This Iconic East Tennessee gas station and convenience store has a reputation for clean facilities, great milk and lighting people up on social media
With a history that goes back almost as far as East Tennessee, Weigel’s (pronounced ‘Why-gulls’) is a thriving regional institution. Locations in Tennessee range from Bristol to Chattanooga and as far west as Crossville. The Weigel’s headquarters is located in Powell.
Weigel’s has become East Tennessee’s favorite gas station and convenience store with roots that travel back to a German immigrant in the 1840s. It’s not a Buc-ee’s or a Casey’s but it is a reliable, consistent presence. It’s an excellent neighborhood convenience store and a solid option when road tripping through East Tennessee. While some stations are franchised out and can be of inconsistent quality, if you pull into a Weigel’s you know what you’re going to get.
How did a dairy operation turn into a regional convenience store icon?
The Weigel’s story starts with a German immigrant named Carl Augustus Weigel in 1840. He set up a farming operation in East Tennessee near Knoxville. His grandson’s purchased their own farm in what would become Powell in 1918. Part of that property was converted in 1931 to Broadacre Dairy by Carl Augustus’ great grandson, William. The dairy was a hit. The first delivery truck was purchased in 1934, and pasteurization arrived in 1936. By 1947, the company had 15 mechanically refrigerated delivery trucks running milk routes to local homes.
In the late 50s, with the demand for home milk delivery waning, the plan started to change. The first Weigel’s Farm Store opened as a drive through where families could come purchase their milk as well as other essentials. In 1964, the first Weigel’s walk in store opened in Oak Ridge, until then all the Weigel’s Milk Farm Stores had been drive thru…