Last updated: April 18, 2026
- Type: Former company town (absorbed into South Pittsburg)
- Founded: Early 20th century
- Named for: Richard Hardy, founder of Dixie Portland Cement
Richard City was a planned company town built in the early 1900s by industrialist Richard Hardy to house workers at the Dixie Portland Cement Company. It sat adjacent to South Pittsburg, at the southern edge of Marion County, and was later absorbed into South Pittsburg's corporate limits. Its name still survives on local maps and in historic markers.
Dixie Portland Cement and the town
In the early 20th century, Richard Hardy, a Chattanooga-area industrialist, organized the Dixie Portland Cement Company to exploit the limestone resources along this stretch of the Tennessee River. Portland cement production required large rock quarries, kilns, and a substantial workforce, and Hardy built a company town to support it: homes, commissary, and community infrastructure. The town was named for Hardy's given name and promoted as Richard City.
Rail connections
The town was served by a rail extension that branched off from the Pikeville Branch Railroad. The connection at Copenhagen (Richard City) tied the cement operation into the broader regional industrial rail grid.
Absorption into South Pittsburg
As South Pittsburg grew and Dixie Portland Cement's operations evolved, Richard City was gradually absorbed into the larger city. It lost its identity as a separate municipality but retained place-name usage. Today Richard City survives mostly as a neighborhood name, a cemetery name, and in historical references. Read more about South Pittsburg →
Landmarks and remnants
- Richard City Cemetery
- Remnants of cement-era industrial infrastructure around South Pittsburg
- Historic maps and company literature