What is the history of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee?
An urban legend states that Mt. Juliet was named after the alcoholic drink Mint Julep. Alternately, it has been suggested that the settlement was named after early settler Julie Gleaves. However, more recent research has revealed that Julia Gleaves was still in her teens when Mt. Juliet was established. The discovery of the Mount Juliet estate in Ireland points to there being a connection between the two. Mt. Juliet served as a stop on what is now the Nashville and Eastern Railroad beginning in the late 1800s, but did not see major growth until the mid-20th century, despite its close proximity to Nashville. A fair amount of people moved to the area after the damming of the nearby Cumberland River (Old Hickory Lake) in the 1950s, but the town’s major boon came around the time Interstate 40 was constructed just south of the city’s center in the early 1970s. Mt. Juliet was incorporated as a city in 1972. The first mayor of Mt. Juliet was Neland Carver (NC) Hibbett Jr.
