There may not be as many branch libraries in Knox County as there are Weigel’s, but it won’t take you long to find either one. With 19 library locations spanning from Carter to Farragut, it’s a short drive to a story time or a favorite mystery novel in any sector of the county. A John Grisham thriller is likely never more than 15 minutes away!
It’s worth a visit to some of the most rural libraries in the system. They serve as the community hub and sometimes, the only way to connect to the internet or print out a file without a drive into town. Such is the case in the northeast part of the county where two of the smallest, and arguably quaintest, libraries serve the community.
Tucked near the Union and Grainger County lines, the Corryton Branch sits next to a red caboose. You might feel like you’re going to an old fashion train depot, but the jaunty 2,100 square feet library was built in 1993 for an enviable $40,000. According to a Knoxville News-Sentinel article, the building was patterned after the original 1889 depot that was tragically destroyed by fire in 1907.
Library service in Corryton dates to 1950 when the first Corryton branch opened in the Old Post office with Gladys Mullins serving as its inaugural manager. By 1993, the population in the area was 9,500 with an average of 59 books checked out every day. Today, according to Knoxville-Knox County Planning, the northeast county sector has a population of over 30,000 and is expected to grow to over 42,000 by 2045…