Watertown, TN

Watertown is a Wilson County city southeast of Lebanon and northwest of Smithville, with 1,553 residents in the 2020 census. Its early land story reaches back to a Revolutionary War grant to Archibald and William Lytle, and the town's name comes from founder Wilson L. Watertown. Watertown Elementary, Middle, and High School make education a visible local institution within the Wilson County school system. The schools also keep the city center oriented around local routines. Music is the memorable local thread.

The Watertown JazzFest began in 1996 with six groups and a small one-day stage, grew into a two-day event with thousands attending, and later widened its programming beyond jazz. The Old Time Bluegrass and Fiddlers' Jamboree adds a second music tradition, and Tennessee's 2026 legislation recognizes its winner as the state's champion fiddler. Watertown's local scoop is a Middle Tennessee town where a Revolutionary-era land grant and a homegrown music calendar meet on the road between Lebanon and Smithville.