This year, Plainview will celebrate 28 years as a city. The establishment of the community and city itself was a huge task tackled by dedicated community members.
John Seltzer was a mail carrier beginning in 1948 in Knoxville. Later, in 1973, he became postmaster in Maynardville and retired at age 67.
John was married to Imogene Chesney and lived in Union County. They both had a great love for their community. John worked extremely hard to create the Plainview community by getting the people to come together and build a much-needed community building. He was elected president of the community club.
John was voted Union County Man of the Year in 1962. Imogene was the first woman to be elected as a Union County Commissioner. They wanted more for Plainview School which had been built in the 1920’s. Very little assistance was offered by the school board, so the community got permission to improve the school by establishing a library, cafeteria, and new desks for the 51 students at the time.
The Plainview Community Club members assisted Howard Collette and the Union County School Board in obtaining and installing inside water fountains, bathrooms and equipment in order for the students to have a hot lunch program. The only available books for residents were in a book mobile that visited once a month. The community members worked to obtain a library in the school through Clinch Powell Regional Library System.
One day the school was closed and it is still closed to this day. The school board voted to give the community club the property where the community building stands. John Seltzer, Imogene Seltzer and Fate Damewood attended the Union County School Board meeting the day the land was donated to Plainview Community Club. Each and every school board member signed the deed.
Planning and work to build the Plainview Community Center was all done by volunteers. Extensive fundraising took place in order to make this project a success. Pie suppers, with ladies baking delicious pies and placing them in boxes they had creatively decorated, were held in the schoolhouse and the pies were auctioned to the highest bidder. Cake walks were held at gatherings at the school with each person who walked paying 10 cents for the opportunity to win a cake. The horseback riding club held events and donated. Square dances were held when the community center was complete to help pay expenses. Volunteers cooked and sold hot dogs and cokes. Ladies cooked dinners for the Union County Farm Bureau and for many other events to raise funds.
Some of the ladies that worked so hard volunteering were: Mary Johnson, Lorraine Wallace, Mrs. Bryon Mynatt, Mary Margaret Corum, Betty Satterfield, Imogene Seltzer, Bernez Graves, Hazel Damewood, Fern Sallings, Pat Johnson, Ethel Johnson, and Gene Damewood. Proceeds from the many events also assisted with other projects in the Plainview community such as the addition of the two new rooms to Clear Branch Baptist Church and land additions.
Some of the larger donations included those from Howard Collette, Superintendent of Schools, who obtained steam tables for Plainview School. McCarty’s Catering donated metal chairs and tables, Mynatt Funeral Home gave chairs, Earl Stowers donated cinder blocks, Imogene Seltzer volunteered to clean, dispose of trash, and oversee renting of the community center building, Jake Johnson donated the flag pole.
James Meltabarger, Imogene Seltzer, Betty Satterfield voluntarily took the census for the City of Plainview. Many men volunteered their time and labor in construction of the community center including: John Seltzer, Jake Johnson, Arthur Johnson, Roy Wallace, Roy Johnson, Sonny Harless, Alvin Corum, Taubee Woods, Terry Hill, and Ross Capps.
In 1981, Luttrell wanted to annex Plainview and make it part of Luttrell. Plainview was a hardworking, close-knit community and planned to stay that way. Members of the Plainview Action Committee filed a lawsuit in the Union County Chancery Court to halt the annexation. Plainview won the right to prevent Luttrell from annexing but had to apply to become a city. That took many meetings and planning trips to Nashville, but in 1992, it became official. John Seltzer passed away in 1989, before Plainview officially became a city, but due to his hard work and dedication, it happened.
William (Bill) Von Schippmann became mayor in June 1992 to serve the city. He retired in September 2006. Many projects were completed during his years of service. The City Building was constructed, as well as a helicopter pad for emergencies, and the city began to provide its own law officers and vehicles. Other property was purchased with buildings on it. The Luttrell Volunteer Fire Department stationed a fire truck and, with the help of county commissioner Lynn Beeler, it was made possible to get an ambulance from the county to be stationed in Plainview. Both are currently stationed at the additional property owned by Plainview. Rodney Minor succeeded Mayor Von Schippmann. Today, Mayor Gary Chandler serves as the third mayor of Plainview.
Plainview remains a strong standing city and important piece of Union County history thanks to so many leaders and volunteers over the years. Imogene Seltzer is still a supportive citizen residing in the city.