Prior to the town's establishment, the land was a Revolutionary War grant to Colonel Archibald Lytle and his brother William. Circa 1790, the grandparents of Watertown's founder, Wilson L. Waters, moved into the area. In 1845, the post office moved from nearby Three Forks to Wilson's store. Waters expanded his operations with a sawmill, gristmill and blacksmith shop. Waters' farm eventually became Watertown. The Nashville and Knoxville Railroad built a depot in Watertown in 1885, making it the hub of business in the area. The increased business led to a doubling of the village's size. In 1903, a fire swept through the wood structures of the village, destroying many businesses. During the recovery period following the fire, a town square surrounded by brick building was laid out, creating the core of the current city of Watertown.
Geography
Watertown is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, all land.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,358 people, 542 households, and 377 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,083.9 people per square mile. There were 605 housing units at an average density of 482.9 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 91.24% White, 6.11% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.25% of the population. There were 542 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 28.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.06. In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 21.2% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,662, and the median income for a family was $41,484. Males had a median income of $30,263 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,008. About 9.2% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.2% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and Entertainment
Was the filming site of.
In 2003, the Stardust Drive-in theater opened in Watertown, a very unusual event since most drive-ins around the country have closed.
