Colditz Cove State Natural Area Photo By Aaron Nickens
Contents Summer 2021
2 Summer 2021 • On The Mountain
For the Love of the Breed ... 7 The Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association
Joyce G. Crouch ................... 13 Illuminating the Past for Future Generations
7
Owens Studio Revisited ...... 21 James Taylor’s Treasure Trove of Memories
Chamber of Commerce Community Guide............... 27 Your Local Guide to Services, Shopping and Lodging
Plateau Provender ............... 34
13
Living off the Land in 2021
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Fentress Courier Publisher Adam Johnson
Visit Tennessee's Oldest Winery Highland Manor Celebrating 41 years of
award-winning wines *T *Win rai e C p* s* o l h e g t S stin * Events & Festivals Parer Fri llar* f i k *G e Ta yard June 5th - Wine & Swine ing endl e e y * July 3rd - Cajun Day *Fr *Vin August 6-7th - 127 Yard Sale Festivities September 4th - Corks & Forks
www.highlandmanorwinery.com 931-879-9519 2965 S York Hwy, Jamestown, TN
Come relax with Sawbriar Brewing Company Proudly serving a wide selection of Tennessee Craft Beers Open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday Family friendly atmosphere Music, food trucks & special events weekly 2965 S York Hwy, Jamestown, TN behind Highland Manor Winery
Editor Advertising Director Jacob E. Rosenbaum Graphic Designer Photographer Aaron Nickens Office Manager Sciley Neufeld Editorial Assistant Rayetta Clock Pressman Barney Hicks © 2021 Fentress Courier All rights reserved. Executive, editorial and advertising offices are located at 114 White Oak St., Jamestown, TN 38556
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From the Editor... In these pages, you will find stories which focus on people and places, both past and present, in our beautiful Fentress County. Through our weekly publication, the Fentress Courier, we endeavor to provide accurate, informative articles concerning the happenings of the present moment. However, there are other stories that need to be told which transcend time, and for those stories we decided that an additional, annual publication was needed, to give them the spotlight they deserve. On the Mountain is intended to be that platform. It is our intention for this magazine to serve as a portrait of this community, highlighting the rich history and unique culture of our area. Endeavors such as this are not accomplished without considerable support, and it seems fitting that I offer some appreciation to all of you in the community who have made this publication possible. Yes, all of you, as this is a magazine which focuses on you, the people of Fentress County, and without you, we’d have nothing to print, and no one to read it, and so, we say thanks for the opportunity to tell your stories each week. I speak for the entire staff of the Fentress Courier when I say that it is the honor of our lives to chronicle the events of this community and the deeds of the people who live here. You make history every day, and we are grateful for the opportunity to record it, both for the sake of staying up to date, and the sake of posterity. In addition to the community at large, we would like to extend our gratitude to those individuals who agreed to be interviewed for the stories you will find in these pages. Sitting down with a journalist takes courage, especially in your hometown. Everyone who agreed to be interviewed was exceptionally gracious,
pleasure to get to know each of you a little bit better. I also want to thank our advertisers, and the business community of Fentress County as a whole, for their support of this publication and for their efforts every day to improve the local economy. Their decision to sponsor this magazine has allowed us to share these stories with all of you, and for that we ask that you continue to support them when in need of goods or services, as local business truly is the lifeblood of this community. I hope that all of you enjoy what you are about to read and that future editions of On the Mountain can highlight even more aspects of this community. Thank You, Jacob E. Rosenbaum
and I’m sure I speak for the community when I say that we are all grateful that they agreed to share their stories with us. For myself, I can only say that it was a
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Samuel Green and Rusty Ain’t Rusty a.k.a. Rusty Photo Courtesy of Jeff Green 6 Summer 2021 • On The Mountain
For the Love of the Breed By Jacob E. Rosenbaum
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ucked away in Roanoke, and unknown to many in Fentress County is the headquarters of an international organization, passionately devoted to the preservation and proliferation of a very special breed of dog: the Mountain Cur. The Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association, located just south of Jamestown, was founded in 1957, the brainchild of a small group of devoted cur breeders who felt strongly that the breed needed to be revived and promoted. This group included Dewey Ledbetter, Carl McConnell, Elwood “Woody” Huntsman, Riley Daniels, and Hugh Stephens. These men were all devoted breeders of “old stock” mountain curs, who began corresponding around 1955, and formed the club in the ensuing years. There were, of course, other dog breeding associations at the time, but the mountain cur had been overlooked by the major kennel associations. Nevertheless, this devoted group laid the foundation of the OMCBA as it is today, establishing breed guidelines, an ongoing registry, a club headquarters, and numerous annual competitions and shows, which have carried on for over 60 years. Today, the OMCBA is an international organization with thousands of members annually, spreading across most of the United States and reaching into Canada An ancient breed, the forbears of the mountain cur were brought to North America over 200 years ago by settlers who colonized the mountainous areas of eastern Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, and
