More Tennessee History from Ginger

Since I was born and raised in California, the natural disaster of most concern was, of course, an earthquake.  We've all heard that California is going to drop off into the ocean one day, and I believe it, so moving far inland, was fine with me.

What could possibly happen in Tennessee?

 I'd seen the aftermath of Tornadoes on TV, but when you live less than a football field away from the destruction left behind by one, they tend to become much more real.  On February 5th, 2008, Castalian Springs not only lost friends and family, pieces of history were literally ripped away, but unlike the living, a prominent spot was recently restored and returned to the community.  The pictures above borrowed from William's blog at http://tnparadise.blogpot.com shows the previous state of theWynnewood Inn and the results of the tornado in 2008.  You'll notice the aged oak is missing in the "after" pic.

I set out yesterday to take some pictures of my own to show you that I live but a "crow hop" from some of the most memorable spots germane to the very genre I love...historical set in the 1700-1800s right here in my new home state.  Of course, you'll have to forgive the glare...I'm not a professional photographer, and I used my i-phone. 


 Wynnewood was originally built in 1828, intended as a stagecoach inn on the Nashville-Knoxville Road (I talked about the forts visited by pioneers along this trail in an earlier blog).  In 1834, after purchasing a shared interest from a friend, Wyhnne moved his family into the inn and lived there until his death in 1893.   Guests to the inn were attracted by thge medicinal powers of the mineral waters and beauty of the surrounding land.

View Taken from The Official Website showing the green and grandeur.

The "New Wynnewood."

 What this sign says:  Col. Alfred Royal (1800-1893) was a trade and merchant in
Castlian Springs.  In 1828 he built this stagecoach inn along the Knoxville road.  Although Wynne was a slaveholder and a Democrat, he also was a staunch Unionist and strongly opposed sucession.  When Tennessee left the union, however Wynne ended his former allegiance and supported the confederacy.


In contrast to many older Southerners who struggled to remain loyal to the Union, their children favored sucession.  Soon after Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, two of Alfred and Almira Wynne's Sons, Andrew and Joseph Wynne enlisted in the 2nd Tennessee Infantry under the command of their neighbor William B. Bate.  Their younger sons, Valerius and William Hall Wynne also enlisted.  William died of disease the next year.


Early in 1862, Confederate cavalry raids designed to interdict Federal supply and communication lines were launched in northern Middle Tennessee.  Col. John Hunt Morgan command operated in the area, and on occasion, signed the guest register for one of Wynne's daughters.


By April, the Union army had set up a military post in the southwestern corner of the Wynne farm and surrounded the fortified camp with log and stone earthworks.  Although Federal troops generally behaved themselves, the harm they did the trees, fences and fields was extensive.  After the war, Wynne filed a claim for damages in the amount of $6,546.00.  The government disallowed it since Tennessee remained loyal to the union.

Pictures taken on 7/25/12

 

 

 

 

Just a little further down the road from Wynnewood, we came across the house Col. William Bate was born in.  Remember, he's the neighbor that led Wynne's sons in battle.  Here's the sign designating the spot and what it says:

William Brimage Bate was born here in 1826 and during the Civil War, he rose to the rank of major general.  He left home at the age of sixteen to be a clerk on a steamboat.  During the Mexican war, he served as a lieutenant and became a journalist, a lawyer, and a state legislator.  As the Civil War approached, he raised a militia company in Castalian Springs and was soon elected colonel of the 2nd Tennessee Infantry.  Arriving in Virginia with his regiment in time for the First Battle of Manassas, he captured a Congressman from New York who had come out to see the action.  In February 1862, he and his men reenlisted and returned to Tennessee.  In the Battle of Shiloh on April 6-7, he received a severe leg wound that incapacitated him for several months.  Commissioned brigadier general in October 1862 and major general in February 1864, he led a brigade and than a division in the Army of Tennessee in all the major battles in the western theater, including Stones River, Chickamauga, Franklin and Nashville.  Bate declined the offer of a nomination for Tennessee governor, saying "I would feel dishonored in this hour of trail to quit the field:--a commitment to duty that voters later remembered.

Bates surrendered with his old regiment at Greensboro, South Caroline, in April 1865.

After practicing law in Nashville, Bate was elected governor of Tennessee in 1882 and held office for two terms.  In 1886 he was elected United States Senator and served until his death in 1905.  

Note from Ginger:  Just further proof that only death can get someone out of Congress.  :) Also, I left out the little bit about his cousin who became a countess and had a plantation in Mississippi though she resided in Italy.  Do we really care?

Taken just a few feet from Wynnewood, is a commemorative sign for Bledsoe's Lick.  I pass over Bledsoe Creek every day, and it only took me a few years to actually stop and ready the sign.  Here's what it says: 

     The spring to the north was a rendezvous for salt-seeking game in the pre-pioneer days.  First settlers came in 1779.  In 1787, Isaac and Anthony Bledsoe and their father settled here.  The two brothers were killed by Indians and buried in the family plot 500 yards northwest.  Bledsoe Female Academy was also near here.

