Cavett's Station

This afternoon, the girls and I visited the old Mars Hill Cemetery. The cemetery is located on the site of what was once the Alexander Cavett blockhouse, also known as Cavett’s Station. The site is about half a mile northeast of the Wal-Mart at Walker Springs. Cavett's Station, along with similar settlements such as Ish’s Station (near the present day Turkey Creek development) and Campbell’s Station in Farragut, once represented the western frontier of early settlement in present day Knox County. Cavett’s Station is a particularly compelling site as it was here on September 25, 1793 that the Cavett family’s little fortification was attacked by a combined force of Cherokee and Creek Indians totaling nearly one thousand warriors.

At the time of the attack, tensions between white settlers in the area and the Cherokee nation were at an all time high. A recent land grab by the white settlers had enraged the Cherokee, resulting in the formation of an alliance between the Chickamaugas (a rogue band of Cherokee warriors from the vicinity of present-day Chattanooga) and the Creek tribes of that area. A large contingent of warriors under the leadership of Cherokee chief John Watts crossed the Tennessee River on Setember 24 and marched toward Knoxville. Their intent was to attack James White Fort, the original settlement around which the city was founded. At the time of the proposed attack, there were only about forty men occupying White's fort; an attack under such conditions would have been devastating to the fledgling settlement. Watt’s large group of warriors circumvented General John Sevier’s force of about 400 cavalry stationed at Ish’s Fort; and ultimately stopped within sight of Cavett’s Station, about 8 miles west of Knoxville. There Watts became embroiled in a bitter disagreement with some of his more ruthless chiefs, particularly the war chieftan Doublehead, who strongly favored eliminating every white settler they happened upon in the valley. (Watts was of the opinion that they should limit their attacks to the main settlements and that only the men should be killed).

It was eventually agreed that the contingent would launch an attack on Cavett’s Station. At the time, only Alexander Cavett, two unrelated men and Cavett's family (totaling 13 people in all) were present at the fort. Though Cavett and the other two men were reportedly the only capable riflemen, they apparently put up a fierce resistance, killing or wounding at least five warriors from the Cherokee contingent. The attack eventually subsided and the Indians asked for a parley. It was agreed that if the settlers were to give up resistance and lay down their weapons, their lives would be spared and they would subsequently be exchanged for a like number of Cherokee held prisoner by local militia. The settlers agreed, but as soon as they exited the fort, Doublehead and his warriors broke the parley and set upon the prisoners, brutally murdering every last man, woman and child. John Watts attempted to spare one small child from the fort, but Doublehead himself leapt upon the boy and split the child's skull with a tomahawk. (Due to his reputation for fierceness, Doublehead had previously been nicknamed “man-killer” by his warriors. However, as a mark of derision for his actions at Cavett’s Station, Watts would henceforth refer to Doublehead as “baby-killer” for the remainder of his life.) According to a later witness of the scene, the murdered family members were horribly mutilated and their bodies strewn about the area. However, their tragic deaths were not in vain. The unexpected resistance of the little group at the fort had so delayed the main Cherokee force and sown further division among their ranks that the imminent attack upon Knoxville was summarily abandoned; quite possibly saving the town from being completely wiped out

The old Mars Hill Cemetery sits atop a little rise at the location of Alexander’s original settlement. A historical marker, erected in 1921 by the Tennessee Chapter of the Sons of the Revolution, sits directly upon the location of the Cavett home and marks a mass grave containing the remains of the settlers killed during the massacre. Several subsequent generations of prominent local families, including the Lonases, Roberts and Walkers were later interred at the site. The property is apparently now privately owned and sits immediately adjacent to a residence and outbuilding. The cemetery has fallen into disrepair, and junk from the neighboring house has unfortunately been strewn about the site. However, despite the distractions of the house and an adjacent subdivision (aptly named directly for the settlement) one can still stand on the little rise and, with some imagination, muster an impression of how the location may have looked, as well as how isolated it must have felt, back in the days when Knoxville perched on our nation's far western frontier.