Kentucky. While as a colloquialism, the term “cur” often indicates a dog of mixed lineage, a mongrel, or mutt, but this could not be further from the case with the Mountain Cur, which is its own breed. The founders of the OMCBA knew this, and were devoted to ensuring that the breed became properly recognized. Finally, in 1998, the efforts of thr OMCBA were rewarded, and the United Kennel Club agreed to register the breed. According to “The History of the Mountain Cur Club, Old Timers, The Mountain Curs, and Me,” also called the OMCBA Bible, written by Dewey and Verda Ledbetter, there are certain qualities which must be met for a dog to be registered as a true cur, in terms of color, stature, and overall characteristics. According to Ledbetter in most cur litters, there are three dominant colors: black, brindle, and yellow, and variations of these three colors, which may or may not contain white. Brindle pups can range from dark brown to yellow to bluish and in between. Regardless,
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For the Love of the Breed Continued From Pg. 7
Ledbetter asserts than none of these colors can be bred out, and always manifest themselves in the descendants of the dogs, and that the continuous presence of these colors prove that the Mountain Cur is a separate breed. Most Curs stand between 16 and 26 inches tall and weigh between 30 and 60 pounds, with males being generally larger than females. “The characteristics of these dogs,” says Ledbetter, “other than the physical, are famous from pioneer days to present. The pioneer Curs were family guard dogs and protectors from wild animals and humans, providers of game for their family table, and faithful and devoted servants of their masters and families in all circumstances. Later, the Cur was a general purpose dog around the farm home,” Ledbetter continues. “His hunting abilities helped provide income for the family in the form of animal hides. While still being endowed with all the above qualities, he is esteemed by his present day owners in providing sport and pass-time in hunting coon and other small game, and the bigger game of bear, cougar and wild hogs, whatever his master trains him for.” The breed has garnered high praise from enthusiasts for decades as a great all-round hunting dog. One comment in Ledbetter’s book by an anonymous contributor sums up these opinions perfectly: “The same characteristics are in all Mountain Curs that are true bred. They hunt and work for their master. Many Mountain Cur are almost silent on track. They are professional coon, squirrel, mink and varmint dogs. Any of them will tree a coon if hunted and trained right. They make the best and truest coon dogs you can get.” Indeed, those who hunt Curs hold the breed in immensely high esteem, and it is a lifelong devotion for most. A prime example of this degree of commitment is Carl Smith, the current President of the OMCBA. Smith had raised Curs for most of his life, and has been the president of the Club for nearly twenty years. “Our members are really passionate about
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their dogs, and they’re passionate about the club. They really go all out to help keep this club going,” says Smith. “It’s probably like fishing or playing golf or anything else you enjoy. You get addicted to it, and you look forward to doing it again. You commit yourself to a lot. These guys playing sports, if they’re good at it, they put a tremendous amount of time into training. That’s like dogs, you’ve got to put a tremendous amount of time into training them and hunting them, but we enjoy it or we wouldn’t do it.” Smith says that the love of the dog is concurrent with the love of hunting, and that the average Cur will be an active hunter for at least ten years, often leading to a strong bond between the dog and the owner. “You develop a real strong bond, you think a lot of that dog, because you and him have spent a lot of time together. It’s easy to get attached to one, especially a real good one, you just don’t want to see them go.” Squirrel and coon hunting in this part of the country will take a hunter through some of the
Carl Smith is the President of the Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association most rugged terrain in the eastern United States, which can be dangerous at times and requires a tough individual, and a tough dog, to have the devotion it takes to have continued success. What’s more, the fact that keeping a dog in Continued on Pg. 10
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For the Love of the Breed Continued From Pg. 10
prime condition requires them to be hunted often, hunting with Curs often becomes a lifestyle rather than just a hobby. “It’s a rugged, dangerous thing out there squirrel hunting, or especially coon hunting after dark,” said Smith. You’ve got to be a pretty rugged individual to get out there and do it. You’ve got to love it. If you didn’t it wouldn’t be worth it.” Smith relates a story about a particular hunting trip during which he and his friends, and their dogs, were nearing exhaustion, and they began to question the series of decisions that had led them to that uncomfortable moment. “We were out coon hunting one night, it had been raining, and we were wet and cold and tired and hungry, and one of my friends said, ‘Why do we do this?’ and I said ‘Well, you know, you don’t have to be crazy to do this, but it sure helps!” In terms of the club’s registration standards, Smith says that all dogs registered with the OMCBA must meet the breed standards in order to be registered, and that most dogs do
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come from the original bloodlines. “If you trace back, they’re mainly from the lines from the founders of the Association, but they’re a lot of generations back. Different people have different bloodlines, and they’ve been crossbred, but our members have done a pretty good job in meeting the breed standards, and they’ve got better and better over time, it’s been a big improvement.” These specific breeding standards have led to a manner of naming Mountain Curs that is similar to thoroughbred horses. They carry names like “Smith’s Streak,” “Hoover’s Ruff,” “Clark’s Pistol Pete,” “Kemmer’s Gold Nugget,” “Flatt Creek Daisy,” “Lewis’ Tree Jammin Cooner,” and the list goes on. Such names denote, to the initiated Cur breeder, the lineage of the dog, and can indicate certain characteristics. Naturally, dogs descended from former champions are highly desirable for those wishing to breed future champions. However, all purebred Curs will bring a good price, as these high standards ensure a quality dog to the buyer, and thusly, years of quality hunting pleasure.
