History of Lacy England Agency

The original contract to sell insurance was issued by The Farmer’s Automobile Insurance Association, later known as Pekin Insurance, to Karl V. Lacy. Karl said it was 1929. The company has records on file dated as far back as April 25, 1933. Karl operated out of an office in his house, first on the farm and later on North Timber Street in Knoxville. The book of business was mostly auto.

In 1961 Herman England, Karl’s next door neighbor, joined Karl as a partner and the office moved to its present location at 131 North Public Square in a rented office space. In 1965 Herman became the sole owner of the agency, Karl officially retired mid- year, and Herman’s wife Dorothy came to work full-time. The agency continued to operate as Lacy-England Insurance and contracted with other companies in addition to Pekin Insurance.

Growth of the agency continued and the lines of insurance were expanded to include farm, commercial, life, and health along with the personal lines auto and homeowners policies. A part-time secretarial position was added in the early 1970’s with Shirley Nelson hired for the job. The purchase of existing books of business of several small, local agents as they retired or were leaving the insurance arena added to the customer base.

The business location remained at 131 North Public Square and in 1973 the building, now owned by the Englands, received extensive renovation both inside and out. The exterior was remodeled in keeping with the requirements of the historic district in which it is located, but the interior was given a more modern look and expanded the office space to include the entire ground floor of the building.

In 1974 Tom England ( Herman & Dorothy’s son) came to work for the agency and became the owner in 1976. Tom brought with him a strong insurance background, having worked both as an underwriter for Firemen’s Fund and as a marketing representative for Pekin Insurance. The name was changed to Lacy-England Agency.

Peg Bivens replaced Shirley Nelson as the secretary in 1979.The agency was incorporated in 1980 and the name changed to Lacy-England Agency, Inc. with Tom England as its first president and the business continued in the same location serving the insurance needs of the Knoxville community in a caring, friendly manner. Herman and Dorothy England both continued to work in the agency part-time through their retirement years.

January 1, 1997 marked the retirement of Tom England and the sale of the agency to Margaret (Peg) Bivens. Ginny Howard joined the agency as the new hire and Peg continues to operate the business under the Lacy England Agency name. Stability and service are trademarks of the Lacy England Agency as they continue meeting the insurance needs of Knox County in a friendly, caring manner.