twin tunnels

 

Persons of high self-esteem are not driven to make themselves superior to others; they do not seek to prove their value by measuring themselves against a comparative standard. Their joy is being who they are, not in being better than someone else. 
--Nathaniel Branden (1930-2014) Psychotherapist and author. 

Above: Twin Tunnels, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mile 344.5 (between Crabtree Falls and Mt. Mitchell).

Of the 26 tunnels found along the parkway, 25 are found in North Carolina. Most of the decorative stone portal-facings were not part of the original construction, but added later in the 1950s and 60s. Tunnels were used to prevent large scale cutting and scarring of the mountains and also to ensure the most desirable routes were achieved. 

historic homestead

To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.  
--Pope John Paul II (1920-2005).

The old Miller homestead on Roan Mountain offers a beautiful and fascinating glimpse into mountain living a century ago before the introduction of modern conveniences.  Built in 1907, the house sat on 200 or so acres originally owned by Union General John Thomas Wilder (who constructed the Cloudland Hotel atop Roan Mountain). The Miller family lived in the house until the 1960s, and never had it wired for electricity. It is currently operated by the Roan Mountain State Park and is open for tours.

Click here for my previous post with more photos and discussion.

The Johnson City Press had a nice article about the house with photos this week.

There is an abundance of information about the house and its history found within the application to the National Register of Historical Places.

Tweet Tweet

Here's another look at the new Tweetsie Trail, connecting Johnson City to Elizabethton, TN, set to open with an inaugural Walk/Run/Bike on Saturday, August 30, 2014 (Labor Day weekend). My first post describing the Tweetsie had images of the trail from the Milligan Depot to Elizabethton. The photos today are from the Johnson City end of the trail. It's still not completed, but it's almost there.

It's better than I ever imagined it would be -- I know it's going to get a lot of use. People are really going to love having a long flat, largely uninterrupted trail for biking, jogging and walking. I see lots of smiles and hear lots of "This is amazing" comments from the people I've passed on the trail. I'm impressed with the thoughtful planning and the quality of the work that has gone into this project. If you'd like to take part in the inaugural event, click the link above to sign up and register. Click here to like the Facebook Page.

The East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad was affectionately known as the Tweetsie for the shrill "Tweet, tweet" of its whistle.  The 66 mile, narrow-gauge line originally ran from Johnson City, through Elizabethton, Doe River Gorge, and Roan Mountain, ending over the state line at Cranberry, NC; it was eventually extended to Boone, NC.  Click here to see the the Tweesie in action in 1949! You can ride a train pulled by the last surviving coal fired locomotive used on the Tweetsie at a theme park located between Blowing Rock and Boone, NC, appropriately named "The Tweetsie Railroad."  Another place to experience the old railroad is at Doe River Gorge, a Christian Campground that provides its campers with a train ride out to Pardee Point, a narrow overlook of the Doe River with sheer rock walls rising hundreds of feet above the narrow passage. Fast forward this video to 5:30 to see that section of the old railroad line. Doe River Gorge typically has an open house each October where the public is invited to take a ride on the train.  Below is the curving, re-purposed (almost complete) bridge over University Parkway in Johnson City.

Tipton-Haynes House

This home, built in 1784 by Colonel John Tipton (1730–1813), is part of the Tipton-Haynes Historic Site in Johnson City, TN. Click here to read more about the house and its colorful history.  

Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it. --Edmund Burke

fountain of gladness

A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles. 
--Washington Irving (1783-1859) American Writer 

Above:  "Lady of the Fountain" in downtown Johnson City, TN. This is a bronze replica of the original that stood in Fountain Square for many years. Click here for more information and historic photos.

Davy Crockett

Let your tongue speak what your heart thinks. 
--Davy Crockett (1786-1836) American frontiersman, soldier and politician.

