Sevierville

Sevierville. President Franklin Roosevelt Visits Sevierville . On the evening of September 8, 1936, during his re-election campaign, President Franklin D. Roosevelt left Washington, D.C. and traveled overnight by special train to Knoxville, TN. The Presidential party was greeted at the Southern Railway Depot by state and local dignitaries at 9:00 a.m. the next morning. Cheering throngs packed the streets of Knoxville as the motorcade left town enroute to Great Smoky Mountains. , , It was just past ten when the procession made its way into Sevierville. In celebration, Sevier County schools were closed, and downtown was decorated with American flags and red, white, and blue bunting. It was the city's first visit by a sitting president. Sheriff Earnest R. Conner, his deputies, and Police Chief Newt Bogart were on the job early keeping the streets cleared of parked cars. The first motorcade vehicle to arrive contained Secret Service agents, which proceeded the second car containing the President, his son, John, and Governor Hill McAllister. Other dignitaries followed. , , Church bells pealed and the courthouse bell tower rang greetings to President Roosevelt. As the motorcade turned onto Court Avenue, crowds lined the sidewalks, waving American flags as the President passed. The motorcade stopped in front of the Sevierville Post Office located at 133 Bruce Street for the President to meet Postmaster Ralph Murphy, a prominent Democrat, and ask him to join the motorcade headed for the Smoky Mountains. Murphy suggested an impromptu drive down Joy Street, where many of the residents were staunch Roosevelt supporters. , , Slowly, the Presidential party traveled through Pigeon Forge and arrived in Gatlinburg just before noon. They were greeted by park officials and residents before arriving at the future National Park. On September 2, 1940, Roosevelt returned to Sevier County and again traveled through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg on his way to Newfound Gap to officially dedicate Great Smoky Mountains National Park. , (captions) , President Franklin D. Roosevelt enjoying the motorcade through Sevierville. , , President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his son, John Roosevelt. , , President Roosevelt made an unscheduled stop at the Sevierville Post Office to invite Postmaster Ralph Murphy to join his entourage. , , Roosevelt came through Sevierville again in 1940 on his way to dedicate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.