Discover Grainger County 2016

Home • Vineyard • Farm Winery • Wedding Venue

Capturing the Perfect Wedding

Photographer, Chauntae Johnson and Jewels Photography

Tate Springs 1898 Kingswood Home for Children Surviving History Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center: Heaven on Earth? z Wendy Leedy, Grainger County Artist z z z z

Pride and Joy, by Wendy Leedy

RUTLEDGE • BEAN STATION • BLAINE • THORN HILL • WASHBURN• CENTRAL POINT • LIBERTY HILL • BUFFALO • POWDER SPRINGS • RICHLAND

Spout Spring Estates Winery & Vineyard

DISCOVER

Grainger County Tennessee

VOLUME 2 — 2016

2 Discover Grainger County • 2016

It’s a natural for Grainger County

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The capability. The Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive with 32 mpg.* Plus, it’s a 2015 IIHS Top Safety Pick. Put it all together, and it’s a vehicle you will always be able to depend on.

Love. It’s what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.

The 2016 Subaru Forester 2.5i.

8729 Kingston Pike | Knoxvill Knoxville, TN 37923 888-660-0184 www.graysonsubaru www.graysonsubaru.com

Discover Grainger County is published by Hawkins County Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 100 | Rogersville, TN 37857 www.therogersvillereview.com 423-272-7422 MANAGEMENT Tommy Campbell Editor & Publisher Joel Spears Managing Editor Sharon Roberts Business Manager EDITORIAL Jim Beller Staff Writer Ken Coffey Discover Grainger County Contributor Randy Ball Discover Grainger County Contributor ADVERTISING Abby Swearingen Marketing Consultant Ruby Moore Marketing Consultant Christy Alvis Marketing Consultant Freda Turbyfill Creative Services

Advertising rates and information available upon request.

Story suggestions, inquiries should be made to tommy.campbell@therogersvillereview.com

DISCOVER

Grainger County Tennessee

Discover Grainger County 2016 is a single-copy supplement to The Rogersville Review. Additional copies may be purchased at the Review office for $2 each, plus postage if mailing is needed. Call our office at 423-272-7422 or email us at subscriptions@therogersvillereview.com for orders and delivery.

Copyright: 2016, Discover Grainger County 2016, Hawkins County Publishers, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the newspaper’s management. Reproduction of advertising and design work is strictly prohibited due to the use of licensed art services and agency agreements.

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contents

Discover Grainger County

A letter from Tommy Campbell, Editor/Publisher, The Rogersville Review

Spout Spring Estates Winery & Vineyard

Home, Vineyard, Farm, Winery, Wedding Venue

16 ... an adventure more exciting 20 than you could ever dream Tate Springs in 1898: 24 34 Kingswood Home for Children Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett 40 may have both visited the Historical Crossroads The Shields Family 42 Grainger County has grown famous 46 tomatoes for more than 100 years ... more images 48 from the past 52 Surviving History Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy 57 Center: Heaven on Earth?

66 Wendy Leedy Capturing the Perfect Wedding

Photographer, Chauntae Johnson

Jewels Photography

Antique photo collection offers a rare glimpse of Bean Station landmark

New director says Kingswood Home for Children has come full circle

of Grainger County

tells the story of a Bean Station family

Some say it’s as close as one can get!

Artist, Instructor, Illustrator, Certified Professional Framer, Lover of Animals, History and Life

75

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Mary’s Chapel United Methodist Church Old Time Apple Butter

40 Years, 42,000 Pints!

Grainger County Tomato Festival

... great fun for everyone!

4 Discover Grainger County • 2016 • Accept most all insurance plans • Immunizations (shingles, flu, pneumonia) • B-12 injections • Limited local delivery • Greeting cards and gift items • Free blood pressure and blood sugar screenings Open: Monday- Friday: 9am - 6pm Saturday: 9am - 12pm

“Dedicated To Your Health” Phone (865) 993-4074 • Fax (865) 993-4194 1034 Main Street • Bean Station, TN 37708 www.facebook.com/DownHomePharmacyTN

“Come and Experience the Difference, It’s Just a Different Way of Doing Business”.

dde Chevrolet Company is a family owned and operated dealership located in the small town of Rutledge, TN, near Knoxville — serving you since 1959 with quality new and used cars, truck and SUVs. We are away from all the hustle and bustle of the big cities, so take that beautiful drive down to your local Chevrolet dealership in Rutledge today!

EDDE CHEVROLET COMPANY, INC. 8700 Rutledge Pike | Rutledge, Tennessee 37861 Sales and Service: 865-828-5233 | www.eddechevrolet.net

DISCOVER

J

GRAINGER COUNTYTennessee

ust a stone’s throw from the Great Smoky Mountains lies northeast Tennessee’s Grainger County, a delightful 310-square mile package of mountain peaks, green valleys, sparkling lakes and some of the most productive farmland in the south.

As the publisher and editor of The Rogersville Review in neighboring Hawkins County, I came to appreciate the natural beauty and wealth of historical lore in Grainger County while traveling back and forth to my former home in Alabama.

At the Review, we publish a magazine called “Discover Hawkins County”, and, since the newspaper has a ton of readers in communities scattered across Grainger County, it was only natural that we wanted to offer our friends and neighbors here, as well as tourists who may pick up these magazines in East Tennessee’s Interstate Welcome Centers, a similar publication.

In these magazines, we focus on the GOOD STUFF ... the good, hard-working, friendly folks, and the places and events that make Grainger County’s world turn.

Last year’s premiere issue of “Discover Grainger” was so popular and well-received that the entire press run was eagerly snatched up within a matter of days after it appeared.

In our travels, we have met so many of the 23,000 wonderful folks who call this county home ... folks who take pride in their historic roots which run deep into the rich, fertile soil that was once a hotly contested battleground between the North and South during the War Between the States.

From the hickories, gums, maples and oaks that cover the mountainsides in a blaze of color in the fall, to the fields of tomatoes — the county’s #1 agricultural crop — and other crops that provide spring and summer jobs for local residents and food for a hungry nation, Grainger is often referred to as the “undiscovered gem” of East Tennessee.

And while Grainger is world-famous for its tomatoes, which are celebrated each July during the Tomato Festival at Rutledge, a “county fair” that attracts upwards of 20,000+ visitors from all over the U.S., today, viticulture — or the cultivation of grapes and muscadines — is becoming more of an economic factor as homefolks and tourists alike discover Grainger County’s own Spout Spring Estates Winery and Vineyards, located between Rutledge and Blaine.

As one of more than 30 wineries along the East Tennessee wine trail stretching

from Bristol to Chattanooga, Spout Spring is Grainger County’s only winery, and you can read more about owners Chuck and Alice Belt’s amazing place — which is also fast becoming a destination setting for weddings — elsewhere in this issue.

Drive up to the “Overlook” atop Clinch Mountain, at Bean Station, for a breathtaking view of the Holston River and Cherokee Lake beyond, and take note that this mountain is the real-life ancestral homeland of some of the most unforgettable fictional characters of Old Western literature ... Louis L’Amour’s “The Sacketts”.

On the barns of many rural farms are historical patchwork quilt designs, along with the now silent battlefields where Civil War cannons once boomed and brother fought against brother.

One of America’s classiest luxury resorts — Tate Springs — was located at Bean Station on property now occupied

by Kingswood Home for Children, which today cares for kids who, for their own well-being, have been removed from their familial settings. Noted guests of the hotel (which burned in the 1960’s) included the Rockefellers, Fords, DuPont’s, Kennedys and other industrial and political movers and shakers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. You can read more about the legendary resort, as well as the school of today, in this issue.

From the painted canvas of local artist Wendy Leedy (whom you can also read about in this issue) to others whose ceramics and wood-carving are likewise well-known, the arts abound here.

