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!
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Forensic science techniques in the Smoky Mountains in the early 1900s?? Equal something like non existent, the exact cause of death of Jasper Mellinger may never be known. While some people claim it was nothing more than a tragic accident, others say it was murder. Although the exact date is unknown, Jasper Mellinger left his home in the Roaring Fork area sometime between 1901 and 1903 and was never seen alive again. He was walking toward North Carolina along a ridge between Elkmont and Hazel Creek. It is possible that Mellinger, who was a blacksmith, was traveling somewhere for some work. Mellinger had been missing for several years when his remains were discovered and the local people started calling the place where he was found Mellinger Death Ridge. When Bones showed up it only secured the fate, the story and all. According to an account in “Smoky Mountain Folks and their Lore” by Joseph Hall, Zeb Lawson who was a fire guard in the mountains, told that Mellinger was caught in a bear trap placed along the ridge illegally by hunters. The bear trap captured him, shattered his bones and stranded Mellinger on the rugged mountain. Mellinger was slowly dying of exposure and starvation when the two hunters who set the illegal trap returned to their trap and found him. Knowing they were in caught up in this, the hunters were faced with a decision of whether to save Mellinger and risk retaliation or to kill him and save themselves from the authorities and Mellinger’s family. They decided to kill him. Mellinger was probably bludgeoned to death with a log or big rock. They either buried him in a shallow grave or threw him off a cliff so that it would appear he had accidentally fallen. Several years passed before Mellinger’s body was discovered. Identification of the remains was possible only because Mellinger’s pocket watch, his rifle and other personal effects were found with him. A coroner’s inquest was held at the scene but no true bill was ever issued by the grand jury and no circuit court trial was conducted. A few years later a young man in Wear’s Valley fell ill and on what he thought was his deathbed confessed to his part in the crime. He admitted that he and his father, John Beasley, set a bear trap in violation of the law in the middle of the trail without warning signs. When they returned five days later they discovered Mellinger caught in the bear trap almost at the point of death from pain and exposure. He said his father ordered him to kill the unfortunate victim with a log. Reluctantly, young Beasley followed his father’s orders and the father and son together covered Mellinger’s body with broken hemlocks. Another version of the story recounted in Dr. Gail Palmer’s upcoming book about cemeteries in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park says Art Huskey and his son were accused, faced trial and subsequently acquitted of the crime when a jury could not decide which man was responsible for the actual murder. However Huskey’s descendants disclaim this story. Seems like a Huskey one way or another is always being accused of murder. There are others who say that instead of a father and son duo the crime was committed by two brothers whose names vary with the telling. Still many folks doubt that Mellinger was actually murdered. They feel he was simply the unfortunate victim of an accident and possibly broke his leg by stumbling and, unable to walk, died of exposure. Regardless of the true circumstances surrounding the death of Jasper Mellinger, once his remains were positively identified his family buried him in a little cemetery near his home. His final resting place may be reached by following an unmarked path off of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail which leads to an old home site. All that remains are a few large logs and a stack of rocks that were once a chimney. Deeper along the trail up a small slope sits a small moss-covered cemetery with three graves. It is here that you will find the grave of Jasper Mellinger marked with a crude homemade tombstone. The other graves are those of two of his children, Charles (born 1874) and Lenora (born 1872). Born in 1837, Mellinger was only around 45 years old when he died. His widow, Martha Yarnell Mellinger who married Jasper on Aug. 3, 1871. She had no alternative but to live in the Sevier County Farm (called the Poorhouse) in Sevierville. Known as Granny Mellinger by fellow residents and visitors, she was a well loved figure at the establishment. When Martha died in 1925 after living at the Poorhouse for more than 20 years she was buried there in the county cemetery for the indigent. The caretakers at the poor farm loved Granny Mellinger so well that they wouldn’t allow her to be buried in one of the usual ordinary pine coffins. Instead, they purchased a nice casket for her with their own money and provided her a more dignified burial. The county cemetery is adjacent to LeConte Medical Center on Middle Creek Road. Mellinger Death Ridge, a spur of Cold Spring Knob near Miry Ridge, by its name bears silent witness to the tragic incident over a century ago. Although there were fluctuations in the spelling, national park records indicate the ridge where Jasper Mellinger’s life ended was being identified with Mellinger’s name as early as 1905. In 1943 “Mellinger Death Ridge” was officially recognized and becane the official name by the park and the U.S. Geological Survey. Jasper Mellinger's Final resting place, old cemetery lost off Roaring Fork in Gatlinburg, TN
This visit, was to one of the most supposedly haunted buildings in Pigeon Forge, Tn. The hauntings have been linked to the relics held inside. They were retrieved from the ocean depths years ago; trunks of personal belongings, keys to cabins, furniture, and even full reconstructed sections of the boat including the grand staircase down to the milkglass in the ceiling.