The replica cabin (above) and the small monument (left) are found at the Davy Crockett Birthplace in Limestone, TN. Now a state park, the birthplace occupies over 100 acres along the Nolichucky River in Greene County, TN. A museum and outdoor displays tell the fascinating story of this legendary frontiersman. The fifth of nine children born on the frontier years before Tennessee was a state, Crockett would one day represent Tennessee in Congress and die at the Battle of the Alamo at age 49.  Here's The Ballad of Davy Crockett ... which is pretty much what everyone thinks of when they hear his name.

Click here for a map to the state park.

Liberty!

 

 

Each July for the last 35 years, the Friends of Sycamore Shoals have entertained audiences and kept history alive with the performance of "Liberty!: The Saga of Sycamore Shoals." From their website: "Tennessee's official outdoor drama is presented against the backdrop of Fort Watauga. See the Revolution as told by the Overmountain Men: colonists who defied British law and settled on Cherokee lands. These settlers formed an independent government, made treaties with the Cherokee, defended their homes, and fought a British army at the epic battle of King's Mountain." Local wedding photographer Michael Kaal and I set out to capture the event, taking 'behind the scenes' photos as well as many of the performance itself. Watch the video above to see our work. I was struck by the dedication and professionalism of the volunteer cast and crew. Their passion for our region's history and for liberty is infectious. It was great to see so many young people take part in the production of this kind.  Thanks to everyone involved!

 

old timer

Darn the wheel of the world! Why must it continually turn over? Where is the reverse gear?
--Jack London (1876-1916) American author, journalist.

This train trestle spans the Nolichucky River in Unicoi County, TN just south of Erwin. It replaced the original wood bridge in 1908. It wasn't until after I took the photo I realized there are two young people hanging out under the tracks on the middle pillar.  Makes me nervous thinking what they had to do to get under there. Yikes!  For a photo of the tracks from above click here. And here's the view from the Appalachian Trail high above.

St. John Milling Company

Founded in the 1770s, the St. John Milling Company of Watauga, TN was the longest continuously operating business in Tennessee until it closed its doors last year.  Remarkably, it stayed in the same family during its long history. It began with Jeremiah Dungan purchasing 400 acres of land and building a mill powered by a 16 foot water wheel on Brush Creek. The stone manor located across the road was also built at that time. It wasn't until the 1930s that the mill would be powered by electricity.  Click here for an article with additional information about the mill's history.

Uncle Nick Grindstaff

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble.
--Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) English preacher. 

Here, alone atop Iron Mountain, lies Uncle Nick Grindstaff, born December 26, 1851 and died July 22, 1923. For forty years he lived alone on this ridge between Stoney Creek and Doe Valley, on the border of Carter and Johnson Counties.  It's not exactly known what led him to become a hermit. The story of his life seems shrouded in mystery. Orphaned as a small child, he was raised by relatives and had the reputation of being a smart, hard working, "model" young man. When he became an adult, he inherited the family farm and made a go of it for a few years but eventually sold it and headed out west to Missouri. It's not exactly clear what led him there or what really happened. Some say he married and his young bride soon died. Others say his love married another.  Still another account said he was beaten and robbed and stripped of everything he had.  Whatever befell him, Nick never recovered. He moved back to east Tennessee and for the next forty years lived as a hermit on Iron Mountain.  Twice a year he would come down to the local general store for meal, bacon and other supplies... and to get a haircut. His only companions on the mountain were his dog "Panter", a cow he used as a pack animal, and his pet rattlesnake (!).

In July 1923, a friend, Baxter McEwen, stopped by his shack to check in on him and found him dead. Legend has it that Panter was so protective he wouldn't let anyone remove the body. Eventually, Nick was given a Christian burial with family and friends in attendance. At some point, Panter was also buried there.  Though he isolated himself, he must have been loved -- for two years later, they returned to construct and dedicate the chimney-shaped monument you see above. It was the shopkeeper who penned Nick's sad epitaph:

"He lived alone, suffered alone, and died alone"


But the legend and mystery did not stop with his death. It's said that years later, Appalachian Trail hikers who camped near the grave reported hearing the mournful, haunting howls of a dog in the night.

More on Uncle Nick here, here and here.