Years before he would become known as the Vice President who succeeded the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, a young Andrew Johnson operated a tailor shop in Rutledge. You can see a replica of that small brick building on the lawn of the Courthouse adjacent to US 11W. Just across the street and down the hill, on SR 92, is the historic Grainger Co. Jail. Dating from 1848, the building now hosts meetings of the Grainger Co. Historic Society and other community events.

And, speaking of the Society, author/ historian Ken Coffey, and the Grainger Co. Archives, we are indebted to all for their contributions for this issue of some amazing heirloom photos that depict early people, places and events in the life of this county.

If you appreciate the beauty of a simpler,

environmentally-friendly way of life — with comfortable, attractive houses built, literally, from bales of straw! — be sure to read about our newfound friends Bill Nickle and Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener at Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center at Washburn, very possibly Grainger County’s “best kept secret”!

Finally, if you enjoy the mouth-watering taste of good, “old timey” apple butter, don’t miss reading about the folks at Mary’s Chapel United Methodist Church who turned a one-time fundraiser into a 40-year outreach ministry that feeds hungry souls ... and hungry bellies!

But we must tell you that it is far beyond the scope of our ability to cram into this one magazine every single fact and attraction about Grainger County.

Instead, we present to you, once a year, a tantalizing taste of this amazing county’s history, people, places and events so that you will come to appreciate this county as much as we have.

We truly hope that you enjoy this publication as much as we enjoy bringing it to you.

And while you are thumbing through these pages, please remember that the reason you are holding this magazine in your hands free of charge is because of the businesses and professionals whose advertising dollars made it possible. Patronize and support them, and when you do, be sure to say “THANK YOU” for sponsoring the 2016 edition of “Discover Grainger County”!

Sincerely,

Tommy Campbell

Editor & Publisher P.S. We are already accepting ideas for the next edition so please let us know what you would like to see in the 2017 “Discover Grainger County”.

My email address is: tommy.campbell@ therogersvillereview.com.

Remember, too, that on the Review’s website — www.therogersvillereview.com — Grainger County has its very own page, and we welcome contributions of events and news from Grainger schools, businesses, churches, fire departments, sports’ teams, community-service organizations, senior citizens centers, and others.

6 Discover Grainger County • 2016

“Good wine is a good familiar creature if well used.”

— Shakespeare

HOME • VINEYARD • FARM • WINERY

Discover Grainger County • 2016 7

Spout Spring ESTATES

Winery & Vineyard

BLAINE — Wine, in some form or fashion, has been around for thousands of years.

And while techniques, equipment and better understandings of how a myriad of ingredients and timing work together to produce the delightful beverage, the basics haven’t changed that much since 5,000 B.C., when tomb wall paintings and archaeological excavations tell us that the ancient Egyptians were even then skilled winemakers.

Wine is also prominently mentioned in Biblical writings, most notably in the New Testament Gospels. The legendary “turning the water into wine” is the first recorded Earthly miracle performed by the Lord Jesus Christ at a wedding feast in the Galilean village of Cana for a couple who probably were friends of his family.

Produced through the fermentation of grapes and other fruits, such as peaches, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries and even rice, ancient folks apparently discovered that, placed in a warm, stable environment, fruit juices would, pretty much on their own - through naturally-occurring airborne yeasts — ferment and become drinkable wines.

Grapes naturally contain all of the necessary ingredients to transform the fruit into wine — pulp, juice, acids, sugars,

tannins, and minerals that are today staples of commercial and home-made wine production.

European colonists brought with them to the New World their centuries-old winemaking skills and traditions, with recorded evidence showing that the Pilgrims enjoyed wine of their own making at the very first Thanksgiving in 1623.

Viticulture, or the cultivation of grapes for the specific purpose of making wine, has in recent years experienced a boom in the United States.

For many years a traditional agricultural staple in California and New York, viticulture has expanded to almost every state in the country, and Tennessee is no exception.

While growing grapes and producing wine is thought to be a more recent agri-business development, in Tennessee, historical data shows that — in the years between the Civil War and Prohibition — Tennessee farmers actually grew tons of winemaking grapes.

In an 1874 book entitled, “Introduction to the Resources of Tennessee”, author J.A. Killebrew noted that in 1870, 569 gallons of wine was produced in Giles County, Tenn., alone.

By 1880, figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Continued on page 9

8 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Chuck examines a grape vine in the Spout Spring Estates Vineyard during the early spring of this year, while the accompanying photos show the bountiful harvests from previous years.

Discover Grainger County • 2016 9

Fresh from the Vineyard, Alice shows off a tub filled with juicy dark grapes.

At right (top and middle): Chuck explains the function of two pieces of essential machinery … the destemmer and crusher.

Bottom right: Chuck is shown transferring the “racked” (or ready to “age”) wine from the metal container to the oak barrels where it will remain for several months, if not years, to allow the full flavor and body of the wine to develop.

From page 7

show, Tennessee grape growers had committed more than 1,228 acres to the fruit, and that year produced a whopping 64,767 gallons of the beverage.

The thriving post-War Between the States industry ended with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution in 1919.

Although some farmers toyed with token grape plantings after World War II, most, at that time ,had converted their former pre-Prohibition vineyards into fields of tobacco, and it wasn’t until the 1970’s that viticulture in Tennessee again began to enjoy success.

By 1978, there were 125 acres of grapes in the state. Today that figure has more than quadrupled.

In recent years, wineries in Tennessee have proliferated, with more than 30 now located in the eastern part of the state alone,

Continued on page 11

10 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Alice and Chuck Belt — Photo courtesy Kristy Dreier, La Vie Photography

From page 9

Discover Grainger County • 2016 11

now located.

“We were getting tired of how crowded Knoxville was along the Bristol to Chattanooga corridor. getting, so we had started looking for property,” Chuck said.

And one of those that has enjoyed much success is Grainger “We ended up buying the land and put a conservation easement County’s own (and lone) winery, Spout Spring Estates Winery on it so it will never be anything but a farm. We like the slower, and Vineyard. easier way of life in rural East Tennessee. We don’t raise cattle or Located just a couple of miles off U.S. 11W between Blaine pigs or corn, none of that other stuff, so we started thinking, what and Rutledge, Spout Spring — owned and operated by Chuck can we do here?” and Alice Belt — is a working plantation of grapes, blueberries Looking over the site, the “knob” — a parcel of land in front and muscadines, and a commercial winery. In addition, the Belts’ of where their beautiful home and tasting room is now located — beautiful mountaintop home and vineyards also serve as the immediately caught Chuck’s attention. backdrop for more and more weddings and receptions.

“I thought, that’s the perfect place to plant grapes,” he said.

During a recent tour of the winery, Chuck said his own That was in 2004 and today, about six acres of grapes of interest in wine began in the 70s. various varieties are cultivated, along with plantings of muscadines “That was about the time I started consuming wines,” he and blueberries. grinned. “At that time, most of the wines were coming out of “We grow everything here that is used in our wines except for California. I started studying about wines and paid more attention blackberries, and those are imported from Union County,” Alice to taste, and more attention to the ‘when and why’ of winemaking said. and the different varieties of grapes that were grown.”

The couple three years ago added the muscadines because so An engineering career, which he was still involved in at the many people were asking for that wine, and last year harvested time of this writing in the spring of 2016, consumed most of his enough to make their first batch of the deliciously traditional attention for the next several years, but winemaking was never far “southern grape” wine. from his mind.

The blueberries were planted just last year but still produced “I am planning to retire in June, and I’ll be able to spend a lot enough fruit for a small batch of blueberry wine. more time doing what I love to do,” he said during an interview in Most of what is grown at Spout Spring are what Chuck calls the Spring of 2016. typical European grapes.