Directions to the site: Driving north on Walker Springs Road from Kingston Pike, turn right onto Broome Road (about 100 yards past the entrance for Wal-Mart on your left). Travel approximately 1/4 mile and just past the Cavett's Station neighborhood, you will see a private drive on your right. Turn in here. The cemetery is immediately to the rear of the house. (Stop and ask at the residence before visiting the site, of course). Once in the cemetery, look down across the sloping field to the east and try to imagine 1000 Cherokee warriors converging on you, your home and your family. Trust me, even with all the modern development in the area, it's still a very sobering experience.

Note: The Cavett's Station chapter of the DAR recently hosted a clean up day at the cemetery, which also involved local scout troops. The site looks much better and apparently an agreement has been reached to maintain the site on a regular basis.

The Sultana

Recently, my nephew Phillip e-mailed to ask about an ancestor who had been involved in the infamous sinking of the Sultana steamship in 1865. I thought about writing something up for this site, but thought I’d instead link directly to a web page dedicated to memorializing the disaster. The sinking of the Sultana is considered the worst maritime disaster in US history; and with good reason. Nearly 1500 passengers, most Union prisoners recently paroled from utter depredation at southern prison camps such as Andersonville and Cahaba, were killed when the steamship exploded in the Mississippi River just north of Memphis. My great great grandfather, John H. Simpson (who was just 15 when he enlisted in the Union army and was later captured by Nathan Bedford Forrest's cavalry at Sulfur Trestle, Alabama) survived the incident and went on to become an instrumental figure in the formation of the Sultana Survivors’ Association (which still meets to this day in its present form as the Sultana Descendants’ Association). He was also responsible for the funding and dedication of a large stone memorial at the Mount Olive Baptist Church cemetery in South Knoxville. John was the second to the last surviving member of the association when he passed away in 1929.

Instead of writing more on this, I thought I’d simply include a poignant article from a local paper, written at the time of the final Survivors’ Association meeting. The following article was run in The Knoxville Journal on April 27th, 1930:

A stocky man, with white mustache and brown gray hair, his shoulders stooped with cares of eighty-four years, will go today from his home in Knoxville to the Rockford Presbyterian church, and there elect himself to all the offices of the Sultana Survivor’s Association.
Alone, he will attend what would have been a reunion had another of his comrades lived. There will be speeches-and he will make them, dinner, and he will eat it; he will call a business session, answer the roll, close the meeting and return to his home.
He is the last survivor of East Tennessee Federal soldiers who were saved when the Sultana sank near Memphis, with a death toll of 1328, on April 27, 1865. Sixty-five years ago today.
Pleasant Marion Keeble,…the lone survivor, will observe the memory of his comrades today and keep the pledge he made with them half a century ago.
Then, there were more than two hundred who met annually. Twenty years ago there were forty, ten years ago there were eleven. In 1928, four were living; at the reunion last year, there were two--now there is only one.

[Pleasant Keeble passed away the following year].

Cemetery Redux- Flenniken

The other day I drove out by what was once the old Flenniken family cemetery in South Knoxville. (This is a different site than the Cunningham/Flenniken cemetery mentioned below). I have several direct ancestors interred at this location. The site of the cemetery was at one time located on a small rise on the Flenniken family’s original farm and homestead. Unfortunately, when the Montgomery Village housing projects were developed by the City of Knoxville in the 60’s, the cemetery ended up right in the heart of that development and became prone to vandalism and general neglect.

The entire cemetery is gone now- reduced to rubble by vandals. I know the folks who are interred there probably don’t mind, but it’s a tremendous loss to Knoxville’s heritage and a real shame on top of that.

Anyway, here’s some info on the cemetery I wrote several years ago-

This cemetery is located in South Knoxville, on what was the original Flenniken family homestead. Interred in this little plot are at least fifteen graves representing three generations of what was, at one time, one of South Knoxville’s most prominent families. The cemetery is located on a small rise, which, according to one of the residents of the community, once commanded a gorgeous view down the small valley through which the old Maryville Turnpike meandered on its way south toward its namesake.