Hunting of any kind is a tradition that has been passed on from one generation to another. As such, the OMCBA facilitates a number of youth hunts, as well as its annual adult hunts. Carl Smith said that he hopes that future generations will continue to carry on the breed, and the sport of tree-dog hunting. “The club is doing good, it seems to get better each year. I think there are enough people devoted to it to keep it going. It’s a good thing for a young person to do, and I’m glad to see the young people getting involved.” Passion is an emotion that is difficult to describe. We may not understand why we love something, just that we do. An organization such as the Original Mountain Cur Breeders Association is only sustained for several decades
by individuals who possess the zeal to see it progress, individuals like Carl Smith, who devote hours upon hours of their time for years and years to ensure that the breed and the sport will be there for people to enjoy in the future. In Carl’s own words, “You’ve got to be devoted to anything that you do. And I can’t figure out why I’m so devoted to it, but I am. We’ve accomplished a lot. The club owns probably 25 acres, a nice clubhouse, we’ve got camper hookups and such, and we’ve accomplished all of that through our dogs. It takes a lot of work, we’re a non profit organization. I do it just for the association, for the members, and the sport of hunting. And for the dogs. I love the dogs.”
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Joyce G. Crouch Illuminating the Past for Future Generations By Jacob E. Rosenbaum
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f you have read an issue of the Fentress Courier, you have probably read an article by Joyce Crouch. One of the most consistent and prolific local writers to ever grace our pages, Joyce has contributed weekly articles to the Courier since the Summer of 2012, when she began her “Musings on Early Childhood Education” column. Since then, Joyce has covered an array of aspects of the history of Fentress County and the Upper Cumberland region during the 19th and 20th centuries, including an extensive series of articles about the impact of the events of the Civil War in our area. Her interest in the Civil War led to the eventual publication of an entire book, “Tinker Dave Beaty: His Life and Times,” published in 2018, a portrait of the famed Union leader from Boatland. Most recently, Joyce has been illuminating our readership by portraying the experiences of local veterans, pioneers, and political leaders from the past via her “Nuggets from the Past” column, with the current series focusing on the life of Sgt. Alvin C. York. Over the course of the past decade, Joyce has published hundreds of articles on local history, a significant accomplishment and invaluable contribution to the community. However, these are just the most recent of Joyce’s achievements, as she spent decades prior as a teacher, professor and counselor. Last Fall, Joyce was kind enough to sit down with me for an interview about her Continued on Pg. 14
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Joyce G. Crouch Continued From Pg. 13
“Life and Times,” and while it would be impossible for me to fully display all that she has achieved and experienced in her 96 years of life, it gives me great pleasure to share at least some of her life experience with you, as she so graciously shared it with me. Joyce Greer was born on Christmas Day in 1925 to Porter Greer and Cassie Hull Greer, farmers in the Riverton community in western Fentress County. Her father passed away in 1930, leaving her mother alone with three children. Her mother’s father passed away later that same year, furthering the hardship of the young family. Joyce began school in the fall of that year, beginning her lifelong journey of learning, and her confluent ascent to the highly regarded local figure we know today. As the youngest sibling, Joyce had seen her brother and sister go to school, and she longed to go herself. “The teacher was kind enough to accept me,” she said. “And I was delighted!” During Joyce’s first three years of school, during the height of the Great Depression, her mother eked out a living as a sharecropper in Riverton until, wanting something better for her family, Cassie Greer made a life-changing decision and moved her family to Detroit, Michigan, where she got a job as an upholsterer in an automobile factory, allowing Joyce to see the bright lights of the city for the first time in her life. She recalls fondly the contrast in experience it provided for her as a young girl. “I remember that summer in Detroit,” she said. “I remember Belle Isle, which had this beautiful fountain, like a paradise, or fairyland. We went to Lake Saint Clair, where I saw goldfish at least a foot long. I thought goldfish were only a few inches long! We saw people rollerskating, it was an eye opener.” School in Detroit began in September. Joyce and her family lived in a row house on Kercheval Avenue, and her school was located just down the street. She recalls a specific instance in which, while being moved from one classroom to another, she forgot her coat in her locker, and due to the size of the school, could not recall where her locker had been. Finally, Joyce’s mother informed her that she had better bring the
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coat home, or get a ‘whipping.’ This gave Joyce the courage to ask for assistance in locating her old locker, where the coat was recovered, much to her relief! Later that same week, the auto factory where her mother worked was shut down, and Joyce and her family returned to Tennessee, where she enrolled in school in Fentress County. A devoted student, Joyce recalls sitting in at recess and reading the textbooks, enjoying the opportunity to read, an opportunity she had not previously had. Joyce attended the East Fork Chapel school in Riverton. At that time, as Joyce has since chronicled in her history of education in Fentress County, rural areas were peppered with dozens of schools, as opposed to the more centralized, larger schools of today. At one time, according to Joyce’s findings, there were more than 50 schools in the county. The rule was that children could walk upwards of three miles to school, but not further, meaning that virtually every small community had its own school in those days. Joyce continued to progress in school, always focusing on academic achievement, and
eventually graduated as valedictorian from York Institute. A week after graduation, she recalls being approached by P. G. Crooks, who was the UT Agent for Fentress County at that time. He offered her a job as a secretary, which she accepted, having no other plans at the time. Joyce took her first college course in Fentress County, an extension course through the University of Tennessee. At the time, following World War II, there was a major push for higher education. It was common in those days for high school graduates to serve as teachers in elementary schools, and often it was the case that individuals with less than a college degree were teaching at the high school level. Joyce worked as a secretary to her brother in law, Willard Crouch, who was the Superintendent of Schools in Fentress County. She attended Summer classes during this time. She also married during this time and had her first child, Paul. Joyce maintained her focus on education, taking on a full schedule of coursework each quarter and ultimately earning her bachelors degree in education and English from Tennessee Continued on Pg. 16
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Joyce G. Crouch Continued From Pg. 15
