In my quest to find the number of counties named Johnson located in the United States, I came up with 11 in all counting the place I was born and raised — Johnson County, Tennessee. As I was researching for each of the counties, I started to wonder how many Mountain Cities there were in this country also. All I could find were two, other than Mountain City, Tennessee: Mountain City, Nevada, and Mountain City, Georgia. Perhaps there are more but that’s all I found in the time I allotted to the search.

All except folks who recently came to Johnson County to live or visit may already know some of the unique history of Mountain City. The town that is now Mountain City was originally named Taylorsville in honor of Col. James P. Taylor, a prominent citizen of Carter County. Taylorsville was laid out as the County seat a few months after Johnson County was carved from Carter County in 1836. The town was renamed Mountain City in 1885. Johnson County was named in honor of Thomas Johnson, a leading citizen of this area.

The deed to the area that was the original Town of Mountain City reads in part: “This indenture made the fifth day of September A. D. 1836 between William P. Waugh of the county of Wilkes and State of North Carolina of the one part and Greene Moore Chairman and John Ward, James Brown, James B Morley & Ezekiel Smith Commissioners of Public Buildings of the County of Johnson and State of Tennessee of the other part witnesseth that the said William P. Waugh for and in consideration of the sum of two thousand dollars in hand paid, the receipt is hereby acknowledged has granted, bargained, sold, aliened conveyed and confirmed and by these presents does grant bargain sell alien convey and confirm unto the said Greene Moore, chairman of the said above named commissioners them their successors in office and assigns forever all that tract or parcel of land lying and being in the County of Johnson containing twenty five and one half acres more or less….” More...