Unfortunately, in the early 1960’s, this land became the property of the City of Knoxville, and was subsequently developed into the “Montgomery Village” housing project. The city of Knoxville expended little to no effort to preserve this small piece of its history (which is common in this town, unfortunately), and the cemetery quickly fell into disrepair. I first visited the cemetery in the spring of 1997, having been accompanied to the site by Mr. Robert McGinnis, undoubtedly the leading authority on the many disappearing family cemeteries of Knoxville and Knox County. Mr. McGinnis had visited the site in 1989 and had reported at that time that the cemetery was in “poor condition, with several markers down…and a great deal of trash in the cemetery”. When we visited the cemetery in 1997, there was only one marker standing; that of Caroline Henson, my third great grandmother. The stone was covered with candle wax and satanic graffiti. The other stones in the cemetery were down, and the majority had been reduced to rubble. One of my former clients who lived in the complex reported to me that teenage kids were always “busting up” the stones in the cemetery. Mr. McGinnis said that he had often thought that someone should petition the city to move the stones to the Cunningham/Flenniken cemetery several miles to the south, as the actual remains would have long since vanished. Unfortunately, it was too late to do even that.

I again visited the site in the spring of 1999, and found that the entire site was decimated; not a single distinguishable stone could be found. I hope someday to petition the city for the dedication of a fenced marker on the site bearing the names of all the individuals that are known to be interred there. I am not optimistic, however, that I will be able to convince the city to do anything of the sort.

Directions to the site:
Driving south from the Vestal community on Maryville Pike, turn left onto Joe Cook Rd. Go about 1 block and then turn right onto Joe Lewis Road. The second right will be Walter Reed Lane. Follow Walter Reed almost to the end (about 2 blocks). This road bears back to the right. As the road bears right, there will be a row of small one story houses on the left, at the crest of the small hill. Montgomery Village is directly behind these houses. The cemetery is located on a flat area directly behind these homes, and should be distinguishable by the remaining rubble strewn about the site. Be very careful if you decide to visit this site. The best time to visit the area is early morning.

The Cunningham/Flenniken Cemetery

Just thought I'd include a brief description of the old Cunningham cemetery, taken from a compilation I'm working on. The site is located in some woods on the south side of the river and is a pretty neat little place. Check it out!(preferably in the spring or winter months)- directions attached.

This cemetery is located on the south bluffs of the Tennessee River, near the present South Knoxville Bridge. It is reportedly one of the earliest burial grounds in Knox County, with interments dating back to 1799. According to a brief history compiled by the DAR on file at the McClung Collection, this site was originally a burial ground for Native Americans in the area prior to white occupation. The site has alternately been known as the Cunningham, Flenniken and Simpson cemetery, the latter presumably because it is situated on what was once a portion of Jesse Simpson, Jr.’s holdings in the area. (Only one Simpson, the son of Demarcus and Eliza Simpson, is known to be buried here.) A plot of land just beyond the cemetery was reportedly used as a slave cemetery during the early nineteenth century. This contention is supported by the presence of numerous plain field stones on that particular portion of the site.

Interred at this site are Samuel and Rhoda Anderson, my fouth great-grandparents, and the first known members of our Anderson line to reside in Knox County. Samuel died October 9, 1864 at the age of 96 years. Rhoda preceded her husband in death on October 21, 1849. She was 70 at the time she passed away. The Andersons’ youngest known son, Joseph, is also buried here.

Also interred at this site are Samuel and Mary Flenniken, my fifth great grandparents. Samuel, a soldier in the American Revolution and our pioneer ancestor for the Flenniken line, was born July 14, 1746 and died January 7, 1811. Mary was born February 1, 175 and died February 13, 1836. Several other members of the Flenniken family are also interred at this site, as well as at the Flenniken family cemetery off Joe Lewis Road.

Directions to the cemetery:
Drive east on Riverside Drive, just south of downtown Knoxville, and cross the river on the new South Knoxville Boulevard Bridge. (As you cross the bridge, look off to your right up the Tennessee River. The area a hundred yards or so west of the bridge was the location of the ferry maintained by Jesse Simpson, Jr. in the late nineteenth century.) Just after crossing the river, exit onto the Sevier Avenue ramp. There is a stop sign at the top of the ramp; turn left here. Cross the overpass and go straight through the next stop sign. Immediately after proceeding through the intersection, look ahead about fifty yards on the left, and you will notice a small road the doubles back toward the boulevard. Turn left here. This was originally Ford Road, as the property was purchased from Jesse Simpson by J.C. Ford. Proceed to the end of the drive and you will arrive at the old J.C. Ford home. This has been renovated into apartments, and there should be parking available in the front. Walk around to the rear of the building and you will notice a small trail that leads into the woods. This is the path that leads to the cemetery. The Simpson grave is on your left immediately after entering the cemetery. The Flenniken graves are about another hundred feet up the path, and the Anderson graves are about another fifty feet on beyond. Samuel’s headstone is down and broken, so look for Rhoda’s stone, which is still intact and easily visible.