The Third class level is where we felt that the energy got a little weird. You start by walking down a corridor not as nice as the last and then the lights start to flicker, and if you're perceptive enough you realize the staircase ahead is gated and locked shut. Suddenly water starts coming down the stairwell. You are trapped. Just like those in third class were. On this level is also a completely identical reconstruction of a third class cabin. This location allows no photography or video, however we passively ran a live evp session, and pulled the words "MUSCLE, BLUE, ABLE, INVOLVED,NEEDS,BREATHE,INVOLVED,CLOTHES,MUSCLE,LIFE,ESCAPE,BEN,RESEARCH,STORE(as we walk into the gift store)"
So a good friend told me this story about a junkyard in Jefferson County where the owner had converted 3 old farm homes off hwy25 into stores for his junkyard. He became quite a successful man with his location. One day he was killed in one of the renovated home stores by attackers seeking his riches. Today we paid a visit to that house/store on Highway 25. 360images to come..
UPDATE: Historically it wasn't called New Market it was in the town of Woolardtown, Tennessee in Jefferson County If anyone has any information, names etc articles on this you get at me asap [email protected] #junkyardmurders #jeffersoncounty #thewayitwas #historicarchaeology #jeffersoncounty #junkcars #junkyard #newmarket #snyder #easttennessee #historypreserved #rip #nothingbutrespect #junkyardsofamerica Chestnut Hill, Tennessee If you're ever driving out to Newport Tennessee way of Sevierville(411), you might just find yourself passing by a large factory on your right in a "town" that's no more than a blink of an eye big. Called the Chestnut Hill community of Jefferson County is how it is known, only six miles south of Historic Dandridge. Now of course if you look up on the hills you will see beautiful hundred plus year old chestnut trees growing, I suppose that would be the reason the area is named such. Walking in the local cemetery ( Chestnut Hill Cemetery ) it's quite easy to see only a few families settled this area way back when, the Bush's, Mcgoig's, Rainwater, Thornton, Acton, Chesteen, Fain, Ethier to name a few. Andrew Jackson Bush ( A.J. Bush ) In 1867 Andrew Jackson “A.J.” Bush was born in the community of Chestnut Hill Tennessee, where he lived for most of his life, leaving only to receive a college education at nearby Carson-Newman College. In 1891 A.J. married Sallie and they rapidly produced 6 children; four boys and two girls. Both A.J. and Sallie had a deep interest in their community and love for their family. In addition to being a mother of 6, Sallie acted as a midwife and nursemaid as well as training young girls the fine art of proper household management. A.J. had been a school teacher since graduating college, and was elected to the local school board. It all started in 1897, when local farmer A.J. Bush founded a general store and, later, a tomato cannery. Partnered with the Stokley brothers in 1904 and business began to grow until A.J. bought out the Stokley's in 1908. He entered a partnership with his sons Fred and Claude,they established Bush Brothers And Company in 1922. In following years the company began to process and can tomatoes,blueberries, corn, hominy, and peaches. Not until 1933 the company began producing pork and beans. This eventually led to a contract with Armour and Company and they started to produced a wide array of canned meats. The company is now in its fifth generation of ownership. In 1947, Bush Brothers’ board of directors decided to sell under a new identity; Bush’s Best. The double-B logo they developed would become a well known trademark all across the southeast for the next 50 years. In the early 1990’s Bush Brothers decided to focus on their line of Bush’s Best Baked Beans as a core product. They touted the secret family recipe, which was originally developed by Kathleen Bush and was truly her secret family recipe. What a true American success story! Tennessee Valley Authority (1942) Douglas Dam needs to be built to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II. It will have been built in record time and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Opposed for months, the Federal goverment won it's way and flooded some forty square miles of farmland and local canning industry( Bush's Dandridge Canning Plant ). Over 33,000 acres of land were acquired causing 525 families to be relocated and 32 cemeteries. Not to mention the rerouting of several miles of roadway. The Douglas Dam powerhouse is a hydroelectric power producer with four large water turbines that drive four large electric generators. Their combined peak electric power-production capacity is 146,000 Killowatts. This is the power needed to produced the aluminum needed in aircraft production during the war effort. Once the attack happened on Pearl Harbor we were fully committed and of course war brings industry and business, America loves that right? Going Green