Directions: From Highway 19E in Elizabethton, take Stony Creek Road (Highway 91) toward Shady Valley, TN for 18 miles to a parking area for hikers at the intersection of Highway 91 and Cross Mountain Road on the right. (If you enter the village of Shady Valley, you've gone 3.5 miles too far). Map here. Standing at the AT parking area, if you were to cross the highway, you'd enter the old Osborne Farm and head toward Damascus, VA.  Instead, cross the Cross Mountain Road and take the AT for 3.6 miles to the grave.  It sits back maybe 30 feet off the trail to the right, but is hard to miss.


The first mile of the trail has a few muddy bogs in it, but thankfully, there are walkways in these areas. Overall, it's a fairly gradual climb up the mountain, with the exception of a short, but very steep section that will get you huffing and puffing.  In the winter months, there are lots of great views of Doe Valley from this section of the AT.

Devil's Looking Glass

To err is human, to repent divine, to persist devilish.
--Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) US statesman, author, inventor. 

The Devil's Looking Glass is a rock formation rising hundreds of feet above the Nolichucky River outside of Erwin, TN. This sheer cliff has been the subject of fascination, mystery and dread for centuries. It's said the Yuchi and Cherokee Indians avoided the area out of fear of the image in the rock cliff. Local folklore tells of cries of agony heard coming from the rocks, images of Satan seen on moonlit nights, and tales of a lover who leaped from the top of the cliff upon learning her love had died in battle -- she is said to now haunt this area.  More information on the hauntings associated with this cliff here.

Roan High Knob

The last time I went to the Roan High Knob Shelter the snow was several inches deep (see photos and my short write-up of the history of the shelter here), so I thought I'd venture back to see what it looked like in the summer. To be honest, it looked a lot better covered with snow! The old fire warden's cabin is in pretty rough shape, but not bad considering it was originally built back in 1933 (renovated in 1980). Below is a handheld panorama of five photos stitched together in Photoshop of the steep and winding side trail leading off the Appalachian Trail to the shelter (click to enlarge).  While I was there I noticed that there's a very nice spruce forest behind the shelter, and as I explored that I came across the 1934 survey marker (on the top of the boulders you see below) marking the highest point on Roan Mountain at 6,285 feet. 

Directions: Take Route 19E to the town of Roan Mountain, turn onto Route 143 and travel 12.8 miles to the TN/NC state line (Carver's Gap). On your way up the mountain, you'll pass through the Roan Mountain State Park. Eventually, you leave the state park and enter the national forest. Option 1: Park at Carver's Gap and take the AT approx. 1.5 miles up (heading south on the AT, away from the Balds). I really like this section of the AT. It's beautiful and, while a steady climb, not as steep as you might think. -- Option 2: Turn right at Carver's Gap and continue driving up the mountain to the Old Cloudland Hotel Site (this road is closed during the winter months). Pay the entrance fee ($3) and park at the end of the lot nearest the bathrooms, look for and climb a short flight of stairs and venture to your left.  You'll soon run into the AT.  Turn right to hike north on the AT (toward the balds) for a short distance (approx. 1/2 mile) -- on the way you'll pass by an old chimney. The shelter is located one tenth of a mile off the AT on well-marked, blue-blazed trail. Click here for the Google map of the Roan Mountain area.

In winter months, when the road to the top is closed, I hike a loop -- taking the AT up to the Cloudland site and then walking the road back down to Carvers Gap.

Allandale Mansion

When Harvey and Ruth Brooks met with their architect in 1949, their vision for their new house was a quaint cottage with a white picket fence.  What they ended up building was a sprawling, ornate house, "a modern adaptation of an antebellum mansion… a classic example of Georgian Architecture." Upon his death in 1969, the mansion was left to the city of Kingsport along with many of its furnishings, twenty-five acres and numerous outbuildings.  Two conditions were placed on the gift, that the city maintain the property as it was during their lives and that it be used for public benefit. Today, the property is used for a variety of public events and is available for private weddings.