Technological University, with a minor in history. In the Summer of 1958, TTU began offering a Master’s Degree, and Joyce enrolled in the program, graduating in 1959. She wrote her master’s thesis on methods of teaching English, although she initially wanted to focus on reading. In order to do her research, she had to spend a week at George Peabody College, as the necessary materials were not available at TTU. She was hired to teach English at York Institute after receiving her Master’s degree. The school began a counseling program in the mid Sixties, and Joyce was asked if she was interested in taking the extra coursework to become a counselor. “I thought, ‘why not?’ I always loved school,” she said. “I loved teaching, but I loved learning just as much, maybe more,” she said. She applied for the course and was selected for the counseling program, or guidance as it was called, through the NDEA (National Defense Education Act). This was a critical decision
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for Joyce, as she ultimately chose to focus on counseling in the long term. In her course of study, she was offered a stipend as a graduate student, and was asked if she would be interested in enrolling in the Doctoral program in Educational Psychology and Guidance through the University of Tennessee. Again, she took the maximum amount of hours allowed and completed her coursework in twelve months and began looking for a teaching position at a college. Joyce wanted to teach at a school in a smaller town, and in the South. After considering a number of options, she received a call from a gentleman who said that a new psychology department was being established at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, and offered Joyce a position in that department. She accepted the position, completed her dissertation, and spent the next 24 years teaching a multitude of post-secondary and graduate level courses, eventually becoming the chair of the Psychology Department. She became a licensed psychologist during this time as well and served a term on the licensing board in North Carolina. In addressing her unique career trajectory, from English teacher to psychology professor and licensed psychologist, Joyce offered the following insights: “When I graduated from high school, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. College wasn’t really something that I thought about. But then I started, and then began teaching, and then I switched gears,” she said. “What was happening at the time was that counseling seemed to be more in the forefront. They were the pioneering days of guidance and school counseling. Things came along, and I just took the opportunity and went with it.” Joyce retired from Appalachian State in 1999 and moved back to Fentress County, where she opened
an office as a psychologist and offered counseling services to local clients throughout the early 2000s. For the majority of the last decade, Joyce has been delighting the local public with insights on the history of Fentress County, focusing on the lives of local individuals who impacted the overall course of events in the area, and the wider world. In this capacity, she has picked up the torch formerly carried by the likes of A. R. Hogue and Wilma Pinckley, who were also prominent educators who devoted themselves to highlighting local history, making it accessible to the public. Although too modest to accept the title of “author,” Joyce has published multiple books in recent years. “I wouldn’t call myself an author. I consider an author one who has done something that is
outstanding, that has plowed new ground. I see myself only as one who digs out some interesting kernels, and makes them available,” she said. Nevertheless, her most recent work on Tinker Dave Beaty, a Civil War guerilla from Boatland, is the most extensive biography of the notable figure, and would likely qualify as the authoritative work on the man. Compared to earlier local “historians,” Hogue and Pinckley among them, Joyce has a unique approach to history, as is exemplified in her book on Tinker Dave. Hogue focused on the area as a whole. Pinckley often illustrated the history of certain locations in Fentress County, such as Little Crab. By contrast, Joyce Crouch often highlights individuals, their lives, and the choices they made Continued on Pg. 16
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Joyce G. Crouch Continued From Pg. 17
which influenced the world around them. That is not to say that her predecessors did not relate the actions of individuals, but Crouch takes a much more focused, individualistic approach to local history, which could be what makes her work so approachable. “I focus in on one thing, and kind of embed it into the time. The person lived then, but there were things that happened that they participated in, and that to me is what I do that might be a little different,” said Joyce. This focus on the individual falls right in line with Joyce’s career as an educator and psychologist. After all, it is people who drive the events of history. “We all have our experiences in the past that turn us toward certain decisions and certain ways of thinking, it’s what drives us to do what we do.” Joyce’s personal connection to history came about when she was researching her ancestry
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for membership to the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). “I had to find information about an ancestor who had been in the Revolutionary War. So that was one. Then, once I did the research on the Revolutionary War, I started looking into the Civil War. My great-grandfather died in the Civil War, and so did his brother, but I think it kind of started from there.” As one who portrays the actions of historical figures, Joyce said it is always paramount to provide an accurate account of what really happened, regardless of perception, and to appreciate hard choices that were made. “As far as historical figures are concerned, they’ve all got scars. It’s not for the historian to make things look better. It’s up to you to tell the truth as you know, insofar as that is possible. You have an obligation to your audience, to your readers, to tell the truth. There have been instances through the ages of people who are revered, when push comes to shove, they let
their own personal interest take precedence over the right thing as they know it. Everybody is flawed, no one makes the right decision all the time... It takes courage to make moral decisions, and we all should respect courage.” Also important to Joyce in her work, in addition to a firm focus on the facts, is the consideration of historical events, and their consequences, rather than consideration of hypotheticals. “I hate that ‘if’ stuff, and ‘should have.’ People say ‘they should have done this’ or ‘they should have done that.’ To me, it’s the most futile thing you can do. It’s done, it’s history. You walk from where you are. You don’t walk back.” Taking local individuals from the past and displaying their deeds facilitates a connection between the current populace of Fentress County and those who came before us, as many of the descendants of Joyce’s subjects still occupy the hills and valleys of Fentress County to this day. It is highly likely that you have
read something about a relative of yours in one of her columns. What’s more, her articles have provided those of us whose families lived here in times past with context about how our ancestors fit into the events of the wider world. Without a doubt, Joyce’s work has been a great benefit to all of us, and fortunately for all of us, she has stated that she intends to continue to contribute articles as long as she can. “I’ll keep writing as long as I have two marbles left,” she joked. “I have enjoyed the process. Writing has kept me alive. Occasionally someone will call me and tell me how much they enjoyed something I wrote, and of course that makes my day! That’s a reward in itself. I’m glad to live in Fentress County. We do have people who want to help others, and we’re not ‘uppity.’ Very few of us feel like we’re better than others, and that makes for a good place to live.”
