Clear Springs ( Hamilton Farm ) Step on the barb wire and come on in. Talk about a place that has seen alot of history, from slavery to civil war battles play out, and legend has it even buried Confederate treasure. Today we visit the pre 1902 McKinney cemetery that really seems like no one but the owners know about. The McKinney's from what I can tell from old maps and reading at the local library in Strawberry Plains is that they owned the Hamilton Farm prior to Hamilton Family settling there and they owned the island adjacent to the homestead. Just one hundred yards away from the McKinney Cemetery sits the Slave cemetery that we tried to locate today. We are pretty sure we were right on top of it but from lack of headstones it makes it super difficult to locate the deceased. Lots of blackberries, and raspberries to find on this land, I caught quite a few thorns in my hands Ouch! But not one damn Strawberry ironically. Strawberry Plains, Tn being named after the many fields of Strawberries growing after the Meeks settled the area. If you think thorns are to be worried about, think again the ticks are by the handfuls. I think the most common thing on this trek was walking into spider webs. Spiders and ticks uhhhh the two things I hate most ha. Cory and I had brought my H1 zoom for some EVP work, and used GHostRadar for some paranormal work. Data is still being looked at from this exploration as we are bit behind in our analysis. We did have time to roam around a little bit and we found a gully with remains of a cow and horse. How long ago were these animals deaths? Is the question in my mind just maybe 150yrs ago and washed down into this gully after so many years? Just over another ridge Cory found the bed of a truck peaking through the surface. We scattered down the ridge side without getting to far out of the way. We decided at the point it was time to head back over to the ridge we came from back to the barb wire fence. First photo in the gallery will show you the approx area where the Union crossed the Holston River towards Strawberry Plains Fort / Bridge, not too far behind them were the confederates carrying a bounty of gold. I have learned this is the site of local baptisms now for the church nearby. When the Union went to ford the river they realized the Union outnumbered them ahead, so instead of losing the gold in battle, they buried it around the rivers edge here some one hundred fifty plus years ago. It is said that the Hamilton family let people come back in the 60's and 70's and pay daily rates to search for gold. what would you be doing right now if a family member told you there might be Confederate gold hidden on your land?
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Have you ever driven through a town, maybe even your own, and wondered about the old brick building, slowly being eaten up by vines and trees? I do, allllllll the time. Amanda's mother came into town, and we set off on a free style adventure. Our first stop was Cocke County to Rankin Hill where we visited a mysterious church we had seen last winter. (more to come on this) So we did all the exploring we were going to do in that area so we were headed home, As we headed through Dandridge. Amanda noticed up to right and up on the hill and old abandoned school. Voila explore mode engage! We found a window to the theater smashed out and perfectly placed chair and desk for our accessibility. Oddly placed to our left immediately through the window was a farmers axe or hammer of some sort. Turn the corner and up a few steps looking to the left down the hall I notice an axe. So now I am hoping if anyone is sleeping in this abandoned place and if they aren't in this area of the building when I do explore their area I don't get whacked with a hammer or an axe. I personally started on the second floor, I took off going through each room to my right hand side. I then back tracked and met with the rest of the gang, they were going over the fine details of each room etc. I noticed some very dark hallways behind the stage. Lot's of creepy vibes from this area. I won't lie I did ignore it and took off towards the theater and gym. Headed straight to the gym where we saw what seemed to be pornhub porn set, mattress and all. Descriptive graffiti included. People have definitely been sleeping in this gym over past decades. I caught back up with the girls on the stage and I decided to check out the creepy dark hallway, and found the old music room in total darkness it is in the pictures below with the metal pole in the room. This entire place is a waste land of classic car parts. I couldn't wait to get home and do some research. This mysterious brick building was once known as the Maury Academy. Named after General Doheny Herndan Maury, an American soldier and author, born in Fredericksburg Virginia. He graduated West Point and continued on to Study Law. This man was a clear scholar, and overall "badass". Not only did he serve as Brigadier General in late 1861, he was also general of the Department of Tennessee. By the end of the war, he was in charge of the Department of the Gulf and surrendered on May 24, 1865. By the end of the decade, he had gathered like minds to establish the Southern Historical Society. AND IT DOES NOT STOP THERE. He then continued on to serve as the US minister to Columbia. Why wouldn't a progressive school want to take his name? They taught theater, sewing,traditional science, music, general education, home sciences and various trades. The property we explored was the male branch of the 1884 school house. I discovered that there had previously been a building on the same site which was erected in 1806. A board of trustees was created to maintain the school, known as the "Trustees of the male academy". The old building was a wooden structure, which quickly was phased out in favor of a new brick building, and faced south instead of the original east, constructed in 1819. The 3rd story of the building was known to have been occupied b y the Sons of the Temperence. If that was not enough, the Masons were found on the second floor and finally, the male students on the first floor. Don't worry ladies, they did't forget you! In 1852, the Female Academy was established by the "Trustees of the Female Academy". The Trustees were, John Roper, Joseph Hamilton, Shadrick Inman, and John Fain. The "Female Academy" is situated on the hill southeast of the court house, and between the court house, and the river. The building erected on this lot is now owned by the Masonic fraternity, The Female Academy had these ladies as some of their teachers. Misses Amy Lutridge, Jane Lucey, Fannie Blake, Julia Comstock, Aurelia Jarnagan, Rosalee McAdoo, and Ann B. Hynds, first pupil of Mount Holyoke Seminary to teach in the south. In the Male Academy some of the teachers were Mr. Cameron, a preacher Harrison, Andrew Lemming, G. W. Laymon, George Cogsdill, Alonzo Blizzard, Mr. Hoss, Rev. William Akin, Henry Pomeroy, W. F. Park, Capt. G. W. Holtsinger, R. T. Zirkle, seven years; Billy Pryor a short time; W. R. Maynard several years. In 1876 Dean J. D. Hoskins of University of Tennessee here attended his first school. Mr. Maynard was a very strong disciplinarian and many are the stories we hear of his time. Mr. Samuel P. Johnson taught many years. It makes you wonder if any of the teachers still wander these hallways, hoping to teach a new set of students. After the brilliant history of the school, we skip forward to a new generation, the 1900's. By this time, the city was stretching and having some growing pains. It was at this time that the decision was made to remove funding for the school and to use it on road construction. This money was to be paid back in a term of many years. When the time came, the city panel voted that they would not be held accountable and that the money would not be paid back. This was the beginning of the end for Maury Academy. Over the years, it became more and more run down, and the beloved oil rubbed wood floors deteriorated due to neglect. Had they simply patched the roof, maybe the 450 seat auditorium and floors could still be salvaged. Eventually the property was purchased by a man who sold car parts and ran and car lot. This is where trail seems to end, I cannot determine if the property is still in his possession or not. The next step, is tracking down some possible family. I have heard from numerous locals that this place used to have motion sensors and cameras, that may have been true but what we had found were cameras with cut wires, and on a quiet Sunday no one to bother. Still we always keep visits short not like The Nichols Mine in Florida. We were able to take some 360photography out front and inside the Auditorium and of some of the hallways. What a cool place! Imagine owning a building like this? Would you spend your time restoring it or re-purposing it? This owner doesn't seem to care about, mold has taken over this place and a lot of it would be a demo job inside but the bones are still fantastic! |
MiketheHikingGuide
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January 2019
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