La Follette’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 2 old photos of La Follette. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗Harvey and Grant LaFollette purchased 37,000 acres (150 km2) at Big Creek Gap, where the present community lies, around 1890. They founded the LaFollette Coal, Iron, and Railway Company to exploit mineral resources they had found. Although the business failed during the 1920s, the community continued to grow. The city of LaFollette was incorporated in 1897. On May 10, 1904, a major fire that started in the Cumberland Inn burned down most of the downtown area, with a reported 31 businesses destroyed.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart La Follette’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how La Follette’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view1950 Census Enumeration District …, 1880: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10La Follette, decade by decade
1920s
1990s
1 historic place in La Follette
1 place in La Follette is 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 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps - Tennessee (TN) - Campbell County - La Follette - ED 7-1 to 5 (1880) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.