While Bush Brothers is best known for its baked beans, the company also runs a successful side business, a beef cattle farm. Wastewater from the bean plant is recycled and used to water the pastures, Bush Brothers raise a herd of grass-fed cattle on about 2,000 acres in Chestnut Hill and 1,000 acres in neighboring Cocke County. Making use of bean waste and processed water from the manufacturing plant, the cattle farm creates an environmentally sustainable and profitable arm of the business so they claim. But let's face it, raising cattle is NOT green by anyway, waste water run off from the animals, the gases released into the ozone from the animals etc Tommy Knockers/Tommy Knackers First heard of in Western Pennsylvania coal mines in 1820's by Cornish miners who worked there, when the California gold rush began these Cornish miners were sought after by the managers out west. They would recruit family members of miners already here, boss would ask " Do you have any family that wants to work? " and the miner would reply " My cousin jack could come if you pay for his boat ride.." immigrant miners or cousin jacks, were known in the early western workforce. As the miners moved west from Pennsylvania so did their superstitions thrived and spread westward through the mines. Tommy Knockers are the Cornish equivalent to a Irish Leprechauns and English Brownies. Germans called them Berggeister, or Bergmannlein meaning " mountain ghosts " or " little miners ".
Cornish believed the little men were souls of the Jews who crucified Christ and were sent by the Romans to work as slaves in the tin mines, this belief was so strong that Tommy Knockers were head on Jewish holidays. Described as being no taller than two feet, greenish pale color, wearing traditional miners outfit, they have been known to have committed both good and bad deed through the centuries often playing practical jokes and pranks, stealing unattended tools and food. Knockers or Knackers as it is pronounced comes from the knocking on the mine walls just before a cave in, caused by creaking earth and timbers. Some thought the sounds of hammering were malevolent indicting certain death or injury while others saw their knocking as warnings for the miners that a collapse was imminent same thought it was good luck or that it would lead to finding a rich ore body. Thought to bring favors of wealth when Tommy Knockers were being " good ". Being bad on the otherhand brought nothing but misery, injury or death. If a hammer was missing it was the Tommy Knockers, but the miners if they escaped a sudden collapse they were thanking the Tommy Knockers. Miners would offer food or different offerings to seal their good graces and protection with the Knockers. For my Ghost Adventure fans, Ghost Adventures Season 13 episode 1 (2016) The crew is in Idaho Springs, Colorado, traveling deep into the eerie Phoenix Gold Mine. Once there, Zak Bagans learns about a heinous murder that haunts the mine and the entire team makes contact with a tiny, malicious spirit known as a Tommy Knocker(knacker) -Mikethehikingguide #historicarchaeology #mikethehikingguide #tommyknockers #tommyknackers #miners #Colorado #California #Pennsylvania #coalminersdaughter "Jap Camp" Crossville, Tennessee's POW Camp 1942-1945
This camp was coined the "Jap Camp" by locals of East Tennessee, not because it housed Japanese, that's for sure. In fact, this camp NEVER held a Japanese soldier. The people of East Tennessee took their anger at the current affairs with Japan, out on the prisoners housed there, showing how easily misinformation can spread. The words Internment camp, and Concentration camp, aren't the terms that really depict the POW camps the German Nazi's inhabited during WWII in America. Instead steak dinners, and nightly entertainment were a regular thing in these prisons. Many locals remember, the Nazi's eating better than the people of Crossville. Camp Crossville opened in 1942 and closed by December 1945 for the end of World War II. Crossville camp held some of the highest ranking German Nazi soldiers and as well Italians soldiers. During