Cosmetics Clothing Gifts Accessories
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i o d R u t e S v s isi n e
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By Jacob E. Rosenbaum
f a picture is worth a thousand words, it would be virtually impossible to calculate the verbal merit of Owens Studio, which operated in Fentress County for nearly four decades, and was responsible for capturing an producing the likenesses of thousands upon thousands of local people. These images encapsulate our family, friends, and former selves, and are woven into the fabric of our community. They grace the walls of our homes and are often looked upon with much love, and sometimes with sorrow, serving as the keys which unlock the pathway to memories of our loved ones, of better days, and better times now long past.
In our neck of the woods, the photographs that evoke these fond memories were created in large part by Roy and Ruth Owens of the Owens Studio, which first opened in 1955 and served the community as the premier photography studio in the area until 1989. The studio focused on pictures of people, including school photos, sports photos, family portraits, weddings, funerals, reunions, anniversaries, and more for countless families living in the area. These photographs can be found far and wide in the homes of the people of Fentress County to this day. Unknown to many, these invaluable pieces of Continued on Pg. 22
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Owens Studio Revisited Continued From Pg. 21
Roy Owens
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heritage were made possible by an unfortunate happenstance that befell Roy Owens when he was a young man. An obstacle that would turn into an opportunity for Roy and his wife Ruth. Owens spent nearly five years of his life in a TB (tuberculosis) sanitarium, and the treatment he received for the disease left him lacking multiple ribs and multiple lobes of his lungs. This made manual labor very difficult for him, ruling out professions like coal mining, which was prevalent in the area at the time. With a family to feed and mounting bills, Roy Owens was in desperate need of work. However, Ruth Owens became aware of a state agent who was soon to visit Fentress County to help people learn trades. Roy and Ruth settled on photography, as it was something that they could do together, and was not terribly physically demanding. The couple took a course by mail and then completed a year-long internship at a studio in Smithville, Tennessee before returning to Fentress County to
open their own studio. It was a true team effort for the couple. Ruth would often pose the subjects to be photographed, and Roy operated the camera and developed the film. Ruth also took care of the majority of the business aspects of the studio, including keeping the books and attending to the customers. In today’s digital world, almost anyone can dabble in photography, thanks to smartphones and the general proliferation of technology. However, in the 1950’s, photography was both a science and an art, requiring extensive knowledge of positioning the subjects, operating the equipment required to take photos, and developing and painting the images to achieve the optimal final result. Photos were a luxury, and highly prized by the people of the day. Even so, initially the studio took some time to get off the ground. In the beginning, Roy and Ruth operated in a Jamestown building that was owned by Sergeant Alvin C. York. Roy and Ruth’s grandson, James Taylor, recalls hearing a tale of an instance in which Roy was unable to pay the rent for the
studio, and asked York if he could possibly pay a lesser amount. According to Taylor, Owens made the mistake of addressing York as “Mister” rather than “Sergeant.” Whatever the reason, York was disinclined to grant Mr. Owens’ request, until his wife, Gracie, interceded on Owens’ behalf, saying “Oh, come on now Sergeant...” appealing to her husband’s better nature. Gracie’s plea softened the Sergeant’s resolve, and he agreed to lower the rent. In spite of some of these early setbacks, Owens Studio established a strong reputation in the area, and became a prominent local business, catering to anyone and everyone who needed photos for any and all occasions. Roy and Ruth flourished in Fentress County for the next four decades, until Roy’s passing in 1989, taking thousands of photographs, many of which still adorn the homes of the Owenses’ former customers. Although the studio has now been closed for more than thirty years, one man has found a way to keep the memories alive using the platform of modern social media. James Taylor, the grandson Continued on Pg. 24
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Owens Studio Revisited Continued From Pg. 23
of Roy and Ruth Owens, created the Facebook page entitled “Owens Studio Revisited” for the purpose of sharing photos with the community. James has inherited thousands of photos, negatives, and prints, which remain in his grandparents second studio, located in Allardt. James says his goal is to find homes for these pictures, many of which were just never picked up by the customer. “I look at it kind of as a shelter, and I’m looking to re-home these pictures,” says James. James said that initially his goal was to clean out the studio space in the hopes of beginning his own studio but that his deep respect for pictures, ingrained by his upbringing, led him to search for new homes for the photos. Over the last few years, James has indeed rehomed hundreds, if not over a thousand photos from the studio. He does charge a modest fee for the pictures, though the price pales in
