Walton Construction Company was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by John William Walton, Jr. (1915–1988)(http://www.jimwalton.net/person47.html), Ed Sumner and George Buchannan in 1956. It was created to help construct the US Interstate highway system. Mr. Ed Sumner and George Buchannan sold their shares to John Walton when Mr. Sumner died in the 1960s. Projects completed by this firm include the rebuilding of the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol building, many rest areas on the US Interstate system in Tennessee and major urban renewal projects in Nashville, Chattanooga, Johnson City, Knoxville and Elizabethton, Tennessee. They also specialized in golf course projects which include Fall Creek Falls State Park, Harpeth Hills, Montgomery Bell State Park and many private club courses in the Middle Tennessee area. John Walton, Jr. was an avid golfer and his hobby led to a successful business. John Walton also was technically very advanced in construction techniques. Walton Construction Company also was the first contractor outside of Iowa to use a Gomaco automated slipform concrete paver and the first to buy and use a cold planer (from CMI Corporation) in the Southeastern USA. Executives of this technically innovative business were William P. (Bill) Broadway, Larry Ferguson, Frank Tatum, Bill Rice, Johnnie Edwards, John W. Walton, III, James E. Walton, Bill Goodman, William (Red) Hurt, Bill Fuqua and many others.
The company was originally set up in Brentwood, Tennessee, moved to 8th Ave. South in Nashville and later to 2506 Brick Church Pike in North Nashville. The Walton Construction Company property of Brick Church Pike is now the location of Walton Business Park developed by John William Walton's widow, Hautense Akin Walton and her younger son James E. Walton.
The business had regional offices in Chattanooga, Tennessee and Johnson City, Tennessee where they did a long series of City Urban Renewal and Tennessee State Highway department projects. These included the rebuilding of downtown portions of the cities of Chattanooga, Elizabethton and Johnson City, Tennessee.
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