World War II Tennessee was home to eleven prisoner of war camps. Four of them being large installations. The Crossville location was built on top of the old 1930's CCC camp that was abandoned years before. First prisoners to arrive in Crossville, Tennessee were 1,500 German Nazi's most whom were veterans of General Erwin Rommel's Afrika Korps. Camp Forrest nearby held nearly twice as many prisoners, and Camp Crossville eventually became a branch of Forrest as well, Camp Campbell was a special purpose camp which served as a safe house or haven for "anti Nazi's". Prisoners were generally cooperative, Italian prisoners seemed to get along very well with one another, but the German democrats often quarreled constantly among themselves. Small wages could be made for small labor or agriculture tasks. Security at the camps for the most part was highly lax, prisoners were allowed outside the gates/fences on a regular basis for walks etc. Most always these prisoners would return. Of 356,560 prisoners in the United States of America only 1,583 prisoners escaped and of those only 22 were never captured. One story that used to be told, three German submariners had escaped the camp and made their way to a mountain side cabin, were a old granny yelled to them "git" and when they didn't heed her warning she shot one of them dead. When the local deputy sheriff arrived he had told her she shot a German POW and she said she would of never fired, " I thought it wuz a damn Yankee ". Conditions were comfortable for prisoners in Crossville, By the Geneva Convention, the enemy never did without. Entertainment was a nightly thing, steak dinners on the regular, like mentioned before, the prisoners actually lived better than most of the local families in the area. Camp Campbell prisoners formed two Orchestra's. German prisoners camped in at Memphis Camp formed a Orchestra as well. Prisoners were allowed to buy wine and beer as they pleased, even had day trips to the mountains. Camp Crossville and Campbell both had published newspapers. Educational programs were setup at nearly every camp. Gerhard Hennes was a German Lieutenant captured in North Africa on May 13, 1943. Five months later after a few short stays in a bunch of different holding facilities, he entered the gates of Camp Crossville. Imprisoned here for a term of two years. After the war Gerhard Hennes became a U.S. Citizen and in 2004 published the book " The Barbed Wire: POW in the USA". He gives a detailed description into the life at the Crossville Camp. They were given new uniforms, they were never interrogated and were left to the authority of their own German officers. "Three square meal a day" Hennes wrote, breakfast included long forgotten or newly cherished things like scrambled eggs, crisp bacon, fresh orange or V8 juice. All kinds of cereal; and hot caked soaked in maple syrup. Gerhard Hennes had the rank of Lieutenant so he was given the salary of $20.00 a month. Prisoners in return could buy beer, cigarettes, and just about anything they could imagine out of a Sears catalog. The prisoners formed soccer leagues, kept themselves occupied by playing cards and they took educational classes taught by other prisoners. Prisoners had no complaints about treatment, and we know this from Gerhard's book and many post war visits and post war letters. Several German prisoners returned in 1984 to visit Memphis and the Camp site they were imprisoned. Many Germans emigrated to the areas they were imprisoned after the war. Crossville Camp is currently housing Clyde M York 4h Training Center near Ponoma, Tn. Take Sparta Highway from Crossville to Ponoma and left at the crossroads. A museum stands nearby with artifacts from the times, The currently listed number is, (931) 788-2288. Why did we give such good treatment to the Nazi's? Did we go over and beyond the rules of Geneva Convention? How about our POW's how are they treated in their foreign prisons? A great film on YouTube really puts it all in prospective for me, look up A Rich Man's Trick JFK - 9/11. Did we back the Nazi's? Feel free to review this film, in my blog post titled "Can Purposeful Misinformation be used as a Weapon?" These are all loaded questions, some may call them silly, but if we do not ask them, and remember all of our past, both good and shady, how will we move forward and grow? Keep asking questions. So the rumors are true, country singer Blake Shelton plans to open his third Ole Red restaurant and entertainment complex, this time in Gatlinburg, in partnership with Ryman Hospitality Properties.