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comparison to the pictures’ intrinsic worth, and he does devote a considerable amount of time to retouching the photos, depending on their condition, as all of them have been stored for over 30 years. James has used the photos to raise funds for his family cemetery, and local charities such as the Hope Foundation, the Children’s Center, the local Volunteer Fire Department, the York Institute Drama Club, and Best Friends Sanctuary, to mention just a few. James says that his endeavor has been much more successful than he had originally expected and that once he had raised a substantial amount of money for the cemetery fund, he felt he needed to begin giving some of the proceeds to charity. “This is not a business,” said James. “This is just a way for me to raise funds for the family cemetery and for charity, and to find homes for these pictures. It’s a hobby, but I love doing it.” James’ efforts have been met with no shortage of appreciation from community members. He recalls a specific instance in which he had shared some photos from an 8th grade graduation. A woman reached out to him and told him that her home had burned shortly after her graduation, and that she believed she would never again see those photos. The former 8th grader in that graduation photo purchased the pictures from James and was so grateful that she gave a sizable donation to further support his work. He says that he has had people who did not want their photos shared, but that the vast majority of people have been grateful to have their memories revived. “It’s not all baby pictures and graduations,” he said, “I’ve got all kinds of funerals, weddings, even pictures of surgery scars. Remember, this was before photos were readily available,
and there are some unhappy memories in these pictures, and I would never post private pictures for the public to see. I would like, once I get them all organized (which may be never!) to give the negatives of these private moments to their rightful owners. But, in the other direction, I’ve had a lot of people thank me for sharing these pictures, as they weren’t able to get them at the time they were made, for whatever reason. It’s definitely been a learning experience for me.” James says he eventually would like to start his own small studio and carry on the family tradition. “There are so many wonderful photographers here in Fentress County, but there currently is no business that has an oldfashioned portrait studio, and that’s what I have in mind... but I want to start small.” All in all, James said that he has been grateful to the community for its support, and he has been touched by the response he had received. “I just want to say thank you to the community. I’m grateful that my family was a part of helping make and preserve memories. I love going into people’s houses and seeing photos and being able to tell that my grandpa took those pictures. It’s been very touching. I’ve had people share personal stories. I’ve learned a lot about my family through doing this.” Be sure to check out “Owens Studio Revisited” on Facebook for future updates and photos. Perhaps you will find a long lost portrait of a family member, friend, or classmate. But be careful, as you may find yourself enraptured and eagerly awaiting the next gem from James Taylor’s treasure trove of memories.
Ruth Owens
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Information Pamphlet Fentress County Chamber of Commerce Community Guide Attorneys/CPA’S Guffey Law 106 S Main Jamestown 931-879-4529
Romer and Lane 205 S. Norris Street Jamestown (931)-879-8144 Walker Law Office 107 N. Main Jamestown (931)-879-8008 Joel Ross,CPA 101 S Smith St Jamestown 931-879-7036 Leslie Clark Ledbetter 6890 S York Hwy Clarkrange 931-863-5997 H & R Block 913 Old Hwy 127 Jamestown 931-879-9940 Crabtree Public Accounting 433 W Central Ave Jamestown 931-400-2492
Financial
Union Bank 311 N Main St, Jamestown (931)-879-8111
OneBank 416 East Central Avenue Jamestown (931)-879-7007 (Clarkrange Branch also) Union Bank-Clarkrange 6850 S. York Hwy. Clarkrange (931)-863-2265
First Volunteer Bank–Clarkrange 6882 S York Hwy, Clarkrange (931) 752-5035 Upper Cumberland Federal Credit Union 6829 S York Hwy, Clarkrange (931)-863-9433
Service Providers Twin Lakes Telephone 202 Rugby Ave, Jamestown (931) 879-5811
Volunteer Energy Cooperative 1023 Old Highway 127-S Jamestown (931)-879-5853 Fentress Utility District 1026 Taylor Place Rd, Jamestown, TN (931) 879-7639 Continued on Pg. 28
SmartBank 500 N Main St, Jamestown (931)-752-2265 First Volunteer Bank 318 N Main St, Jamestown (931) 752-5015
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Fentress County Chamber of Commerce Community Guide Continued From Page 27
City of Jamestown 314 East Central Ave. Jamestown (931)-879-8815
Signature Health Care 208 North Duncan St. Jamestown (931)-879-5859
City of Allardt 2015 Michigan Ave. Allardt (931)-879-7125
Quality Private Duty Care 630 North Main St. Jamestown (931)-752-7699
Health Care