Fine Country for Young Men

This week marks the film release of Cormac McCarthy’s “No Country for Old Men”.

Cormac's had a big year- his book "The Road" won him the Pulitzer Prize; he was interviewed by Oprah Winfrey (although probably a dubious honor in most literary circles) and now the release of the much anticipated film version of his 2005 novel "No Country for Old Men". I always get a little rush when I see Cormac’s name on television (or in the newspaper or in bookstores) because Cormac was one of my father’s best friends growing up in South Knoxville. Personally, I’ve never met the man. However, through my father’s recollections, I feel as if I, like Dad, knew him back in the days before he became what the Houston Chronicle has deemed "America's Greatest Living Writer".

Cormac McCarthy grew up in the Vestal section of South Knoxville. He and his family relocated from Knoxville to the house on Martin Mill Pike while he was a young child. As a teenager, Cormac fell in with my father (who lived just down Neubert Springs Road from Martin Mill) and several of his running buddies. Cormac, or "Charlie" as he was known then, was a couple of years younger than Dad, and, as Dad admitted in a 2001 Metro Pulse article, was somewhat more intelligent than most of his peers.

Dad always said “Charlie was a little different; he had the blackest eyes I’ve ever seen and he always looked at things from a different angle than anyone else”. I could tell this was meant as a compliment rather than a critique, and "Charlie" was definitely no outcast among the roughnecks of Vestal. Throughout his life Dad would vividly recall countless adventures, and misadventures, he shared with "Charlie" and the rest of their crew in and around South Knoxville in the 1940's. A number of landmarks from their old stomping grounds, and more than a few details from their various experiences, would eventually find their way woven into the intricate plots of Cormac’s books.

The setting for his first novel, The Orchard Keeper, was drawn directly from the old peach orchard that ran along the crest of Brown’s Mountain around the turn of the century. (My grandfather’s property ran up the north face of Brown’s Mountain and the orchard road was the property’s southern boundary). The old road is still there, following the same route up the ridgeline to the "turnaround" at the highest summit of the mountain. From here you gain a gorgeous view of the Smokies to the south. Several years ago, having seen bulldozers up there and several acres of land cleared off, I was sure someone was planning to develop the property on the south side of the mountain. However, whatever development was planned at the time seems to have stopped, at least for the time being, as no further land has been cleared.

The turnoff of Martin Mill Pike leading up to the "turnaround" marks the semi-fictional location of the unfortunate "Green Fly Inn" that collapsed and slid off the side of the mountain in the novel. (This was apparently based on an actual event that had occurred at or near that location around the turn of the century, though I really can't recall any further detail from Dad's comments on it). An FAA signal station was erected on the site of the turnaround nearly 40 years ago and remains there today.

Along the road there are two concrete pits; one directly alongside the roadbed and another about 25 yards into the woods near the turnaround. The pits, each originally about 6 feet deep, were used by workers at the old orchard for mixing the insecticide that was applied to the peach trees lining either side of the road. Dad tells of he and his friends coming upon one of the pits while hunting at dusk dark one evening and, gazing down, seeing white ribs poking up through the rotten leaves and mire. While it was quickly determined that the corpse was that of a dead pig someone had conveniently discarded into the pit, the event obviously made enough of an impression on young "Charlie" that the image would later morph into a slightly more sinister scene in "The Orchard Keeper".

In Cormac's novel "Suttree", the main character happens upon an old mansion on the south bluffs of the Tennessee River and surprises a group of young vandals. This was the old Peter Blow Mansion; the abandoned home of a deceased Knoxville industrialist and a favorite haunt for boys of the area at the time. The home stood atop the bluffs overlooking what is now Cherokee Boulevard across the river. The Speedwell estate now occupies the property.

Cormac's many descriptions of South Knoxville contained within that particular book capture perfectly that brokedown but still vibrant feel of the area during the 50's and 60's. We used to visit my grandmother there when I was young, and the book conjured for me many of the old feelings and impressions I had of Vestal and of South Knoxville even in the late 60's and early 70's. Of course, his eye for detail and the degree to which his descriptions contribute to the texture of his stories is where Cormac's genius truly lies.