The road to fruition for Spout Spring began at a family “The higher mountainous altitude gets you out of the late reunion in 2003, when the couple — who at that time lived in frosts and the early frosts because of the temperature inversion,” Knoxville — ran into an uncle of Alice’s who was getting ready to sell the Grainger County land where their home and business is Continued on page 13

KATE • SCARLET • CABERNET SAUVIGNON MUSCADINE • BLACKBERRY RIESLING • CHARDONNAY SMOKY MOUNTAIN ROSE

12 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Front view of house and tasting room

Swing tree and view of the house

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things in the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection.”

— Ernest Hemingway

The fireplace mantel features Chuck’s hand-carved grape leaves.

Fireplace on the porch

Discover Grainger County • 2016 13

Wedding recption area

Bluegrass pickin’ and grinnin’

From page 11

he explained. “The wind, air and water drainage, and being on top of this knob is the best you can do in Tennessee.”

All of the grapes are picked by hand, although the couple said laughingly, that the fruit is not processed by tossing it into a huge vat where barefooted women stomp out the juice, conjuring up images of Lucy and Ethel in a classic episode of the old “I Love Lucy” show.

“That image transcends generations, too,” Chuck laughed. “Younger people may not remember much about the ‘Lucy’ show but most people at some point in their lives have seen that clip and remember it!”

“The process is a little more refined than that today, thank goodness, and a lot more sanitary!” Alice laughed.

On the enormous front porch of their home is a stone-faced outdoor fireplace with a heavy wooden mantle featuring hand-carved vignettes of the leaves of different types of grapes grown in their vineyard.

Chuck himself expertly carved each ‘leaf’ by hand from the wood of a tree that blew over in a storm.

Today, Spout Spring Estates Vineyard and Winery is one of the largest producers of Cabernet Sauvignon wine grapes in Tennessee, along with Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, and Riesling grapes for use in their own wines, and — because their vines are so prolific and in an average year produce far more than they can use in the production of their own wines — the remaining grapes are sold to a winemaking group in Sevier County.

“Last year we kept more than 14,000 pounds, enough to make 1,200 gallons of wine,” she said.

But the weather can often be a “killer”, she said.

“You never know what one year to the next will bring,” Alice said. “The lowest amount we produced was 12,000 pounds and the largest harvest we had was more than 65,000 pounds. You get those late, unexpected freezes or too much rain, not enough rain. It all affects the crops in a big way, just like any other crop.”

The dedicatory plaque at the the entrance to Spout Spring Estates Vineyard and Winery.

The harvested fruit is then brought to the Belts’ basement wine-production facility where it is de-stemmed and crushed.

“White” grapes immediately go to the “press” where the juice is then collected. White grape juice goes immediately to processing tanks with yeast and other required additives to begin the fermentation process, or the process whereby sugar is converted into alcohol.

The fermentation process for “red” wines requires the skins to be included in the mix to preserve the color as well as the unique flavor, Alice explained.

The production process also involves “racking” the wine, or moving it from one 50- or 80-gallon tank to Continued on page 14

14 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Sauvignon, Smoky Mountain Rose, Blackberry, Muscadine, Riesling and Chardonnay. another to remove sediment from the fruit, yeast, and any other In addition to their trademark wines, Spout Spring Estates small particles that might affect the quality or the clarity of the also offers a delicious Cabernet Sauvignon Jelly which pairs really wine. well with hot buttermilk biscuits and sausages on a cold winter’s “I can do most of this process by myself,” she said, “which is morning! a real asset for a two-person operation, especially while he is still The incredibly beautiful location in rural Grainger County is working!” also fast becoming a “destination” for couples looking for a unique After those steps are complete, the wine goes into barrels setting for weddings and other special events throughout the year. made from Appalachian oaks — from Tennessee, Virginia and “We love people to come and have their weddings here,” Kentucky — where it ages for different lengths of time depending Alice said.

“It really is such a beautiful, peaceful place.” on the type of wine being made and the age of the barrel itself.

When you visit Spout Spring Estates Winery and Vineyard, Each barrel holds about 60 gallons and barrels can be used for if time allows, be sure to walk down the hill from the Tasting more than one batch of wine.

Room toward the luxuriously green vineyards and sit for a spell Some of the more simpler wines age for as little as three to in the iconic swing, attached to the limb of a majestic tree that six months, while the more complex wines require as much as appears to be every bit of 500 years old, gaze at the natural beauty several years in the barrels prior to being bottled. of the Smoky Mountains beyond, pick up a bottle of one of their Many wines must then “age” for additional periods of time trademark wines, sip a sample, watch the sun slowly slip below even after the liquid is bottled in order to achieve the proper the horizon in a dazzling display of reds, purples and yellows ... aroma (bouquet) and flavor. savor the moment, savor the incredible natural beauty of Grainger Berries harvested later in a season tend to be sweeter, and County, savor the wine ... every harvest offers its own subtle differences in both the quality ... and enjoy. and sugar level of the grapes.

From page 13

Once the wine is bottled, labels are hand-applied and stocks are moved into the Tasting Room located across the spacious porch of the Belts’ home with a million-dollar view of the peaks of the nearby Smoky Mountains.

In the Tasting Room, visitors can sample the Belts’ Cabernet

By Tommy Campbell

Editor & Publisher

The end to a beautiful harvest day at Spout Spring Estates Winery and Vineyard.

Jesus changes water into wine John 2:1-11

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

(New International Version®, NIV®, ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission)

How to find us:

Spout Spring Estates Winery and Vineyard Alice and Chuck Belt 430 Riddle Lane (Just off U.S. 11W between Blaine and Rutledge) Blaine, TN 37709 Phone: (865) 719-7485 E-mail: belt.alice@gmail.com

Tasting Room Hours of Operation

Monday: Closed Tuesday: Noon until Dark Wednesday: Noon until 6 p.m.

Thursday through Saturday: Noon until Dark Sunday: 1 until 5:30 p.m.

Additional times by appointment only.

To schedule appointments, or to discuss holding your wedding or other special event here, contact Alice at the address listed above.

16 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Capturing the P Voelker

Kacy & Shane

BLAINE — When the former Kacey Roach began to look for a photographer to capture images of her wedding on June 6, 2015 to Shane Voelker, she looked no further than her lifelong friend, Chauntae Johnson.

And for a venue?

The magnificent almost “Tuscany” mountaintop scenery of Chuck and Alice Belt’s Spout Spring Winery and Vineyard in Blaine.

“We just fell in love with Spout Spring,” Kacey said. “The atmosphere embodied exactly what we wanted to experience on one of the most important days of our lives. The beauty of the vineyard and the mountain views were breathtaking, and the Belts were an absolute joy to work with. Our wedding was what I had always dreamed of!”

In addition, Kacey said, it just goes to prove what she has known all her life: “Grainger County offers not only some of the nicest people you will ever meet, but also the most stunning scenery you cannot find anywhere else in East Tennessee”.

Now a mother and a “proud Coast Guard wife”, Chauntae said her passion for photography began at a very young age.

“From the first time I picked up my grandfather’s Nikon film camera!” she said. “I had many cameras growing up, but it wasn’t until my daughter was born that I decided I wanted to further pursue my love for photography.”

Now, almost eight years later, the professional Knoxvillebased photographer says, “I haven’t put my camera down since I bought my very first DSLR.” “Kacey and I grew up together from kindergarten to our senior year in high school,” Chauntae said. “We played both basketball and softball together for several years.”

Continued on page 18

PerfectWedding Photography by Chauntae Johnson

18 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Above: The massive, ancient shade tree that stands between the Belts’ home and the vineyards of Spout Spring Winery is fast becoming an iconic setting for weddings at the mountaintop farm and winery in Grainger County.

Below: The spacious, rustic “back porch” of the Belts’ home is a perfect setting for wedding receptions.

From page 16

When high school days ended, the two kept in contact and have remained close friends.

“It was an honor when Kacey asked me to do her engagement and wedding photos at Spout Spring Winery and Vineyard,” she said. “I was immediately blown away at how gorgeous the wedding venue was.”

