A Brief History

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In 1913, the Rotary Club of Nashville was chartered, the first in Tennessee and only eight years after Paul Harris founded Rotary in Chicago. The Memphis and Chattanooga clubs were chartered in 1914, the Knoxville Rotary Club was chartered in 1915 following a trade visit to that city by a group of businessmen from Louisville, Kentucky - one of whom was a Rotarian. Harriman, chartered in 1919, was the fifth Rotary Club chartered in Tennessee and the first outside the major cities.

The area that presently comprises District 6780 is defined as follows: "Tennessee, that portion east of western boundaries of the counties of Macon, Trousdale, Wilson, Cannon, Coffee, Bedford, and Lincoln, and west of the western boundaries of the counties of Sullivan and Greene." This boundary has been in effect since July 1, 1950.

District 6780's geographical area has evolved over the years. Districts of which the present 6780 area was once a part include :

• 1915 - District 6: Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas.
• 1918 - District 13: Kentucky and Tennessee.
• 1922 - District 23: Kentucky, Tennessee (except Shelby County), and Virginia (that portion west of the eastern boundaries of the counties of Tazewell, Smyth, and Washington).
• 1925 - District 52: Tennessee (except Shelby County) and Virginia (that portion west of the eastern boundaries of the counties of Tazewell, Smyth, and Washington).
• 1937 - District 163: Tennessee (except Shelby County and that portion east of the western boundaries of the counties of Hancock, Hawkins, and Greene).
• 1949 - District 236: Tennessee, that portion west of the western boundaries of the counties of Sullivan and Greene, except Shelby County.
• 1950 - District 237: Tennessee, that portion east of the western boundaries of Macon, Trousdale, Wilson, Cannon, Coffee, Bedford, and Lincoln, and west of the western boundaries of the counties of Sullivan and Greene.
• 1957 - District 678: Same as District 237 except number was changed.
• 1991 - District 6780: Same as District 678 except number was changed.