. In 1910, the company established a base camp at what is now known as Calderwood, initially known as "Alcoa", and was known as such until the name was reapplied to the company's operations in North Maryville a few years later.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Alcoa’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1940 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Alcoa
See all 9 →
Alcoa, decade by decade
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Blount …1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Blount …1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Blount …1880
Commons1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Blount …1880
Commons1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN) - Bl…18801990s
2 historic places in Alcoa
2 places in Alcoa are on the National Register of Historic Places, the country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
Where they are
When they were listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 1940 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee - Blount County - Alcoa - ED 5-15, ED 5-16, ED 5-17, ED 5-18, ED 5-19… (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (5) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.