The wedding couldn’t have went any better, Chauntae said.

“And to top the day off, it ended with the prettiest sunset, which made for some breathtaking photos at the vineyard,” she said. “I have since photographed several other weddings at Spout Spring and I can tell you what a truly beautiful place it is for a wedding venue!”

By Tommy Campbell

Editor & Publisher

Readers may contact Chauntae through her Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/ Chauntae-JohnsonPhotography-180211724800 or by email at chauntaejohnsonphotography@gmail.com.

Discover Grainger County • 2016 19

Photography by Chauntae Johnson

20 Discover Grainger County • 2016 Rick checking zucchini

...an adventure more exciting than you could ever dream

Discover Grainger County • 2016 21

BLAINE — Another photographer whose clients have chosen Spout Spring Estates Vineyard and Winery for their weddings is Jewels Photography, a Maryville-Tennessee based adventure wedding photographer.

The photos featured here are among those Julie made of Brianna and Jacob Wenger’s wedding on May 30, 2015 at the beautiful venue in Grainger County.

Julie may be contacted at www.jewelsphotography.com or by phone at 865-282-3017

Wenger

Brianna & Jacob

Photography by Jewels Photography

22 Discover Grainger County • 2016

We’re here for you when a band-aid is not enough.

Providing • Skilled Nursing • Home Health Aide • Hospice • Physical Therapy • Speech Therapy • Medical Social Services • Private Duty • Choices Medicaid Waiver Service

See us for all your medical equipment needs.

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Lift Chairs Power Chairs Walkers Braces Oxygen Therapy

Hancock County Home Health and Hospice Agency

• Nebulizers • C-pap and Bi-Pap Units and Accessories

(Personal Care and Homemaker)

Accepting patients in Grainger, Hawkins, Claiborne and Hancock Counties

... and lots more.

Hancock Medical Equipment

We are accepting applications for full time and part time Certified Nursing Assistants in Hawkins County

1326 Main Street • Sneedville, TN 37869

423-733-4032 • Fax: 423-733-2681 Toll Free: 877-733-4032

423-733-9200 • Fax 423-733-9201 24-Hour Toll Free: 1-855-245-3649 We take Medicare HMOs, Traditional Medicare, TennCare and Private Insurances. We are the 10th poorest in the Nation and we understand patients’ need and do not discriminate.

To make a referral or for more information about the services we provide please call the office at 423-733-4032.

Fun at every turn!

2016 F-150 XL 20 SuperCab 4X4 Su

2016 Mustang V6 Fastback

Celebrating 100 Years!

Family Owned — Proudly serving the residents of East Tennessee since 1916

JARNAGIN Monday - Friday: 8am - 6pm • Saturday: 8am - 2pm

7405 Rutledge Pike • Rutledge, TN • 865-828-5215

Go Further www.jarnaginford.com

Discover Grainger County • 2016 23

758 Main Street Visit our Bean Station Historical Museum Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Town of Bean Station Open 8-4.30 Monday - Friday

865-993-3177

Police Department: 865-993-5155

on Main Downtown Morristown, TN | 42 423.581.0600 • 162 W. Broadway, Jefferson City, TN | 865.471.7848

24 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Tate Springs in 1898:

Antique photo collection offers a rare glimpse of Bean Station landmark

BEAN STATION — Tate Springs in Bean Station has a storied history. The spring itself was probably first discovered by the Indians. Even in early times, the water from the spring was considered to have special and healing properties.

In 1791, William Hord was the first owner of the spring, obtaining the property in a North Carolina land grant. In 1865, Samuel Baker Tate bought the land and built the first hotel.

In 1876, Captain Thomas Tomlinson bought the Tate Springs property and transformed it into a world class resort. A huge Victorian- style hotel was built (and added onto over the decades), and a two-story gazebo was built over the spring. There was room for more than 600 hundred guests, with the “Tate Epsom Water” the biggest attraction. Mineral water resorts were a national phenomenon, and Tate Springs was as elegant as they came.

Many of America’s wealthiest families frequented Tate Springs, including the Fords, Rockefellers, Firestones, Studebakers and Mellons. Most visitors came to the resort on the Peavine Railroad.

Many factors played into the decline of the resort. The advent of automobile travel seemed to hurt the resort, and the train ceased running in 1928. The depression hit. The resort was

Guests dressed in finery of the day

closed for good in 1941.

In 1943 the property was sold to Kingwood School. In 1963 the grand hotel was destroyed by fire. The gazebo and many building from the glory days of Tate Springs still remain on the Kingswood School property.

In the early 1990s, Fred Campbell asked me about printing some glass negatives that a relative had found under an abandoned house. They were in reasonably good condition and I was able to make contact prints from most of them. The first batch that Fred brought to me was in the original box that the glass plates were sold in.

In ancient pencil lettering, “Tate Springs 1898” was written on the box. There are about 160 images in the collection. They all appear to be made at Tate Springs and the surrounding area.

The photographer is unknown. A chance mention of the images to Bean Station Mayor Terry Wolf led to a book of the images being published in 2013 for the town of Bean Station.

These images offer a unique vision of life at Tate Springs in a bygone era.

By Randy Ball

Discover Grainger County Contributor

Probably a family photo

Discover Grainger County • 2016 25

Hunting was one of many activities available at Tate Springs

See more photos on pages 27 - 31

An unknown musician

Guest at the gazebo

26 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Group photo of hotel guests

Some of the hotel staff

Discover Grainger County • 2016 27

The Gazebo

Guests at the gazebo

28 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Looking for that special place, close to home for a get-away?

Try the

Home Place B&B in Mooresburg, Tennessee ... a historic family home with lots of charm!

Call 423-921-8424 ... or check our web page at www.bbonline.com/united-states/tennessee/mooresburg/homeplace.html

Michael’s Family Diner 135 Campbell Lane Sneedville, TN

423-733-4163

:ULWH <÷U 6WRU\ I came to Walters State to get my basic classes out of the way, but I also learned that I love psychology. My professors have shown me how this relates to the world. I want to study the brain more and maybe I’ll go into research.

Keyuna Roberts, psychology Keyuna knows her story will involve psychology.

The best chicken I have eaten!

Good people and great food!

— Trevor

They take extra care to make sure their Broasted Chicken is excellent. The best in East Tennessee. We have sent our friends there.

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Serving Breakfast • Lunch • Di Dinner inner Broasted Chicken Buffet - Saturday & Sunday

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TTomatoes t Green Beans Peppers Cucumbers Cantaloupe Watermelon Potatoes and More!

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Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016 29

In 1876, Captain Thomas Tomlinson bought the Tate Springs property and transformed it into a world class resort. A huge Victorianstyle hotel was built (and added onto over the decades), and a two-story gazebo was built over the spring.

The Tate Springs Hotel

30 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Guests posing for the photographer

The gazebo built over the spring still stands.

Hotel Patrons

Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016 31

Hotel Patrons

The pool house still stands, but the pool has been filled in and made into a parking area.

A sign currently on the Kingswood School property, commemorating the site of the Tate Springs Hotel.

The Tomlinson house in 2016

Sampling the famous spring water

32 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Hannah’s LAKESHORE CAFÉ

NO Joking were sƟll Smoking!

— Must be 21 to enter —

Call ahead for carry-out

865-767-3734 Monday - Saturday — 6:30 am - 9pm

4977 Lakeshore Dr., Bean Station, TN 37708

Hawkins County Branch

You can apply for any of the following classes today!