Fast Pace Urgent Care 321 E Central Ave Jamestown (931)-879-0206 Family Medical Center 234 W Central Ave Jamestown (931)-879-8139 C S Sewell PC 341 W Central Ave, Jamestown (931)-879-9892 Hometown Medical Clinic 418 Central Ave. West Jamestown (931)-879-8794 Crawford Family Chiropractic 408 South Main Street Jamestown (931)-879-8931 Dr. Dilip Joshi 117 North Duncan St. Jamestown (931)-879-5884
Eye Centers of Tennessee 1205 US Hwy 127 South Jamestown (931)-879-5897 Jamestown Family Dentistry 240 West Central Ave. Jamestown (931)-879-9544 White Oak Dental 214 North Main St. Jamestown (931)-879-5834 Amedisys Home Health Care 342 West Central Ave. Jamestown (866)-877-8291 Buckeye Home Medical Equipment 226 W Central Ave, Jamestown (931) 879-9926 Quality Home Health Care 101 S Duncan St # B, Jamestown (931) 879-9928
Wolf River Dam 28 Summer 2021 • On The Mountain
Photo By Aaron Nickens
Honey Creek Overlook Photo By Aaron Nickens
Insurance Companies State Farm Insurance 530 N Main Street Jamestown (931)-879-5891 Whitehead Insurance Co. 200 White Oak Street Jamestown (931)-879-4060 The Rains Agency 500 N Main St Jamestown (931)-752-6787 Farm Bureau 334 S Main St Jamestown (931)-879-8016 Cumberland Insurance Group 1007 Old Hwy 127 Jamestown (931)-879-5923
Accomodations
Big Fork Campground 6469 Old Mount Helen Rd Allardt 239-565-9791 East Fork Stables 3598 South York Highway Jamestown 931-879-1176
East Port Marina 5652 East Port Road Alpine 931-879-7511 Grey Gables Bed & Breakfast 5809 Old Rugby Highway (Hwy. 52) Rugby 423-628-5252 Guest House Overnight Lodging 107 B Livingston Avenue Jamestown 931-397-4417 Jordan Motel 2904 S York Hwy Jamestown 931-879-8129 Historic Rugby 5517 Rugby Highway (Hwy 52) Rugby 1-888-214-3600 Laurel Fork Rustic Retreat 1364 Obey Blevins Road (Hwy 297) Jamestown 423-286-5135 Maple Hill RV Park & Cabins 1386 North York Highway Jamestown 931-879-3025
Continued on Pg. 30
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Fentress County Chamber of Commerce Community Guide Continued From Page 29
Old Allardt School House B&B 1860 Michigan Avenue Allardt 931-879-8056
Zenith Stables & Campground 929 Cole Place Road Allardt 931-879-5252
Poplar Cove Retreat 1927 Livingston Hwy Jamestown 931-260-8271
Dining
Sand Springs Guest House 107 Livingston Ave Jamestown 931-397-4417 Turner House Overnight Lodging 1653 Pennsylvania Avenue Allardt 931-879-8056 Top of the Hill Properties 5600 Eastport Road Alpine 931-879-7511 1-800-736-7951
Bacara’s Family Restaurant 329 Wheeler Lane Jamestown 931-879-7121 Campfire Coffee 108 E Central Ave Jamestown 239-850-1429 Dairy Queen 328 North Main Street Jamestown 931-879-9293 Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant 315 North Main St. Jamestown 931-752-8911
True West Campground, Stables & Mercantile 3341 Leatherwood Ford Road Jamestown 931-752-8272
Grey Gables (reservation only) Hwy 52 Rugby 423-628-5252
Unicorn Farmz 215 Cook Road Clarkrange 931-713-4346
KFC/LJS 102 Stewart St Jamestown 931-879-3090
York RV Park Pall Mall 931-879-9604
McDonald’s 401 N Main Street Jamestown 931-879-1770
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Pizza Hut 312 North Main Street Jamestown 931-8798053 Simply Fresh 591 E Central Ave Jamestown 931-879-3737 Heavens Healing Hands Spa/ Smoothie Bar 103 S.Norris St Jamestown (931)310-5287 Subway 110 Wheeler Avenue Jamestown 931-879-7080 Sweet Cravings 6404 S York Hwy Clarkrange 931-267-5748 West End Cafe 306 West Central Avenue Jamestown 931-879-6611
Shopping
Advance Imaging 1211 Old Hwy 127 Jamestown 931-879-7776 Beyond Skin Deep 805 Allardt hwy 52 Jamestown (931) 239-3010 Burnett’s Superette 1900 Michigan Ave Allardt 931-879-8315 Clarkrange Drug Center 6845 S York Hwy Clarkrange 931-863-3779 Crabtree Sign Co. 1512 N York Hwy Jamestown 931-879-4795 Design’s Unlimited 203 S Main St Jamestown 931-752-4438
Continued on Pg. 32
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Fentress County Chamber of Commerce Community Guide Continued From Page 31
East Fork Stables Gift Shop 3598 S York Hwy Jamestown 931-879-1176
Handfuls of the Harvest Mission 206 Gaudin Avenue Jamestown 931-752-8988
Farmer’s Home Furniture 419 N Main Jamestown 931-752-1660
Henbo’s Convenience 600 Allardt Highway Jamestown 931-879-9734
Fentress Co Block 1252 Old Jamestown Hwy Jamestown 931-879-9942
Highland Manor Winery 2965 South York Highway Jamestown 931-879-9519
Fentress Courier 114 White Oak St Jamestown 931-879-4040
Jimtown Florist 114 S Main St Jamestown 931-879-3470
Hall Family Pharmacy 433 W Central Ave Jamestown /Clarkrange 931-879-9997
Kent’s Wholesale Tires 132 Deer Lodge Hwy, W Rock Quarry Rd Clarkrange 931-863-8233
Hall’s Sports and Outdoors 207 S Main Jamestown 931-879-4255
King’s True Value Hardware Main Street Jamestown 931-879-8159
O&W Train Depot 32 Summer 2021 • On The Mountain
Photo By Aaron Nickens
Horses Grazing Near Taylor Place Photo By Aaron Nickens
MAD Fitness 1025 Taylor Place Rd Jamestown 931-752-4348
One Stop Organics 931-548-7077 Order online: www.onestoporganics.com
Main Stop Shell 408 North Main Street Jamestown 931-879-0771
Pit Row QQL 330 West Central Avenue Jamestown 931-752-5823
Medi-Thrift Pharmacy 346 West Central Avenue Jamestown 931-879-8133
Plateau Pallet 1075 DeerLodge Hwy Clarkrange 931-863-3699
Merle Norman Cosmetics 211 North Smith Street Jamestown 931-879-8185
Potter’s Shopping Center 205 Livingston Avenue Jamestown 931-879-5823
Moody’s Used Cars 219 W Central Ave Jamestown 931-879-4621
RM Brooks General Store 2830 Rugby Pkwy Rugby, TN 37733 1-423-628-2533
Mountain Barn Builders 6540 S York Hwy Clarkrange 931-863-8030