Dad last saw Cormac in probably one of the least auspicious locations imaginable- the McDonald's out on Cedar Bluff Road. Dad was on his way to a church function and Cormac, who had apparently been visiting here in town, had stopped in on his way back to points west. They visited briefly, catching up as best they could for two men whose lives had diverged so completely over the years. After saying goodbye, Dad turned to my mother and said "You know, I never would have recognized Charlie if it hadn't been for those black eyes".

I really wish Dad could have lived just another year. As much as he loved literature, it would have been particularly gratifying for him to see his old friend finally win the Pulitzer.

Saying Goodbye to Mason's Corner

Last week the girls and I were in South Knoxville and decided to take a drive out by my grandparent's old farm on Neubert Springs Road. As we turned west off of West Ford Valley Road onto Neubert Springs, I noticed bulldozers in the field adjacent to what was once my aunt and uncle's place. It appears the field is being developed- possibly for the first time ever. I felt a tangible pang when I saw hundreds of square feet of red earth scarring the familar green of the field.

The property at the corner of Neubert Springs and what is now West Ford Valley Road has bordered our family's original 250 acres since the late 1790's. The property was originally known as "Mason's Corner", most likely because of the wedge shape formed by the borders between the Moore holdings on the west and the Anderson property immediately to the northeast. The land was owned by Abigail Mason, a widow who, with her late husband Edward, had originally homesteaded the property around the turn of the century. Neubert Springs Road was then known as Pickens Gap Road, and West Ford Valley road didn't exist at all. (When the road was built decades later, it's southern terminus would be drawn exactly along the old Mason property line as it enters Neubert Springs Road.)

The property was bought from Abigail Mason in the 1830 's by John Doyle. John built a cabin just off the road, immediately in front of where the first modern house on the right (my aunt and uncle's old place) now stands. The following is a brief paraphrase written by my father from the recollections of "Aunt" Parthenia Ford, John Doyle's oldest daughter. Parthenia, who grew up in the cabin, had described for my father the night of her elopement with a young Union officer-

"It was the night of August 31, 1867, and the John Doyle family had bedded down for the evening at their home on Pickens Gap Pike. In the upstairs bedroom, Parthenia, the Doyles’ oldest daughter, had gone to bed fully dressed under her nightgown. Parthenia was waiting for a signal. What must have seemed like an eternity passed before she heard the sound she’d been breathlessly anticipating. The sharp staccato of a horse’s hooves came to her in the still night, the sound rising as the horse neared, and then waning as the horse passed the small house at a gallop and continued down the pike toward the gap. Parthenia sprung to her feet, as she knew well the sounds of John Agee’s horse, and crossed to the outside door to the loft. Parthenia also knew full well that the horse had not made it as far as the gap, but rather had turned and was waiting with its young rider in the cemetery a scant quarter mile down from the Doyle’s home. With the aid of her younger sister Lindy, Parthenia quietly descended the outside staircase from the loft, and crossed the yard behind the home to the family’s outhouse. Once there, she quickly pulled her nightgown over her head and hung the garment on a hook on the inside of the latrine door. Then, probably without a glance backward, Parthenia ran across her father’s fields to the wooded cemetery on the other side. There her betrothed, the dashing young John Agee Ford, waited for her astride his horse. Parthenia later reported that she stood atop a tombstone as the young man scooped her up into his arms, the couple then riding off into the night, their wedding night, with all the reckless uncertainty of youth."

Now heavy equipment and digging machines are at work in the field Parthenia crossed between her father's house and the old cemetery nearly 140 years ago. A few months from now it will be rendered into office buildings or maybe a convenience store. Progress is inevitable, but I can't help but feel a stab of poignancy knowing that Mason's Corner, its fields left undeveloped through 200 years of settlement, is now undeniably lost forever.

Showing Up

I've never really felt inclined to be a blogger- I seriously doubt anyone cares what I have to say about much of anything. I'm therefore going to try to use this site not to editorialize but as a place to post a few items of interest regarding our family and this community. Knoxville's a cool place with an interesting history so maybe having a place where I can highlight just a little of that will be of value to someone somewhere.