Administrative Office Technology Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Industrial Electricity Industrial Maintenance Welding Technology Foundations

Full and Part Time Programs

For more information, please contact:

Tennessee College of Applied Technology 323 Phipps Bend Road | Surgoinsville, Tennessee 37873

www.tcatmorristown.edu

423-345-4130 Financial Aid is Available

Mark Albert Skelton Amy Kathleen Skelton Attorneys At Law

Serving East Tennessee Since 1983

DOYLE’S Auto Parts, Tires & Service 8169 Rutledge Pike Rutledge, TN

865-828-4141

Consumer Bankruptcy • Social Security Disability Divorce & Family Law • Estate Planning & Probate The Law Office of Mark A. Skelton is designated by Congress as a debt relief agency.

We have helped people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code since 1983.

423.272.4812 121 South Depot Street Rogersville, Tennessee 37857

www.MarkSkeltonLawOffice.com

Life

Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016 33

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50 Physicians, 30 Advanced Practice Providers, & 25 Specialties 450 Support Staff 20 Years of Medical Service 15 Locations Cocke, Hamblen, Jefferson , & Knox Counties 3 Extended Hours Clinics Full Ancillary Services: Physical and Occupational Therapy, Audiology, Bone Density, Cardio-Pulmonary Lab, Digital Mammography, Sleep Center, Nuclear Medicine, MRI, CT, Digital X-RAY, Full Service Laboratory, Physical Therapy, Digital Image Archiving and Ultrasound.

423.581.5925

34 Discover Grainger County • 2016

New director says Kingswood Home for Children has come full circle BEAN STATION — Kingswood Kingswood Home for Children are there Home for Children is changing and moving through no fault of their own. ahead, while still holding onto tradition.

“Kingswood is trying to provide a home The facility stands on the site of the worldenvironment for the kids,” Whaley said. “The famous former Tate Springs resort. While Bible speaks over and over about caring for the massive hotel is gone, many of the orphans and widows. While these children are original structures are still in use. The original not ‘orphans’, they are children that need the bathhouse is one of the first structures a love and support of place like Kingswood”. visitor sees from nearby US 11W. The Kingswood has suffered through some historic gazebo which stands over the financial instability but is now working to spring is still there, along with the imposing become more stable. At the time of this Tomlinson house, and many smaller houses writing, there were 26 children at Kingswood and structures that have survived from when with room for a total of 32. Two cottages are the resort was in its hey-day. being remodeled and when completed, they The property has been a home for will be able to serve 48. There are even more children for decades, but is going though to remodel, which will eventually bring the many changes. It used to be called total capacity to 56.

Gene Whaley “Kingswood School” but is now “Kingswood This is the first year that there have been Home for Children” and a new logo has been no school classes at Kingswood with students Executive Director designed. transitioning into Grainger County schools.

A new Executive Director, Gene Whaley, came on board in Kingswood, Whaley said, is planning to partner with Cornerstone January of 2016. According to Whaley, the mission of Kingswood Academy in Morristown and next year one half of the children Home for Children is “Bringing healing to hurting children and will be enrolled there. families in His name”.

Kingswood strives to “speak to the whole child, physically, The home continues to have a strong spiritual emphasis. The education, spiritually and developmentally”. This requires many church is one of the most prominent buildings on campus and important staff members such as case managers, a campus there is a full-time campus minister. While the home is state minister and a transition coordinator. licensed, it is not state funded. It is a 100% privately funded While not state funded, Kingswood is state licensed, which Christian home for children. In the past, Kingswood school was means that they must follow all age requirements. Kingswood often a destination for children in trouble. serves ages 5-18.

Whaley said that the home now serves abandoned, abused, Whaley says the children come from many different counties neglected and displaced children. The children served by

Continued on page 36

Discover Grainger County • 2016 35

“ Tate Springs’ water was said to have healing qualities. We’ve come full circle and now it’s a place of healing for the kids in our community.”

This house is a survivor from the Tate Springs days.

— Gene Whaley

Executive Director One of the student cottages at Kingswood

The Chapel is an important part of life at Kingswood Home for Children.

Photos by Randy Ball

36 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Dresden working on a computer at Kingswood

Nevaeh

From page 34

Samantha

as well as different sources.

“Anyone can make a referral to Kingwood from individuals, corporations, churches, or DCS,” he said, adding that “every child is in a state of crisis when they come to Kingswood and we want to be a place of healing.”

Whaley came to Kingswood after six years with DCS and seven with the Boys and Girls Club of Morristown. He and his wife, Abbi, have four children, Lydia (10), Mariah (8), Elijah (6) and Nora (10 months). He feels that God put him in his position at Kingswood and is excited about the future as he helps facilitate Kingswood’s new vision.

That new vision includes a name change, a new logo, rewriting policy, expanding the board, and going out and raising money.

Persons who would like to help may donate in a variety of ways, Whaley said, including monetary (regular, monthly, or one-time gifts), donations of real estate, remembering KHFC in wills and estate planning, and gifts of household items, toiletries, kitchen supplies or by simply volunteering to help out with a variety of projects around campus.

Even through all the changes, Kingswood clings to its past in one special way.

Leland, staffer Lynn Inman, Blake, and staffer Deliana Hodoroaba

Sarah

Korry Lindgren is in charge of food preparation

Discover Grainger County • 2016 37

Jaun, Leland, and Hayden (and the campus dog) enjoy some free time.

Kyla

“Tate Springs’ water was said to have healing qualities,” Whaley said.

“We’ve come full circle and now it’s a place of healing for the kids in our community.”

Visitors are always welcome and tours of Kingswood Home for Children can be arranged.

For more information or to become involved in this ongoing work, contact Whaley at:

Kingswood Home for Children P.O. Box 5000 Bean Station, TN 37708 865-767-2121

Photos By Randy Ball

By Randy Ball

Discover Grainger County Contributor

Kingswood Home for Children

Transition coordinator Joy Lambert

Storm

Marissa

38 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

National Kennel Club, IncÂŽ An All-Breed Registry Since 1964

134 Rutledge Pike P.O. Box 331 Blaine, TN 37709

865-932-9680 Fax: 865-932-2572

Email: contactus @nationalkennelclub.com

LEARN. PLAY. BE INSPIRED. Tack hanging on wall

700 Hall of Fame Drive Knoxville, TN 37915 (865) 633-9000 wbhof.com

Since 1964 the National Kennel Club (NKC) has operated to help dog owners register any purebred dog. The NKC has been fair and impartial to all breeders, dog owners, and the various breeds they represent. With the NKC rare breeds may be shown with equal status as well as the major breeds.

The NKC licenses all-breed dog shows, events for Coon Dogs, Beagles, Squirrel Dogs, Bird dogs, Fox dogs, Licensed Dog Kennels, Show Judges, and other dog related-events.

www.nationalkennelclub.com

Discover Grainger County • 2016 39

2016

Series

SURGOINSVILLE 10 MILER Saturday, February 27, 8:30am Surgoinsville Middle School

THE RIVER MILE

Tuesday, June 7, 6:00pm Laurel Run Park – Church Hill

SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2010 Race of the Year Award RRCA Southern Region 10 Mile Championship

SFTC Kids’ Festival of Miles SFTC Mile Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition

PHIPPS BEND RIVER RUN

Saturday, June 25, 8:00am Phipps Bend Industrial District – Surgoinsville

Saturday, March 19, 8:30am 10 mile trail race Phipps Bend Industrial District – Surgoinsville Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC Trail Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2013 Shirt of the Year Award

SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2011 Shirt of the Year Award

FIRECRACKER 4 MILER Monday, July 4, 7:00am Rogersville City Park

SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2006 Race of the Year Award Rogersville 4th of July Celebration Event

LAUREL RUN ASCENT

WOLF RUN

Saturday, April 16, 8:30am 11 mile trail race Laurel Run Park – Church Hill

Tuesday, July 19, 6:00pm 7 mile trail race Bays Mountain Park – Kingsport

Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC Trail Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2013 Race of the Year Award

Kingsport Fun Fest Event Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Trail Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2014 & 2010 Shirt of the Year Award SFTC 2012 & 2009 Race of the Year Award

