[16] Established in 1855, Morristown developed into a thriving community due to its strategic location at the intersection of two major stagecoach routes.

It would experience turmoil from battles in its immediate area and its change of control under Union and Confederate forces during the Civil War.

Following the war, Morristown furthered its industrial growth with companies expanding rail access, making it a prominent logistics hub into the 20th century.

[17] Before its settlement by European-Americans, the area of Morristown was inhabited by Native Americans, predominately members of the Cherokee tribe.

[18] During the Cherokee's inhabitance, the area was based around two major pathways, an east-west route that was later developed into the Great Stage Road in the settlement era, and a north-south route known as Buffalo Trail, named for a legend stating the path was formed from herds of buffalo traveling from Asheville, North Carolina to the Powell River near the Cumberland Gap for the river's salt licks.

[20] Prior to his settlement, Morris had fought alongside John Sevier in the Cherokee Expedition in 1776, and obtained land grants after serving in the American Revolutionary War at the Battle of Kings Mountain.

[20] With the petition's success, the settlement was named Morristown, and land grants containing present-day Hamblen and Jefferson counties were assigned to Morris and his brothers in 1787 by North Carolina state officials.

[24] From 1792 to 1793, the community's main street was added onto a major stagecoach route connecting it to Knoxville and Abingdon, Virginia, aiding further early settlement efforts.

John Crockett constructed a log cabin that later served as a tavern, and a hospital treating smallpox during the American Civil War.

[24] By 1833, Morristown developed into a small village, consisting of a post office, a general store, a blacksmith and machine shop which was the first major enterprise in the town, and several log cabin residences along the main stagecoach route known as the Great Stage Road that divided the community into two counties, Grainger to the north, and Jefferson to the south.

In December 1863, some 25,000 Confederate Army soldiers under the command of General James Longstreet arrived at Bethesda Presbyterian Church, northeast of the town, to spend the winter, after the Battle of Bean's Station.

The railroad was a branch line of the Southern Railway that ran from downtown Morristown on Main Street to Corryton, a bedroom community outside of Knoxville.

[39][40] The Peavine Railroad had first operated between Morristown and Bean Station, with plans to connect north to the Cumberland Gap, but instead extended west through Grainger County towards Knoxville due to feasibility concerns regarding construction through the Clinch Mountain valley.

[41] In 1944, the American Enka Company, a rayon fiber producer based out of Asheville, North Carolina, began construction on a 230-acre plant in the Lowland region of Morristown, beginning operations in 1947.

Tensions soon built when residents of Morristown and Lowland appeared at the gates of the Enka plant to apply for the listed jobs.

The then-governor of Tennessee, Gordon Browning, dispatched National Guard troops to restore order at the Enka factory.

[49][50] Following the 2007-2012 global economic crisis, Morristown saw the loss of one of its largest employers, Berkline, which closed after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2011.

"In 2018, Belgian bus manufacturer Van Hool announced the construction of a 500,000 square feet (46,000 m2) facility at the ETPC (East Tennessee Progress Center), [49] one of the largest industrial development projects in the history of Morristown.

[53][54] The project expects to create an estimated 650 jobs, over $47 million in private investment and an influx of interest of further industrial development in the Morristown area.

[25] Fourteen years later, railroad lines were built, stimulating further commercial growth until the beginning of the American Civil War.

The city developed a plan to modernize Main Street by creating an "overhead sidewalk" as part of the nationwide push for urban renewal projects, enabling businesses to form on the second floor of existing buildings while serving as a canopy for passage below.

[57][58] Morristown is embarking on a resurrection of the Skymart, eyeing the structure as a key redevelopment tool for turning downtown into a social and commercial hub.

[73] The town is also home to a National Weather Service forecast office serving much of East Tennessee as well as several southwestern mountain counties in the neighboring states of Virginia and North Carolina.

[78] A study by Middle Tennessee State University found that the Morristown metropolitan area saw an 8.1% increase in housing prices in the third quarter of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018.

[95][96] The Morristown Cubs, the city's final professional baseball team played in the Appalachian League from 1959 to 1961 and won the 1959 pennant.

Morristown would see podium placement by the 2000s, placing fourth in the 2006 Little League Softball World Series,[98] and winning it the following year.

[99] Municipal and county recreation areas include Cherokee Park, Frank Lorino, Fred Miller, and Fulton-Hill.

US 25E also extends to Interstate 75 in Corbin, Kentucky, serving as a popular alternate route of I-75 regarding construction and congestion in Knoxville.

[119] Norfolk Southern Railway operates freight transport throughout Morristown along several lines, including the Crescent Corridor.

The airport is located southwest of Morristown's central business district near the neighborhood of Alpha, and is operated by the municipal government.