Click on the thumbnail photos to enlarge. The first is of the entryway, the impressive staircase (the second image) and the exterior columns and portico were bought by Mr. and Mrs. Brooks in Knoxville and shipped to the building site.  The third image is of the pink room (Bride's Bedroom) on the second floor. 

Click here to visit the official website which contains more of the history of the mansion, photo galleries, and directions.  Here's a video tour of the mansion:

Memorial Day

What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.
--Albert Pine (1861–1937) American author

Two Revolutionary War heroes to honor this Memorial Day...

Jacob Brown, born in Virginia in 1736, moved to the Nolichucky area of what was then North Carolina territory in 1754 on land leased from the Cherokees.  He established a trading company and provided blacksmith and gunsmith services. His home was located just three miles from Col. John Sevier's home -- who he followed into battle at Kings Mountain as part of the Overmountain Men.  He was a captain at the time of the Battle of Kings Mountain, and was later promoted to second Major of the Washington County militia when it was part of the short-lived State of Franklin.  Brown died in a hunting accident in 1785. The large monument you see here incorporates the original small stone (click photo to enlarge). The Brown Cemetery is said to be the oldest marked cemetery in Tennessee and is located next to the Nolichucky River in a remote area of Washington Co, TN.  More on Jacob Brown and his family here. Click here for directions to the cemetery and a listing of those interred there.

Hugh Harris, Sr. had the distinction of serving under George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Born in Virginia in 1749, he  enlisted in 1776 as a Private in the North Carolina Continental Line, being promoted to Corporal in 1778. He served in the Battles of Germantown and Monmouth, and was discharged in 1779. Around 1827 he moved to the Limestone area of Washington County, Tennessee. He did in 1855 at 105 years old. His grave is located at New Salem Church Cemetery on Lester Snapp Road in Washington County.

the first frontier

We must go beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.
--John Hope Franklin (1915-2009) historian

Facing west to portray the pioneers westward movement into the "First Frontier," this impressive monument honors Henry Massengill and his family who ventured from North Carolina to the Watauga Settlement in 1769. The statute stood from 1937 to 1990 in north Johnson City at the intersection of the Bristol and Kingsport highways. But road widening and expansion in that area resulted in the 24-foot statue being moved to its current location in Winged Deer Park in 1990.

The monument reads:

"Erected to the memory of Henry Massengill and his pioneer family. Came from North Carolina to the Watauga Settlement in 1769. His plantation near the mouth of Boone's Creek adjoined William Bean's, who was the first permanent white settler west of the Alleghany Mountains. In 1775 was appointed to an office in the Watauga Association which adopted the first written constitution for the government of American-born freemen. Built the Massengill house of worship, 1777, served two years as sheriff of Washington District. In 1778 was chairman of the Committee of Safety. Served on the staff of Captain William Edmiston in General's Shelby's expedition against the Chicamagua Indians in 1779. Furnished three sons to the Revolutionary Army."

Rotherwood Mansion

This impressive home, located off of Netherland Inn Road in Kingsport, TN overlooking the Holston River, is known as the Rotherwood Mansion -- it was built by Rev. Fredrick Augustus Ross in 1818.  The history of the house is replete with stories of haunting ghosts, a cruel slavemaster, tragic romances and a howling 'Hound of Hell.' 

Rev. Ross had one daughter, Rowena, who became engaged to a man from a neighboring town -- he died on the day before his wedding when his fishing boat capsized on the Holston and he was drowned. Some reports say that she witnessed his death.  Two years later, Rowena married Edward Temple, but he soon died of yellow fever. Ten years after that, she again married, and gave birth to a daughter, Theodosia, but when her daughter was six, Rowena committed suicide. (Some accounts say she walked out on the river after hearing her dead fiance call to her and drown. Other stories say that it was her daughter's death that prompted the suicide). Soon after, locals reported seeing a "Lady in White" strolling the grounds in search of her first love.