AMIS MILL 10K

BAYS MOUNTAIN TRAIL RACE

Saturday, May 7, 8:00am Amis Mill Eatery – Rogersville SFTC King & Queen Competition

CASA ROAD RACE 8K & MILE

Saturday, June 4, 8:00am Crockett Spring Park – Rogersville SFTC Kids’ Festival of Miles SFTC Mile Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition

PHIPPS BEND 5K

Saturday, September 24, 8:00am 15 mile trail race Bays Mountain Park – Kingsport

Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC Trail Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition SFTC 2012 & 2009 Shirt of the Year Award SFTC 2014, 2011 & 2008 Race of the Year Award

www.RunTriCities.org

For information, contact…

Race Director Mark Skelton, 423.272.4812 (office)

markskelton@markskelton.com • www.MarkSkeltonLawOffice.com

Law Office of Mark A. Skelton Serving East Tennessee since 1983 Consumer Bankruptcy • Social Security Disability Estate Planning & Probate • Family Law

40 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Daniel Boone (origin unknown) — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/Grainger Co. Archives

Davy Crockett (Painting by William Henry Huddle) — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/Grainger Co. Archives

Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett may have both visited the Historical Crossroads

W

hen you study the lives of Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, you wonder if it is possible that the crossroads was one of the few places, and possibly the only place, where both of these hunters and pioneers visited and spent time.

Daniel was born in 1734 and was older that Davy. Historians tell us Boone was here exploring the Wilderness Road in 1769 and again in 17775 with William Bean on a hunting trip.

There is also a chance this long hunter made other trips hunting through Grainger County.

In 1798, Crockett’s father was leaving Mossy Creek in Jefferson County and building a tavern in the RussellvilleMorristown area.

As a young lad, it was Davy’s job to hunt and put food on the table for folks who stayed at the tavern.

Davy Crockett would spend a great deal of his time hunting on Crockett Ridge, located in Grainger County and became good friends with George Russell, who was living in the crossroads area.

Historians tell us that Boone and Crockett never met,

however, they both had heard of each other, for everybody knew of Boone’s fame and Davy was making his mark in history as an Indian fighter with the Russells and Beans under Andrew Jackson.

While Crockett was gaining his fame, Daniel’s wife died on March 18, 1813. Daniel would spend his next seven years living with his son, Nathan, in Missouri.

When Daniel got old and could not ain his rifle, he still hunted by trapping. He went on his last hunting trip at age eightthree, two years before he died on September 26, 1820.

PUB. NOTE: This story originally appeared in Ken’s book, “The Wilderness Road, The First Family of Tennessee, and Other Stories That Need to be Told”.

By Ken Coffey

Discover Grainger County Contributor

Discover Grainger County • 2016 41

Famous historical crossroads/intersection at Bean Station, which ran beside and in front of the Tavern. — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/Grainger Co. Archives

Bean Station Tavern at the famous crossroad: After the fire on Christmas 1886, this section is all that remained of Bean Station Tavern. The Tavern stood until 1941. — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/Grainger Co. Archives

42 Discover Grainger County • 2016

“Clinchdale” ... the Shields Farm, ancestral home of U.S. Sen. John K. Shields who introduced a bill that led to the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and his brother, W.S. Shields, who gave the money to build the University of Tennessee’s football field. Both men were born on this farm. The foundation of the house is reportedly still there and can be seen when not under the waters of Cherokee Lake. The industrial park on US 11W is built on a portion of the farm.

— Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/Grainger Co. Archives

Shields’ Station – located on US 11W in Blaine, Tennessee. — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/Grainger Co. Archives

Discover Grainger County • 2016 43

Senator John K. Shields introduced a bill in the U.S. Senate in 1924 that paved the way for the creation the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/ Grainger Co. Archives

T

Col. W.S. Shields provided the funds to build the University of Tennessee’s football field. — Photo courtesy Ken Coffey/ Grainger Co. Archives

TheofShields Family Grainger County

he Honorable John K. Shields was born on August 15, 1858, at Clinchdale in lower Bean Station.

Undertaking a career in law, Shields was admitted to the bar in 1879. He was in partnership with his father until 1881 when his father retired.

In 1888, at the age of 30, he was appointed a Master in Chancery Court, serving six years. He continued to practice law until 1902, when he was selected to the Tennessee Supreme Court.

In 1910, he was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Tennessee.

In 1913, Shields was elected to the United State Senate. John K. Shields, a Democrat, was considered one of the top contenders

for a seat on the United States Supreme Court in 1922.

Shields retired to his Grainger County farm where he resided until his death in 1934.

Rob and Lisa Ray are the current owners of 325 acres of the original 3,500-acre Shields farm.

Rob said his first paying job was helping former farm manager Jack Ritter.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would grow up and be able to own this land.”

In 1987, Rob’s dad first proposed the idea of acquiring the farm. They put in a bid and won. They built their home in 1998 and considered themselves very lucky to live in what was formerly Continued on page 45

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44 Discover Grainger County • 2016

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Branded Water-Soluble Fertilizer Drip Tape Mulch Film Lay Flat Hose Oval Hose Irrigation Fittings Greenhouse Supplies Crop Protection Chemicals Professional Soil

Discover Grainger County • 2016 45

From page 43

called “Clinchdale.”

After living at Clinchdale, Rob became interested in Senator Shields’ background.

About five years ago, he unexpectedly met Senator Shields step-great-granddaughter, who lives in Blacksburg, Virginia. She had driven down to walk around her family’s home place and to locate Senator Shields’ grave.

They struck up a friendship and subsequently she provided Rob with dozens of pictures of the farm taken anywhere from 75 to 100 years ago. She also gave him some items that belonged to the Senator, including a fountain pen and his wooden gavel.

She said they needed to be “back home in Grainger County.”

Senator Shields died in 1934 and was buried at Clinchdale.

His body was later moved to Knoxville as a result of the creation of Cherokee Lake.

The irony of this is that he was quoted as saying, “commerce must stop at the grave” in one of his most important rulings while serving on the state Supreme Court.

In 1924, Senator Shields was the legislator who introduced in the United States Senate a bill to create “The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”

Col. W.S. Shields, the Senator’s older brother, left Clinchdale for Knoxville, where he started a banking business as president of Knoxville’s City Bank in 1919.

He met and married Alice Watkins and later provided initial capital to prepare and equip an athletic field for the University of Tennessee.

When the field was completed in March 1921, it was called Shields-Watkins Field in honor of the donor and his wife.

The stadium enclosing the field came to bear its own distinguished name, Neyland Stadium.

The project began in 1919 with a $22,500 gift for an athletic field from an elderly banker known as Col. William Simpson Shields.

Born in Grainger County before the Civil War, the former farmer was a University of Tennessee trustee.

James McDaniel built Shields Station at Blaine’s Crossroads in the late 1700s.

McDaniel was massacred along with two other men by Cherokee Indians around 1785.

His daughter, Jane McDaniel Campbell, who was sole heir to the property, sold his home in 1833 to Dr. Samuel and Milton Shields, two brothers who immediately opened a store, which came to be known as Shields Station.

A Post Office was established there, and it was also a stagecoach stop and tavern for many years.

Many famous people rested at the tavern, including Presidents Jackson, Johnson and Polk.

Land was added until Shields Station was a 1,000-acre plantation, supporting family and several slaves.

A historical marker stands in Hamblen County, in an area that was formerly Grainger County, marking the site of the Shields Paper Mill. The mill was established in 1820 by Samuel and Milton Shields on Spring Creek, about a mile southeast of the present day bridge. It was the first paper mill established west of the Appalachian Divide, and it included a printing press.

The mill published Life of George Washington and Life as It Is before it shut down shortly after 1840.

