History

The Beginning

The Town of Farragut was incorporated on Jan. 16, 1980, with the first Board of Mayor and Aldermen elected on April 1, 1980. Controls on zoning, building codes, and signage, as well as major improvements to roads, have been important aspects of the Town. A sincere commitment to these controls, plus the development of parks, green space, pedestrian links, and leisure opportunities, make this community a great place to live and work.

The Town is named after Admiral David Glasgow Farragut, the first admiral of the United States Navy, who was born in the Farragut area. The Farragut Memorial Plaza, adjacent to the Farragut Town Hall, features the commissioned life-plus sized Admiral Farragut bronze statue, Civil War era cannons on loan from the U.S. Naval Yard, and historical markers.

Notable Events

While the Farragut area is historically rich in many areas, two items of note include the Campbell Station Inn and the Battle of Campbell Station. Built in the early 1800s and still standing today at the corner of Campbell Station Road and Kingston Pike, the Campbell Station Inn, now owned by the Town of Farragut, served as a stopping place for families, hunters, and stock drivers passing through Knoxville. Notables who stayed at the inn include President Andrew Jackson, who raced horses at a local track in Concord, and Tennessee Governor John Sevier.

Civil War history includes the Battle of Campbell Station, which took place on Nov. 16, 1863, and was fought on land surrounding the Farragut Town Hall. This decisive battle involved Burnside’s Union forces defeating Longstreet’s Confederate forces as they marched toward Knoxville. In 2010, a Civil War Trails Historical Marker was dedicated on the grounds of the Town Hall to commemorate this battle.

The new Community Heritage Trail, installed in 2013 after several years of planning and research, features 11 signs throughout Founders Park at Campbell Station. These signs highlight the historical milestones of the Farragut and Concord areas from the earliest American Indian inhabitants to the founding of the Town of Farragut.

For more information on the historic resources of the Town, click here.