Rev. Ross sold the estate to Joshua Phipps in 1847. Phipps, who was described as a cruel slave owner, had a reputation of being an evil and violent man. The end came in 1861 when Phipps was bedridden and a huge swarm of flies landed on his face, filling his mouth and nostrils, and suffocated him.  At his funeral, a huge black dog appeared (some say it jumped out of the coffin) -- and to this day still roams the property on stormy nights howling. The ghost of Mr. Phipps is said to roam the house at night, ripping the covers off of beds, and when those who had been sleeping look up, they are startled to see the ghost of Phipps standing that the foot of the bed laughing. 

Today, the house is privately owned and not available for public tour -- and my guess is that every boy scout and girl scout in northeast Tennessee has heard this ghost story told around a campfire.  :)

$5 Bridge

Some interesting history of the Elizabethton Covered Bridge (built in 1882) found at the Tennessee Department of Transportation website:

After county officials were unable to find a bridge contractor, a local doctor, E.E. Hunter, accepted the contract and hired experienced people to work on the bridge. Hunter selected Thomas Matson, who had been an engineer for the Narrow Gauge (Tweetsie) Railroad as an engineer and architect. Hunter referred to the bridge as his "$5 bridge" since he made a profit of $5 as contractor.... Structurally, the bridge contains one span, a covered wooden Howe Truss that is 137 feet long. The total length is 154.3 feet. The bridge contains one traffic lane and a single walkway.

Give the gift of Appy Treks this Christmas -- 2011 Calendar on sale here!  :)

Washington County Courthouse

Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder.
—George Washington, letter to Robert Howe, August 17, 1779

Above: The Washington County Courthouse, located in Jonesborough, the oldest town in Tennessee. When established in 1777 (named of course to honor General Washington), Washington County was on the frontier - and belonged to the North Carolina territory. In 1796, Washington County, NC was transferred to the newly established state of Tennessee. Here's a photo of the previous 1842 courthouse, which was torn down in 1912 to make way for the courthouse you see above, which was completed in 1913. In all, this is the sixth courthouse to occupy this site.

Jonesborough is home to the International Storytelling Festival, held the first weekend of October. Click here for more information.

Click here to visit the Historic Jonesborough website. The old downtown is a terrific place to visit - lots of great shops and restaurants.

A Light in the Wilderness

Washington College Academy was established in 1780 by Dr. Samuel Doak, a Presbyterian minister, educator and abolitionist. At the time of its founding "in the wilderness" (basically anywhere west of the Appalachians) Tennessee was not yet a state (that wouldn't occur until 1796), so the school's initial charter was granted by the state of North Carolina. Called Martin Academy at the time, it was the first institution of higher education west of the Appalachians. In 1795, the name was changed in honor of our first President, becoming the first educational institution in the US to bear his name. Known for its 'classical education', Washington College boasts a number of notable graduates including three governors, numerous legislators, and many college presidents, ministers, teachers, judges and lawyers. In 1923, the college curriculum was dropped and the institution became a college preparatory school. In recent years, the Academy has fallen on hard times and no longer operates as a college preparatory boarding school. It does, however, continue to offer a number of continuing adult education and GED classes. The 120 acre campus, located 7 miles southwest of Jonesborough, TN, is beautiful and loaded with history. Directions here. For more information, click here and here.

Pictured above: Harris Hall, one of the women's dorms.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
--Henry Brooks Adams (1838-1918) American author and historian

John Sevier Center

This eleven story building in downtown Johnson City, TN was known as the John Sevier Hotel when it opened in 1924. It adopted its current name, the John Sevier Center, when it was renovated in 1979 and turned into subsidized housing for the elderly. There are two things the Sevier Center is known for: First, it was one of the places Al Capone stayed in Johnson City on his trips to Florida. His visits to the "Appalachian Wing" of his bootlegging operations were so frequent that Johnson City earned the nickname "Little Chicago" (more here); and Second, this was the site of Johnson City's worst tragedy when shortly after 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, 1989 the building was ignited by careless smoking. It took firefighters six hours to contain the blaze which took the lives of 16 residents and injured 51 others, including 25 firefighters. More on the tragic fire here and here. In case you're wondering who John Sevier was, click here and here.

You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.
--Al Capone (1899-1947) American gangster