[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 15, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E46-E47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE SESQUICENTENNIAL OF JOHNSON CITY, TENNESSEE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID P. ROE

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 15, 2019

  Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, today I join in paying 
tribute to the sesquicentennial of my hometown of Johnson city, 
Tennessee.
  The City of Johnson City was founded in Northeast Tennessee, where 
three railroads--East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad, 
Clinchfield Railroad, and Southern Railway--converged, holding its 
first election on Jan. 3, 1870, with 60 registered voters.
  Voters elected entrepreneur Henry Johnson, owner of Johnson's Depot, 
to serve as the City's first mayor. The City charter defined the city 
limits as being the area within a half-mile radius of Johnson's Depot, 
the city's first commercial business. Johnson's Depot operated as a 
railway depot, freight station, and post office, and also served as a 
hotel, restaurant, and store.
  The Watauga Tannery, the city's first major industry, was established 
in November 1883 covering 130 acres and employing as many as 300 men. 
Today, Johnson City boasts a diverse economy led by healthcare and 
education.
  The Mountain Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer 
Soldiers opened in 1903. Now known as the James H. Quillen VA

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Medical Center, it serves more than 170,000 veterans living in a 41-
county area of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky.
  The City's first professional hospital, Appalachian Hospital and 
School of Nursing, opened in 1921 with the support of citizens who 
funded half the cost of the facility. Johnson City has become home to 
three major hospitals--Johnson City Medical Center, Franklin Woods 
Community Hospital, and Niswonger Children's Hospital.
  In 1911, the teacher-training institute known as East Tennessee State 
Normal School, predecessor of East Tennessee State University, was 
founded. Today, as the fourth largest university in the State of 
Tennessee, ETSU also includes the highly regarded Quillen College of 
Medicine and Gatton College of Pharmacy.
  In 1939 the Johnson City Board of Commissioners adopted the charter 
that established the council-manager form of government, under which it 
operates today. Through a collaborative process of elected officials 
working closely with citizens, Johnson City has created a city 
recognized by a variety of publications as a great place to live.
  Johnson City has operated its own Transit System since 1979 and 
established Tennessee's first citywide curbside recycling program in 
1989. Additionally, the city has 18 parks, 40 athletic fields and a 
host of multi-use trails. Johnson City is also home to Freedom Hall 
Civic Center, Memorial Park Community Center, a large public library 
and a robust senior services program.
  Although Johnson City's local economy includes national and regional 
companies, it also embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of Henry 
Johnson, supporting countless small business owners who operate in city 
limits, particularly the downtown area.
  The City of Johnson City, which kicked off its Sesquicentennial on 
Jan. 3, 2019, has become a thriving community of more than 66,000 
residents with city limits expanded to 43.3 square miles. I look 
forward to what the next 150 years holds for Johnson City.

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