McMinn County was founded in 1819 on land previously owned by the Cherokee Nation. Situated in Southeast Tennessee, McMinn County is halfway between Knoxville and Chattanooga, Atlanta and Bristol, and New York and Miami. For its citizens, it remains a rural county of mountain ridges with deep hollows and wide, creek-watered valleys; its different topography also defines the diverse people who, for 150 years, have called McMinn County home. Postcard History Series: McMinn County features many long-forgotten scenes from Athens, Englewood, and Etowah. All three have different histories, different people, and different stories to tell.
Joe Guy serves as the county historian and as the assistant to the McMinn County mayor. He is the author of several books on regional history, and resides in McMinn County with his family. The postcards featured in this book are from the collection of the late Don Reid and the McMinn County Historical Society.