Ken Coffey

Photo — East TN Historical Society, www.easttnhistory.org/people/ken-coffey

By Ken Coffey

Discover Grainger County Contributor

is a retired public school teacher who has spent years researching and writing about the people, places and events in Grainger County.

He is a columnist and author, having written books such as “The Great Wilderness Road, the First Family of Tennessee, and Other Stories that Need to be Told”.

Ken has made significant contributions toward securing a federal “Scenic Byway” designation for Hwy. 25E through Grainger County.

As the county’s Historian, Ken has also made vast and valuable contributions to historical and genealogical material now on file at the Grainger County Archives, at Rutledge.

The Rogersville Review is extremely grateful to Ken for sharing with us for this magazine many of his writings and priceless historical photos of Grainger County “in days gone by”.

46 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Contributed photos

Discover Grainger County • 2016 47

Rutledge canning factory worker, c. 1020 — contributed photo.

Grainger County has grown famous tomatoes for more than 100 years

Grainger County tomatoes are known throughout East Tennessee and many states in the country.

After making a comeback from the 1920s, ‘30s and early ‘40s, tomatoes are once again a primary crop in Grainger County.

Anderson Helton opened a cannery from 1929 to 1946 where he employed between 30 and 35 people.

Working at the cannery were growers, pickers, haulers, scalders, peelers, labelers and crimpers, and those who put lids on the cans.

After the work was done at the cannery, the labels were put on the cans in an old storage building in Liberty Hill. This building was also used to store the cases of tomatoes that were shipped to other states by train and later by trucks.

Many Grainger County residents, like Hassell Ritter, still recall the time when canneries were used to produce tomatoes.

Unlike the early year when canneries were in operation, the crops grown today are shipped fresh to

surrounding counties and states to get the best-tasting tomatoes money can buy.

Over the years, a cult following for the tomatoes has developed within a 250-mile radius of Grainger County.

Local farmers have grown these tomatoes in garden varieties in soil well suited for tomatoes for more than one hundred years.

The uniqueness of these tomatoes is now celebrated each year at the Grainger County Tomato Festival held in Rutledge in July.

During the three-day festival, there are games, rides, exhibits, entertainment groups and the famous Tomato Wars, all in recognition of Grainger County’s most honored crop and the official state fruit of Tennessee.

By Ken Coffey

Discover Grainger County Contributor

48 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

...more images fr Beets Service Station, Bean Station

H.E. and J.P. Beets, Beets Store, Bean Station

Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016 49

rom the past

The 1930â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s-era Civilian Conservation Corps camp at Buffalo with church and school in the background.

Grainger County Courthouse, winter of 1926

Photos courtesy Ken Coffey and Grainger Co. Archives

50 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Jarnagin Motor Co., Rutledge, May, 1927; the men standing in front are (left to right) — Mr. Jarnagin (father of Bill), Bill Jarnagin, Tom Ragsdale.

Photo taken from Old Fort Hill, 1940, of Bean Station’s last corn crop farmed by William Coffey around the old Tavern.

Photos courtesy Ken Coffey and Grainger Co. Archives

Massengill Mill

Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016 51

Tate Springs Bath House and Swimming Pool (above). See page 29 for a view of the historic Bath House as it appears today. The Historic Tate Springs Hotel is pictured below.

Bartlett Yancy Harris about 1905

Sam and Elsie Harris about 1907

Grace Harris about 1905

Discover Grainger County • 2016 53

Surviving History

tells the story of a Bean Station family

In our twentyfirst century world, travel and information move at breakneck speed. Because of this, we sometimes think of our ancestors as slow and dull, living lives as gray as the pictures they inhabit. However, when one East Tennessee woman researched her Grainger County ancestors, she discovered they experienced such dangerous events and interesting times that our lives today seem boring in comparison.

BEAN STATION —

Her book, Surviving History: the Life of B.Y. Harris in East Tennessee, explores the adventures of a Grainger County family who lived near the town of Bean Station.

In 1835 Bartlet Yancy (B.Y.) Harris moved to Grainger County as an eight year-old with his parents and siblings. At that time, Bean Station functioned as an important crossroads for all types of travelers, but especially those on stagecoaches.

In fact, the “station” in Bean Station refers to its origin as a stagecoach stop. The town contained one of the country’s largest combination inn/taverns, an essential rest stop for travelers and an important gathering place for the community.

Surviving History describes how Harris grew up at the base of Clinch Mountain. He later married Lucretia Gray, a wealthy man’s daughter from the town of Mooresburg in nearby Hawkins County. They settled into life together, buying land and having

Continued on page 54

54 Discover Grainger County • 2016 From page 53

children. A natural businessman, Harris owned a tobacco processing company, then a blacksmith shop and later a mill.

Like most Grainger County inhabitants, he also farmed.

The histories of B.Y. Harris and Bean Station would have gone more smoothly if not for the intervention of one of America’s most horrific events, the Civil War. When the war began, the state of Tennessee seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy, but most East Tennesseans disagreed with secession and with slavery. Their beliefs put the region in conflict with the state government.

Atlanta. Later, at the battle of Franklin in Middle Tennessee, the opposing army included the 19th Confederate Tennessee Infantry of Mooresburg, Tennessee. Mooresburg lies just across the Hawkins/Grainger county line from B.Y.’s family farm.

Unfortunately, these neighbors fought on opposite sides at “bloody Franklin.” Later the survivors had to live near each other and interact almost daily. Naturally, problems arose.

During the war, civilians in Grainger County experienced almost unimaginable hardship. Two armies, one Union and one Confederate, inhabited East Tennessee for much of the conflict.

At first the Confederates governed the area, then the Union did.

The two armies skirmished against each other whenever possible and conducted several campaigns throughout the Tennessee Valley. A lengthy battle took place in the town of Bean Station, causing considerable damage to the Bean Station Tavern and leaving dozens of men for the townspeople to bury.

Throughout the war both Union and Confederate forces foraged for food from the locals. B.Y.’s wife Lucretia dealt with foragers more than once during his time in the army. Many local women and children went hungry because soldiers stole their food and livestock. This didn’t just include pigs and chickens; horses and fodder to feed the army’s animals were confiscated also. The formerly lush farming lands became destitute. Both armies declared martial law, limiting the rights of civilians. In this war zone where security no longer existed, society all but collapsed. The hard times bred bitterness.

The author spent years researching the events of Surviving History. She gained access to many family documents, some as many as 160 years old. Luckily, B.Y. Harris believed in recordkeeping. Since his farm stayed in the family long after his death, the records stayed there too, tucked away in a wooden box. These documents ranged from Civil War pension and discharge papers to bar tabs from the Bean Station Tavern. They also included private letters and ledgers from the blacksmith shop and the tobacco marketing businesses. In addition, her great aunt Elsie Samsel had already mapped out the family genealogy.

The author also read analyses of the area’s wartime experiences, a dozen census documents and a journal kept by Captain Bible of the Union’s 8th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry Regiment. Civil War prison records proved invaluable too.

She carefully documented this information so other researchers can apply her work to their own family histories. While much information can be found online, additional help came from the Grainger County Archives located in Rutledge, Tennessee.

Having archivist Stevvi Cook answer questions and point out valuable resources greatly supported the creation of Surviving History.

During the 1980’s, several of the author’s family members reconnected with distant relatives in Idaho. The Tennesseans traveled west to meet with descendants of B.Y.’s son Samuel.

During the war, civilians in Grainger County experienced almost unimaginable hardship. Two armies, one Union and one Confederate, inhabited East Tennessee for much of the conflict.

Four friends. Back, Porter Harris, prob. Timmie Bishop.

Front, Grace Harris and Euenia Harris Confederate supporters did exist in the area, though. Loyalties in the nearby city of Knoxville were split almost fifty/fifty. As for B.Y. and Lucretia, he and his family supported Lincoln and did not believe in slavery. Lucretia’s father, however, owned several slaves, so she grew up with the practice. Similar to other East Tennesseans, they felt torn, and living in so conflicted a time made decisions difficult.