Shelton, a Grand Ole Opry member, multiple award winner and coach on “The Voice,” opened his first Ole Red in his hometown of Tishomingo, Oklahoma, in September 2017, according to a Ryman news release. Shelton and Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties president and CEO, announced the new location in a Facebook Live broadcast on Ole Red Nashville’s page. It was watched by about 1,500 people at the time. Blake Shelton held a surprise show at the Wildhorse during CMA FestReed and is quoted as saying he hopes to open the Gatlinburg location in February or March of 2019. It should resemble the soon-to-open Ole Red Nashville, but without a rooftop bar, he said. “Gatlinburg is one of my all-time favorite places,” Shelton said in a news release. “This part of the country is full of people who love good food, great music, family and most importantly, a good time. That’s what Ole Red is all about, and I can’t wait to give my fans another place to have fun in Gatlinburg.” “Gatlinburg, it’s definitely a fun party town, but it’s kind of got a country atmosphere, so it’s basically a no-brainer,” he said on Facebook Live. Shelton said he wants Ole Red to add more of a late-night party feel to Gatlinburg. Other blogs are listed as stating, "The business name comes from his 2002 hit song “Ol’ Red.” The Gatlinburg location will be at 511 Parkway, currently the largely vacant Riverbend Mall." However this is not entirely true. For us locals, we know that the Riverbend Mall up until recently was still home to some well loved businesses in the area. I just walked by this building while doing business at Landshark Bar and Grill just up the street, and thought to myself, "Wow this should be a bar" and POOF here is the answer. Plans call for renovating the existing building, a $9 million effort to turn it into a 16,000-square-foot multi-level attraction, with a two-story bar and restaurant, retail space, performance venue, dance floor and outside terrace, according to Ryman Hospitality Properties. While Ole Red will feature lots of music, its primary driver will be food and drink sales, according to the company. The menu will include Hot Chicken & Waffles, barbecue, burgers and other Southern-style fare. Construction is expected to take about nine months, according to a Ryman spokesperson. Mayor Mike Werner touted it as “great news for Gatlinburg. “I am certain that Blake Shelton and Ole Red will resonate with our visitors and become a major draw to this area,” he said in the email. “The development will also provide new employment opportunities, not just for residents of Gatlinburg, but of the surrounding area. This is a win-win for all involved.” I must ask, does Gatlinburg need more "Employment Opportunities" at dead end jobs with no future? Are there not already a shortage of reliable staff in this area? Okay, okay, we will discuss that later. Gatlinburg City Manager Cindy Cameron Ogle said city officials are claiming that the development will be part of ongoing recovery from the November Gatlinburg Arson comited by 2 unnamed 15 year old boys from Anderson County, TN. We got a hint that this may be coming earlier this year, when legendary singer, pop icon and coach on the hit series "The Voice" stopped in to eat at a local restaurant I bartend at. This may not seem to make sense but, Kelly Clarkson happens to be married to Blake's manager and is quoted as stating, the following about working with her on "The Voice". "Having Kelly here—she's married to my manager—we've been friends forever," Blake added. "It was only natural that her being here in Los Angeles, working on this show, we're all going to get together and hang out." I wonder if we will see any celebrities walking on the strip anytime soon! Rose Glen 1850 Greek Revival Architecture Added to NRHP JULY 18 1975 Dr Robert Hatton Hodsden 1806-1864 he was a Sevier county resident, politician, and physician. In 1860 he was one of the county's wealthiest individuals in the area. Dr Hodsden was the attending phsycian on the Cherokee Indian removal, referred to the Trail of Tears. Dr Hodsden also represented Blount County in the late 1830's and between 1841-1845 in the state legislature. Hodsden was a slave owner, but he was pro union during the American Civil War, and was member of the Sevier County delegation at the East Tennessee Convention in Greenville in 1861. In 1843, after the death of his first wife, Hodsden married a widow, Mary Brabson-Shields (1818–1888), whose father, John Brabson, had established the Brabson's Ferry Plantation at Boyds Creek, and had given his daughter what is now Rose Glen as a gift for her first wedding. Hodsden and Brabson-Shields initially resided in Maryville, but eventually moved to Rose Glen, where they completed the plantation house and villa in 1850. The plantation was made up of 2,377 acres and many things were grown on the farm and sold in nearby farmer's markets in Knoxville, Tennessee. By 1860, Rose Glen had grown to 2,377 acres roughly worth $28,000, making it by far the most valuable farm in Sevier County. Livestock at Rose Glen included fourteen horses, thirty-seven cattle, sixty-seven sheep, four oxen, and one-hundred eighty hogs. Hodsden and fifteen slaves produced 3,400 bushels of oats, 360 bushels of wheat, 50 bushels of sweet potatoes, 18 tons of hay, 100 pounds of wool, 300 gallons of molasses, and over 3,000 pounds of butter, annually. Rose Glen's 1,200 pounds of rice was one of the largest rice crops in East Tennessee. The plantation also had a small winery The design of Rose Glen was modeled after architect Minard LaFever's "Design for a Country Villa," which appeared in both LaFever's Modern Builders Guide (1833) and Beauties of Modern Architecture (1835). The design called for a "five-part" villa, consisting of the central block and two wings, and two symmetrically-placed outbuildings aligned with the house's northeast and northwest corners. At Rose Glen, these two outbuilding which were used as an office and a loom house were connected to the main house by flower-lined walkways. The loom house and office have designs that match the house, with the same weatherboarding and brick chimneys. A rose garden was maintained in the space between the outbuildings and the main house and the remnants of the garden can still be seen. Also a smokehouse, outhouse, springhouse, double cantilevered barn, and a hay barn sit across the main road without a fence around it. Dr Hodsden's office is still on site as well. Dr. Hodsden being pro-union he actually had a saltpeter mine on the property and sold to the confederates. Civil War On the 26th of January 1864, Brig. Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, having had various brushes with Confederate cavalry, deployed his troops to watch the area fords. Two Confederate cavalry brigades and artillery advanced from Fair Garden in the afternoon but were reported about four miles from Sevierville. Other Confederates attacked a Union cavalry brigade at Fowler’s on Flat Creek, and drove it about two miles. No further fighting occurred that day. On January 27, 1864, Rose Glen was a strategic point in a skirmish known as the Battle of Fair Garden, fought between Union forces led by Colonel Edward McCook forces led by Major-General William Martin (Martin was helping to cover James Longstreet's retreat after the Siege Of Knoxville. In 1873, Abraham Jackson Hicks (1841–1903) took control of Rose Glen when he married Hodsden's daughter, Mary Pasteur Hodsden (1854–1942). After Hicks' death, Rose Glen passed to eldest his son, John Hodsden Hicks (1874–1948) Union scouts observed that the Confederates had concentrated on the Fair Garden Road, so Sturgis ordered an attack there in the morning. In a heavy fog, Col. Edward M. McCook’s Union division attacked and drove back Maj. Gen. William T. Martin’s Confederates until about 4:00 pm. At that time, McCook’s men charged with sabers and routed the Rebels. Sturgis set out in pursuit on the 28th, and captured and killed more of the routed Rebels. The Union forces, however, observed three of Longstreet’s infantry brigades crossing the river. Realizing his exhaustion from fighting, lack of supplies, ammunition, and weapons and the overwhelming strength of the enemy, Sturgis decided to evacuate the area. But, before leaving, Sturgis determined to attack Brig. Gen. Frank C. Armstrong’s Confederate cavalry division which he had learned was about three or four miles away, on the river. Unbeknownst to the attacking Federals, Armstrong had strongly fortified his position and three infantry regiments had arrived to reinforce him. Thus, the Union troops suffered severe casualties in the attack. The battle continued until dark, when the Federals retired from the area. The Federals had won the big battle but the fatigue of continual fighting, lack of supplies and, ammunition forced them to withdraw. In present day, Rose