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James W. Loewen (1942-2021)

We mourn the loss of our friend and colleague and remain committed to the work he began.

Norris

Tennessee

Basic Information

Type of Place
Independent City or Town
Metro Area
Politics c. 1860?
Don’t Know
Unions, Organized Labor?
Don’t Know

Sundown Town Status

Sundown Town in the Past?
Probable
Was there an ordinance?
Don't Know
Sign?
Don’t Know
Year of Greatest Interest
Still Sundown?
Probably

Census Information

The available census data from 1860 to the present
Total White Black Asian Native Hispanic Other BHshld
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950 1134 0
1960 1386 1
1970
1980
1990 1303 0
2000 1446 3
2010
2020

Method of Exclusion

  • Unknown

Main Ethnic Group(s)

  • Unknown

Group(s) Excluded

  • Black

Comments

Norris was a TVA model town built by
Arthur Morgan.
TVA chair Arthur Morgan believed that TVA could be used as a tool not just for economic growth in the Tennessee Valley, but also for social advancement.
The town of Norris was the physical manifestation of his dream. The town was huge by the standards of later worker villages, and remained a town even after TVA completed the dam. It included a school, modern houses, cafeteria, recreational facilities, and much more. Indoor plumbing, electricity, and modern conveniences were included with each of these buildings. Still, Norris, TVA s model town, was not as perfect as its proponents suggested. TVA excluded blacks entirely from Norris, employing only a small number on the project itself, according to a professor at Murray State University.