Before Development
West Knox County, anywhere beyond West Town Mall, was mostly rural until the 1970s. Wesley Place was a family farm at the corner of narrow Westland Drive and two-lane Ebenezer Road. The aerial photographs to the right cover the current extent of Wesley Place. The photo on the left is from 1959 and the one on the right is from 1969.
Several subdivisions existed on Ebenezer Road: Farmington, Farrington, and some of Bennington but it wasn't until 1984 that work began on the first Phase of Wesley Place.
Construction Begins in 1984
(Bryan) Testerman Construction began work on Wesley Place Phase 1 (north of Westland Drive) in 1984. In addition, the clubhouse, pool, and two buildings of Phase 2 (those nearest the Ebenezer entrance) were also completed and put on the market simultaneously. Prices ranged from the mid-80s to a high of $98,500. In late 1984, Martha Marley bought 8921 and moved in first. The image at left is from early 1985. You can see concrete pads that would be the foundations for the remaining Phase 2 buildings have already been poured. Phase 2 was completed in late 1985.
Phase 1 totaled 22 homes and Phase 2 17 more. Plans for Phase 3 were originally to have 40 more units and another pool in the open field to the left of the picture.
Homeowners Take Control, February 1986
Originally, the developer (Testerman Construction) held three votes for every unsold lot (called Class B membership) while homeowners had only one vote per lot (Class A membership). This allowed the developer to control the Association's policies, such as setting the HOA fee at $51.50/month. So, it was not until three-fourths of lots sold that homeowners took control of the Association (and Class B memberships ended). After this occurred, the first annual meeting of homeowners was held on February 16, 1986. Six Board members were elected--two to three-year terms, two to two-year terms, and two to one-year terms. Clyde Maynard was elected as the first President of Wesley Place on March 2nd, 1986.
Wesley Place was Completed in 1986
By the Fall of 1986, Phase 3 was complete, but with some changes to the original plans. 34 homes were built, but no second pool was built because the original pool's usage did not warrant building another. Testerman made the Phase 3 homes slightly larger on average (which explains the reduction of 40 homes to 34), feeling that there was a demand for these homes. However, as all homes must pay the same HOA fee and receive equivalent services, they had to be close in size to the originals in Phases 1 and 2. Note that several homes in Phase 1 were sold with unfinished basements. After these were finished these homes were about 40% larger than their original size. The connecting road between Phases 1 & 2 and the new Phase 3 became known as "Honeysuckle Lane" because of the abundance of fragrant honeysuckle flowers in the spring along the hedgerow.
Fatal Airplane Crash, June 9, 1988
At about noon on June 9th, 1988 an airplane crashed into Wesley Place during a severe thunderstorm. Local media originally reported that the crash was in Bennington where one of two engines landed after the plane broke apart in midair. However, most of the plane, including the fuselage, wing parts, and the other engine landed in Wesley Place.
Changes in the Area 1989-2002
As one can see from the previous image (1995), Ebenezer Road was widened to four lanes by then. In the image to the left, taken in 1998, Highgrove Gardens and the Gettysvue Golf Course were completed. The 1990s and on have been boom years for the Ebenezer/Westland areas with homes, apartments, and businesses taking up nearly all the available space.
Hailstorm, 2002
A severe hailstorm on April 28th of 2002 resulted in enough damage to necessitate replacing all of our roofs. This storm was highly localized with the airport only measuring a trace of rain.
Hailstorm, April 2011
On April 27, 2011, we experienced the second severe hailstorm severe enough to require everyone to replace their roof. The airport reported 3.55 inches of rain and high wind gusts. This storm was more widespread than the 2002 storm causing several insurance companies to bring their disaster response teams to Knoxville to resolve quickly damage claims for cars and homes. Click the button to see the amazing pictures.
Color Imagery, 2003
The first color imagery of Wesley Place in the Knox County Geographic Information System (KGIS) appeared in 2003. In this winter aerial photograph, you can see covers on our pool and Bennington's. Here Water's Place, across the street from Highgrove Gardens has been completed.
Flood, February 2019
On February 23 and 24, 2019, record rains caused severe flooding throughout East Tennessee, including here at Wesley Place. To learn more, hike up your pants and click the button.
Wesley Place in 2024
The image to the left is for Wesley Place from 2024. After 40 years, Wesley Place remains a gem among Knox County developments through a consistent maintenance program of its structures and extensive grounds management of its large common areas and mature trees.