Appalachian Aspirations : The Geography of Urbanization and Development in the Upper Tennessee River Valley, 1865-1900 by John E. Benhart

In the fall of 1865, two Union officers stationed in East Tennessee during the Civil War–Hiram Chamberlain and John Wilder–decided to stay in the South to pursue business careers. They recognized potential in the “untapped” resources they had seen during military operations in this part of the state. Within the space of four years, Chamberlain and Wilder had recruited business partners, built an operating iron furnace in the Upper Tennessee River Valley (the Roane Iron Company), and established a company town at Rockwood, Tennessee. Twenty years later, in some parts of Appalachia, new planned towns were being established by land companies that wanted to develop model industrial real estate ventures. In the Upper Tennessee River Valley, these new towns – Cardiff, Harriman, and Lenoir City, Tennessee – were planned to be the quintessential places for industrial production and urban living as they were characterized by urban/sanitary reform ideals, temperance tenets, and distinctive urban landscapes. In Appalachian Aspirations, John Benhart presents the story of the evolution of capitalism and regional development in the Upper Tennessee River Valley in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book’s conclusion focuses on what the story of this region between 1860 and 1900 tells us about development patterns in many parts of Appalachia during this period. The answer focuses on stages of capitalism, the role of individual capitalists and business entities, and the urban landscapes created in Appalachia through various capitalist strategies. Appalachian Aspirations will be of particular value to students and scholars of urban and historical geography, regional development, andthe New South era, as well as those interested in Appalachian studies.