Lenoir City

Title: Kate Clabough's 'Lenoir City' gives snapshot of town's historic past

Author: Linda Braden Albert

Publisher: The Daily Times

Date: 1/17/2010



Kate Clabough's life is filled with books. As a full-time children's librarian at the Blount County Public Library, she opens young minds to the joys of reading. As an amateur historian, professional genealogist and professional freelance writer, she uses the written word to research and impart the knowledge she gleans to older readers.



Clabough's most recent book is a pictorial history of Lenoir City published through Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America" series. The author uses more than 200 vintage photographs from the archives at the Lenoir City Museum to tell of Lenoir City's history. The dates range from the mid-to-late 1800s to the mid-1950s.



"Lenoir City" is Clabough's second book in the "Images of America" series. The first, "Concord-Farragut," was done with Doris Woods Owens, former director of the Farragut Folklife Museum. Loudon County historian Joe Spence made photographs available for "Lenoir City" from the Lenoir City Museum.



Clabough said she learned a great deal about the origins of Lenoir City as well as more about the various time periods in Tennessee and American history. "Sometimes it was just a detail in the photo -- shoes, hats, cars or buggies in the background -- that lead me to research that particular moment in time," she said.



The author hopes "Lenoir City" will serve as a mini-course in Lenoir City history. "There's so much more than could be added, as with all things historical, but it's a good place to start," Clabough said. "I also think this book is like getting the opportunity to peek into the back room of the museum and being able to see those things that may never be on display. So essentially, it's a museum in book form. A 'pocket museum' if you will."

Title: 'Lenoir City' recounts town's creation
Author: Ashley Peterson
Publisher: Farragut Press
Date: 3/4/2010

"Lenoir City," a book chronicling the Loudon County town's history, hit bookshelves recently.

Children's librarian, professional genealogist, "amateur" historian, author, former farragutpress writer and self-proclaimed "eclectic" Kate Clabough wrote "Lenoir City" for Arcadia Publishing's "Images of America," recounting town's creation and events spanning 100s of years.

"The pictures move me, but the stories behind the pictures move me more because I'm so connected with history," Clabough said.

Pointing to a photo on page 60 of her book, Clabough said, "The basketball uniforms are a scream! Can you imagine playing in those?"


One of the most emotional photos Clabough came across is found on page 78. It's a photo of women standing in line, awaiting the Freedman family owned store, Hub, to open its doors.

After 1941, women's nylons had become scarce. To achieve the "look" of nylons, women purchased special leg paint to paint the dark seam line on the back of their legs, Clabough said.

This happened at a time when women "had to wear a dress, nylons, even a hat to be waited on at a department store," Clabough said.

It was tough, "You want to be on par with the guys, but still have your femininity," Clabough said. "Rosy the Riveter" became the new face for women, taking care of the home-front while men fought overseas.

Decades earlier, Lenoir City began as an estate and "they made good use of natural resources," Clabough said.

The land was later sold to Lenoir City Company and businessmen from New York City, N.Y. and Knoxville got together and created a prospectus for what is known today as Lenoir City. The area was incorporated as a city in 1907, Clabough said.

The developers created it similarly to a subdivision or a downtown - everything was intentional.

Back then, there wasn't what is known as tax breaks today to help "sell" a town. "They had to sell the advantages of the area - close proximity to Knoxville, a gateway to a lot of places."

A Louisville resident, Clabough said, "I sort of stumbled into the Lenoir City community. I've done a lot of work in Loudon County, and Lenoir has such a rich history."

Clabough was aided by Rick Dover, a local developer for Lenoir City, and Joe Spence, Loudon County Historian who gave her access to photographs tucked away, behind the scenes at the Lenoir City Museum.

"Joe Spence is beyond supportive, gung-ho about this project," Clabough said. Spence penned the forward to "Lenoir City."

Clabough's connection with Arcadia Publishing came when former Farragut Folklife Museum Director Emeritus Doris Woods Owens approached Clabough a few years ago to help her write "Concord-Farragut" after Owens was contacted by Arcadia.

Clabough jumped at the chance to work with her "good friend Doris." The two met when Clabough moved to the area in 1997.

She also mentioned she may take-up Arcadia on another offer, this time to write Loudon's history.

Funny, Clabough never planned to be a writer. Her father had wanted her to be a petroleum engineer, and as a math whiz, it seemed fitting. Perhaps summers spent with her grandparents in their cabin in the Ozarks had something to do with her passion for history and writing.

During those childhood summers, Clabough used her grandmother's old black typewriter to design and print newspapers, using her grandmother's stories as "newsworthy" articles.

Title: Blount County Librarian Publishes History Book
Author: Staff Writer
Publisher: Between Friends
Date: Winter 2010

Kate Clabough recently contributed to Arcadia Publishing's
"Images of America" series with a new volume on Lenoir City. The book, which covers the town's history from its early years as the Lenoir family estate to the mid-20th century, was released on December 14. It features photographs, drawings and documents provided
by the Lenoir City Museum.

Clabough is a freelance writer, genealogist and amateur historian from Louisville, Tenn. A consummate researcher with a love for musty courthouse records and ancient history books, she has published hundreds of articles on various subjects in local and regional publications across the country.

A native of Nebraska, Clabough moved to east Tennessee in 1997 where she found herself at loose ends in her newly adopted state. In an effort to familiarize herself with the area, she started digging into local history. Her discoveries soon led to a history column in a weekly west Knoxville newspaper.

In addition to magazine, newspaper and internet venues,
Clabough's work can be found in such places as the visitor's kiosks at the Sunsphere in Knoxville and on display panels in historic buildings such as the Carmichael Inn in Loudon, Tenn. She also gives historical
presentations to civic, church and other groups and has been known to dress in costume when it fits the occasion. In her spare time, she works as a fulltime children's librarian at the Blount County Library in Maryville, Tenn., where she hosts story time for preschoolers on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10:00 a.m.

The Lenoir City Book is aailable at area book sellers. For a signed copy, contact the author at 865-256-2329.