Glen Literary Festival has been held on the grounds, in honor of the history and legacy of Rose Glen Plantation. Reese Marshall donated 67 acres of land to what is now, Walters State Community College, Sevier County Campus. The Rose Glen Literary Festival was held there from 2010 to 2013. Unfortunately even this quickly came to an end after three short years. Walter State Community College sits to the North of the main house and owns the land in which the cave/mine is on. The ridge to the North East is the main battle ground. Currently, the property sits in ruins, while the owner collects tax breaks for hosting horses on its land. The history sits forgotten, and underappreciated at this busy intersection. Students, residents, and Americans alike, passing its location without thought. There is one place on the historic property, which does get some attention, this is the Hodsden Cave, on Old Newport Highway which is still accessible. This cave is one of the few man made caves which still exist to show the last of the area during this strange era. This cave was used to mine saltpeter during the Civil war, and was the site of Dr Hodsden saltpeter mining operation at Rose Glen Rose Glen, has a history which is almost unbeatable, it has a past that is important to be remembered, so get out there, explore, and document history before it too is gone. #hikedontwalk #historicarchaeology #mikethehikingguide #roseglen #sevierco #easttennessee #civilwartrail #civilwar #fairgarden #battle -Thanks for reading Mike Looking out from the Rose Glen Saltpeter operation. Saltpeter in it's raw state "Change Something" I personally love this - Mike
I wonder how many of you reading this blog, have ever heard of Cade's Cove. This iconic "abandoned" mountain town is well known and well loved by many. Somehow this place makes each person feel like it is only there for them. That this is their spot, their memory, their "place".
But it is this entitlement that is ruining it. Over the past several years, this once peaceful echo of a bygone era, has become nothing more than a drive-thru zoo, I mean come on, we are all ENTITLED to our very own photo of Black Bears in their "natural habitat" right? Okay, lets not get off topic... If you have heard of Cade's Cove, than you have probably seen the popular TRASH article written by Jason Fishman, claiming that a network of tunnels runs under the John Oliver cabin. You can access the article by clicking here. While this article does not hold any factual data about the true location, description of uses for the tunnel/caves in question, not all of this article should be scoffed at. The area known as Cade's Cove historically was referred to as "Caves Cove" and was phonetically changed over time. This nickname stuck because there does happen to be a network of caves, and karsts which connect and drain directly into Cade's Cove. Many scientists have dutifully hand drawn maps of miles worth of caves in the GSMNP. Much of East Tennessee was actually a prehistoric sea, because of this, the underlying ground is composed of Limestone. This limestone wears away easily, and when water repeatedly beats its way through, it becomes a cave. Much of the Native American history is actually lost here, sure you hear about the Cherokee, and everyone local seems to claim that they too share some genetic past with them. But what is not well known is that the Cherokee were actually the last to arrive. The mounds they used were built by their distant ancestors and many of the Cherokee moved into seclusion, using the cave networks, and physical land features found and used by previous tribes. Once you learn about this, the story about the network of lost Native American Cave cities becomes a not too distant idea. Still not convinced? Here is something that might blow your mind. Did you know that the US lost so many marines at Iwo jima due to their misunderstanding of cave systems? The Japanese were hiding 20,000 troops inside a network of tunnels in the dormant volcano at the head of the Island. This just proves to remind us not to think so ethnocentrically and to be open to and notice things that might be out of our personal norm. Now why would they purposefully provide misinformation you ask? Well, simply put, they want to keep you out of those caves... Why? Well, that is for another post! |
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January 2019
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