Jasper, Tenn., OKs sewer inspection

Location: Jasper, the county seat, is in the south central portion of Marion County near the Sequatchie River on U.S. Highway 41.

Size: 3.07 square miles.

Founded: Incorporated 1854.

Population: 3,279.

Mayor: Paul W. Evans.

Aldermen: Steve Looney, Leon Rash, Paul West and Mac Bumpus.

Attraction: Jasper Regional History Museum.

Schools: Jasper Elementary, Jasper Middle, Marion County High

Place in history: Jasper was a boomtown during the building of Hales Bar Lock and Dam, which was the world's first multipurpose structure used as a dam and power source. During the project, which began in 1905, 3,000 men worked around the clock, seven days a week, to build the dam.

Famous landmark: A restored map from 1895 that hangs in the Marion County Courthouse is the oldest piece of history created in the community. It was drawn as an overview of the earliest settlers, Civil War and Indian history. More details can be found in "The Cherokees and First Settlers: Volume II of Marion County," by local historian Nonie Webb. Libraries in Chattanooga and Jasper have copies available.

"You've got the river, you've got the mountains, you've got everything. And it's more peaceful than the city."

- Beth Cooper, local resident

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