 Amazingly, I live in Castlian Springs on Wynnewood Drive.  Can't get much closer to history than that.  *smile*  Thanks for visiting.  I may have just found the inspiration for a new novel.  Of course I have to finish the three I have lined up already.  :)

Tennessee - Rich in History

The Cumberland Mountains of Tennessee are rich in history, as is most of this state.  A brochure I picked up on a recent trip to Pigeon Forge, explains the territory far better than I can:

"Come up to the Tennessee Cumberlands, where whispers of the past tell of centuries of human occupation amid a land of free-flowing rivers, towering rock bluffs and deeply forested plateaus and hillsides.  Here you'll discover Tennessee's last frontier--a region of intriguing history, scenic beauty, cultural diversity and boundless recreation--and no crowds."



Some of the oldest roads and "traces" have been maintained as historical pathways and highways and are clearly marked.  Here are a few, along with a little history and link to more information if you are so inclined:  The Great Warrior Path, The Avery Trace, and The old Jacksboro Pike.

The Great Warrior Path: (Info and photo gathered from Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail)

Around 1775, Daniel Boone and his trailblazers established this trail through 200 miles of wilderness from the Cumberland Gap of Virginia to Kingsport, TN.  On the 9th of September in the year 2000, this pathway followed by thousands of pioneers to settlements in new areas was finally recognized as instrumental to the growth and development in Northeast Tennessee and proclaimed recognition justly due.”




The Avery Trace:  (Info and picture gathered from Wikipedia and Fort Southwest Point)

Settlers traveling from what is now the Knoxville area in East Tennessee to the location now known as Nashville in the time period 1788 to the mid-1830's used this road cut from Clinch Mountain (East Tennessee) to French Lick (now Nashville).  Named for Peter Avery, a hunter from and familiar with the territory, his name is prominent on signs along highways all throughout Tennessee.   Mr. Avery laid this trail from those used by Cherokee Indians (for war paths or seeking buffalo).  I'm fortunate to travel this road almost daily as it leads through the Cumberland Mountains into what is now Jackson County, TN to Fort Blount, directly to Bledsoe's Fort in Castalian Springs which is where I live.  From here, it continues on to what was Mansker's Fort near today's Goodlettsville, and finally to Fort Nashborough.  These forts provided protection and shelter for travelers.

Fort Nashborough

I found no historical information on Old Jacksboro Pike other than it ran through the Knoxville area and there are tons of houses for sale there.  *smile*

I was very interested to discover that until 1805, a large part of the Cumberlands was officially deemed Cherokee Territory, and the majority of early settlers were Scotish-Irish immigrants.  The coming of the Civil War and the arrival in 1878 of the first railroad, which ran from Cincinnati to Chattanooga, drastically changed the demographics. Towns, villages, and farms formed by American and European migration took root.

Although the railroad brought passengers to Tennessee, the trains carried out the rich natural resources (coal and virgin timber).  In my book, Ellie's Legacy, which is set in the area of Sparta, TN, part of the storyline centers around the coal mines and the abandoned caves.  Today, much of the natural resources are depleted, but this state has become rich in federal parks, forests, and wildlife reserves, along with plenty of recreation of visitors.  So, as they say here in TN...."Ya'll come!"

Collage of Pictures taken at the annual Fort Bledsoe celebration

Oh...and what would a post be without an opportunity for shameless promotion?

Here's a brief peek at my Tennessee story where Ellie is alone, looking for a place to practice shooting.  She's already been threatened by one of the greedy neighbors looking to take over her Pa's Ranch, and she's determined she's going to prove she can do anything as good as the new ranch foreman, Tyler Bishop.  Enjoy!

Excerpt:
The road didn’t improve as she traveled back into the forest. Ellie maneuvered Chessie through the trees. She strained to see the trail and watched for familiar landmarks. The air wasn’t terribly warm but the humidity was unbearable.

Damp from perspiration, her shirtfront clung to her bosom. She wiped wetness from her brow and surveyed the area. If only she could remember the exact location of the old mine shaft.

The last time she visited, she was only a child. Back then, tents, wagons, mining equipment and men hungry to find a vein of gold ore crowded the area. Instead of gold, they found coal. In comparison to the hustle and bustle of those days, the silence was almost eerie.

When the trees fanned into a clearing, the area looked familiar. Ellie dismounted and led Chessie toward a small outcropping of rocks. She dropped the mare’s reins and left her to graze on what remained of summer’s greenery.

The area, although somewhat overgrown, was just as she remembered. Ellie shielded her eyes and scanned the area. Her lips curved into a smile. There, almost concealed by fallen branches, was the entrance to the old mine. As she pushed debris aside, she grimaced. Stringy cobwebs hung in masses and changed her decision to venture inside. She shivered. Perhaps this wasn’t the best place after all. Something might live here she didn’t care to meet. It was too early for bears to seek places to hibernate, but not for wolves or coyotes. She expected to see glowing eyes peering back from the darkness.

“C’mon Ellie. Stop being such a baby."

Visions of Jeb Bryant’s face played in her mind. “You’ve already encountered one dangerous varmint today,” she muttered. She swatted her way through the sticky mesh and stepped inside.

Just an end note...she does come to her sense and realizes that shooting inside an old abandoned mine isn't such a good idea.  *smile*

I hope you've enjoyed your brief foray into Tennessee.  As a transplanted Californian, I've already forgotten my previous roots, and I'm proud to say I'm definitely a southerner at heart.