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.