Russell Cellular (Verizon Wireless) 250 B South Main Street Jamestown 931-879-1999 Save A Lot 407 North Main Street Jamestown 931-879-7731
Muddy Pond Mennonite Community General Store 3608 Muddy Pond Road Monterey 931-445-7829 Napa Auto Parts 458 N Main St, Jamestown 931-752-6272 New Horizon Athletics 1168 Gleonby Rd Jamestown 931-310-2154
Showtime Trailers 5231 South York Highway Grimsley 931-863-4401 South Fork Tack 1487 West 3rd Ave. Oneida (423)-569-6700
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PLATEAU PROVENDER By Jonathan Crabtree
O
ne of the greatest values of the Upper Cumberland is the pride in being able to provide for your own family. With the great resources of the region, practices that were once a matter of survival still linger in the hobbies and pastimes of the local culture. Recent supply concerns in supermarkets have many revisiting the old ways to reduce the grocery bill. The late summer turns minds to food plots, trotlines and wild berry patches. After the fall harvest, it’s back to the sterile brick and tile grocery stores from March to July, right? Wrong. In the spring time, hunting, fishing and gathering are as important as ever. About the time small game seasons close and fishing licenses expire, many local anglers are stocking up on jig-heads and swimbaits. The walleye run is about to begin. Walleye run from Dale Hollow Lake up the Obey River to spawn. During the peak of the spawn, they are difficult to catch as they are more concerned with finding each other than they are with finding food. However, if the water levels are right and the weather and moon cooperate, before and after the spawn there are two windows when the fish will hit minnows like lures quite reliably. I have witnessed more than one local angler legally taking home dozens of walleye per season. Legally is emphasized, as it has become a sad social gathering to illegally harvest these challenging and magnificent game fish while they are vulnerable from the exhaustion of the upstream travel to spawning beds. One local gentleman, of the Baseline Road area near Allardt, has been fishing the walleye run for over forty years. He follows the fishing law and eats all the walleye he wants through the year. Some
34 Summer 2021 • On The Mountain
wonder why the method of take matters if the bag limit is observed. It matters, because most females won’t feed until they have spawned out. An illegally harvested female may be carrying anywhere from 50,000 to 300,000 eggs. By contrast, a legally harvested female will most likely lay the fertilized eggs in the gravel flats of the river before feeding up to return to the lake. She will repeat this process year after year for her entire life span of six or more years. It is a myth that walleye die after they spawn like salmon. The walleye finish their spawn as the white bass or stripe begin their run. Though less popular for their fillets, the stripe are just as much fun to catch, just as the woods begin to come alive with the sounds of strange, feather bearing creatures. The wild turkey was nominated by Benjamin Franklin to be the national bird of the United States. While not everyone agrees that the red, white and blue face of a strutting and drumming gobbler would be the best symbol of the nation, there are many who would argue there is nothing more satisfying than a pan of fried turkey taken from the Plateau woods in the spring. The hens and gobblers begin to seek each other out before the hens begin setting to
hatch out their brood. It isn’t necessarily hard to find the birds during this season. They are quite noisy in the woods and they aren’t exactly graceful crashing through the trees in flight. They do however have very good eyesight and they spook easily, except when they are focused on more romantic matters. Adult hunters are allowed to take one bearded bird per day until they reach a bag limit of three for the season. The season runs for about a month from the middle of April to the middle of May. Fish and fowl aren’t the only choice edibles of the Plateau woods in the spring. Whether you have a pole or shotgun in your Continued on Pg. 36
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PLATEAU PROVENDER Continued From Pg. 35
hand, always be on the lookout for dry-landfish after the first warm rain of April. Morel mushrooms, as they are more widely known, begin to creep out of the ground near trees, under leaf litter, and near rotting wood. The morel is a mystery to most, including myself. For this reason, it can bring in excess of a hundred dollars per pound in some markets.
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It is mostly impossible to domesticate in large quantities. Purists argue that the flavor isn’t right, even when domestication has been successful. Nonetheless, when sliced lengthwise, breaded and fried correctly, dry-landfish competes with walleye and turkey. As much as I dream of finding all three items on an appetizer sampler plate in some back woods restaurant, served not by a foodie but by a bushy eye-browed hillbilly who gathered them by hand, I must relent to my own pursuit. So far, I have only been successful in getting two of three into the same meal. That’s what makes it so special though. “They don’t call it catching; they call it fishing.” Jonathan Crabtree teaches English and Journalism at Alvin C. York Agricultural Insitute in Jamestown, TN.