From the files of the Polk County News ...

In 1922, the officers of the singing conventions for McMinn, Polk and Bradley were planning Tri-County singing convention ... The Law and Order League appointed a committee on Sanitary Conditions to make recommendations for improving unsanitary conditions to avoid epidemics, contagions and all kinds of illness ... E.E. Hamby, valedictorian at Ducktown High School, wrote a history of the Ducktown Basin ... Fordson tractors were $440 delivered.

In 1932, L.B. Lanning, justice of the peace, died at his home near Pinhook ... Excursion fares on the L&N were one cent per mile ... Ladies’ oxfords, straps and pumps were on sale for $1.

In 1942, PCHS commencement was a three-day event, with the senior play on Saturday, Baccalaureate on Sunday and graduation on Monday. there were 32 graduates ... Clarke Stamper of UT pledged to Delta Sigma Pi honorary commerce fraternity ... L’Ene Biggs graduated from Ward Belmont ... British air power was bombing Germany.

In 1952, F.R. Bradford was appointed as agricultural specialist to work in Iraq ... Gubernatorial candidate Frank Clement voiced support for free textbooks for all public school grades and a permanent rural roads program ... James A. Ledford died at age 84 ... Billy Lillard was selected as an instructor at an air base in Texas ... At the movies: African Queen with Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn ... Gov. Browning scheduled a campaign stop in Benton ... PCHS continued the tradition begun by John L. Brewer and presented certificates to ten groups of parents for having graduated all of their children form the school.

In 1962, The Ocoee No. 1 Hydro plant was 50 years old. Edwin Beaver was power plant superintendent and G.V. Copeland was assistant ... Ralston Bailey, office manager of the local ASC, presented W.A. Calhoun a certificate for 20 years of service ... 60 votes were case as Benton voters reelected the commissioners without opposition: H.C. Wilson, E.C. Rogers and Harvey Hammons ... Martha Marietta Smith graduated from UT.

In 1972, Moby Dick Sportswear was changed to Carwood of Benton, to produce industrial clothing and western apparel ... A record 402 people voted in the Benton election. Incumbents Clyde Stephens and W. Jasper Woody kept their seats and bobby bishop was elected to fill the third post ... Four members of the Class of 1922 attended the PCHS alumni banquet: Mr. and Mrs. Lee Clemmer, Founta Love, and Earl Thomas ... A hill climb was Greasy Creek ... Contested absentee ballots counts were to be heard in Chancery Court ... Benton received a loan and grant to improve their water system.

In 1982, George Calfee purchased Peoples Bank of Polk County ... Winners in the Benton election were Virgil Calhoun, Freddie McFarland and Betty Wooten ... South Polk had a new playground thanks to time and materials from parents ... Johnny and Jewel Green celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary.

In 1992, winners in the Benton election were Mayor Jerry Stephens, Elmer Swafford and James A. Stanton ... A record school budget was approved thanks to the new BEP law that provided more money for rural schools ... A group of Ducktown teachers planned to spend the summer working on a kickoff for a Green Gold Conservancy program ... A new teacher contract was approved with a 5% raise for teachers on the local portion of salaries and a day off for birthdays ... Members of a church in Texas came to Ocoee to help erect the shell for the new Shiloh Church.

In 2002, The school board was considering a 4-day work week due to state budget cuts … A free speech lawsuit against Director of Schools Bill Wade was dropped … A Cleveland man was killed in an ultralight crash off Hwy 64 … Three generations of Walkingsticks were camped out on land in the Cherokee National Forest they claimed belonged to them.