During the 1930s and 1940s the Tennessee Valley Authority built, owned, and administered the community of Norris for fifteen years. After World War II, the government decided to sell the town at auction. On June 15, 1948, real estate broker Henry David Epstein, acting as head of a Philadelphia-based syndicate bought the town for $2,107,500. The Norris Citizens Development Corporation, which had been organized by local residents, raised $1,900,000 and was unable to meet the top bid. In the ensuing years Epstein’s group eventually sold all 341 homes to the citizens. In 1949, the Tennessee General Assembly granted the town a charter of incorporation, and Norris became an independent community. The citizens celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the town’s incorporation in 1999.