As the book explains, during the Civil War B.Y. and four of his five brothers enlisted in the Union Army. They served in the Eighth Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. In fact Grainger County men comprised almost all of the 8th Tennessee’s Company I. These soldiers traveled throughout the southeast and fought in major battles such as the months-long struggle for

Discover Grainger County • 2016 55

From page 54

One July evening they sat in an Idaho kitchen and talked about their family history and life experiences, recording it all with a tape recorder. One hundred and twenty years after the event, both family groups told similar versions of how B.Y. joined the Union Army. The cassette tape made on that day greatly helped the author as she wrote B.Y.’s story. She suggests that every family make a similar record, even if younger generations don’t seem interested in family history.

While researching her book, the author came across one detail about the Harris family that seemed too improbable to be true. The genealogy notes made decades before included the question: “did a Harris fight for the Confederacy?” The question had been marked through but with no additional information added.

Only one of B.Y. Harris’ brothers did not fight with him in the Union’s 8th Tennessee Volunteer Infantry. Booker Harris left Tennessee as a young man and after a few years lost contact with his parents and siblings. The U.S. Army drafted him when he lived in Missouri, but the author could not discover where he actually served. However, several records of a Booker Harris existed in Confederate documents, but with no additional information, there was no reason to link that man with the East Tennessee Harris family. After all, Harris is a common surname. So Booker’s possible Confederate connection wasn’t mentioned in the book.

Surprisingly, the marked-over note made 35 years earlier turned out to be true. After publishing Surviving History, the author came in contact with a distant relative of Lucretia Gray Harris, B.Y.’s first wife. Two of her nephews had moved to Missouri with James Harris, B.Y.’s brother. It seems that in Missouri, it was well known that James’ brother Booker had indeed fought for the Confederacy! Luckily the brothers never came into contact during the war.

After years of fighting, East Tennessee men from both sides of the conflict returned to Grainger County and faced destruction and despair. Unfortunately, not all five Harris brothers survived the war. Recovery of the land and its people took decades. Several of B.Y.’s children moved west with his brother James in search of a better life. B.Y. found solace in religion, but still struggled with the loss of his comrades, despair over his wartime experiences, and the death of Lucretia. The next decades of his life featured regrouping, rebuilding and prevailing over a staggering number of setbacks. In this too his life mirrors that of many other East Tennesseans.

Surviving History explains how, after the challenges of the mid and late-nineteenth century, Grainger County’s circumstances improved. One business especially aided in this rebuilding: the Tate Springs Hotel. This resort began as a sanitarium where veterans and tuberculosis patients rested and enjoyed the benefits of spring water and county air. Over time, though, it expanded into a grand Victorian hotel frequented

The events of B.Y. Harris’ lifetime intertwine with the history of East Tennessee and that of America.

Harris’ experiences reveal the perseverance and resourcefulness of his fellow East Tennesseans.

Yancy Harris about 1911 by the fabulously wealthy. Visitors such as the Rockefellers, Fords, Vanderbilts, Firestones, and many others traveled to Grainger County in their private railroad cars. At Tate Springs they enjoyed golfing, picnicking, hunting with the hounds, and swimming in the resort’s pool. In addition to providing these outdoor activities, the hotel contained a ballroom, billiards room and bowling alley. With so many wealthy visitors vacationing in the area, the Fords opened one of America’s first automobile dealerships near the resort.

B.Y. Harris’ life story does not end during the hardships of the post-war era. He perseveres, becoming a mill owner and prosperous farmer. His industrious new wife provides all the butter used in the Tate Springs Hotel’s celebrated kitchen. In later years he marvels at the sight of an automobile motoring past his farm. More importantly, he oversees a sprawling and loving family.

In short, the events of B.Y. Harris’ lifetime intertwine with the history of East Tennessee and that of America. His story features a minuscule part of the vast Civil War and a glimpse into the medical challenges of nineteenth century life. Most importantly, though, Harris’ experiences reveal the perseverance and resourcefulness of his fellow East Tennesseans.

PUB. NOTE: The article was contributed by Marilyn Layman Mascaro, the author of Surviving History. The book may be purchased online from Amazon.com {including in the Kindle store}, Barnes and Noble and Outskirts Press.

56 Discover Grainger County • 2016

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Discover Grainger County • 2016 57 Wildflower garden at Narrow Ridge.

Photo courtesy Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center

Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center:

Heaven on Earth?

Some say it’s as close as one can get!

WASHBURN — Standing atop the windswept Inspiration Point mountain overlook gazing at the panoramic beauty below, one cannot help but be struck by a peaceful, tranquil, almost surreal calm.

Take a deep breath and ... enjoy.

The sounds of the wind rustling through the grass and tall trees.

Fluffy white clouds drifting slowly by on a late spring day, casting shadows upon hills and valleys of East Tennessee.

Birds sing.

Crickets chirp.

Red-tailed hawks soar.

A mountain stream bubbles over billion-year old rocks, worn smooth over the eons, as it flows toward the valley below.

What is noticeably absent are the sounds of road noise, honking horns, and annoying cell phone ring tones.

Ahh ... heaven on Earth!

It is quiet, refreshing, and an amazing change of pace from a hustle and bustle world that has increasingly lost touch with nature and with a slower side of life that beckons the weary and those who want to learn of or reconnect with a simpler, more natural ways, and to rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit.

So, where is this special place?

Right here in Grainger County!

Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center, near Washburn, may very well be one of the best-kept secrets in east Tennessee even though its origins date back to the early 70’s.

The organization will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its second charter this September.

The mission of the non-profit entity is to “provide experiential learning of Earth Literacy is based on the cornerstones of community, sustainability and spirituality”.

The vision of founder Bill Nickle is “one of justice for all that makes up Earth and sustainability in the way we live our lives and the institutions and technologies we create. Our vision is one of education and leadership by example in creating alternatives to the present society and culture”.

Bill told the Review during a recent visit that he established the land preserve to “study, teach and demonstrate sustainability”.

“The college students who visit here are sharp, many of them are honor students, but what they don’t have is experiential knowledge of our natural world and that’s what we try to do, augment all of that intellectual knowledge by introducing them, many of them for the first time, to the wonders of creeks flowing down the mountainside, the beauty of a night sky unencumbered by city lights, and just all of the good stuff about living in a country setting,” Bill said.

Continued on page 58

58 Discover Grainger County • 2016 From page 57

Students from the University of Tennessee, Notre Dame, Carson-Newman, the University of Miami and others visit regularly, usually during the summer months.

“We are always open to whomever wants to come and be with us, even high school students,” he said.

The interaction of college students with solar-power and storage batteries — young people who are accustomed to unlimited amounts of electricity, and who sometimes are prone to leaving lights and electrical appliances on even when not needed — sometimes brings smiles to the staff’s faces.

“We tell them, if you leave the lights on all night tonight, that’s OK but tomorrow morning the water pump won’t work and the fan in the toilet won’t work, so it’s your choice! It sort of puts things into perspective for them and teaches a very valuable lesson about conservation!” Bill said with a grin.

But visits to Narrow Ridge aren’t limited to students.

Visitors of all ages, from teens to senior retirees, are common.

In fact, anyone is welcome to come — solo or as a family or group — and kick back for a day, a week, or to lease a parcel of land for a homesite and stay forever.

“The community here is very supportive of Narrow Ridge,” Bill said.

The “non-member” organization is governed by a nineperson board of directors, but everybody is a member in a sense, Bill said.

“We have more than 40 home sites in our land trust. That ‘base’ community is a real positive thing,” he said. “It gives encouragement to folks who have given up on trying to ‘make it’ in the big cities. Whether its beekeeping, growing herbs, homesteading, people share their skills and knowledge. Our view is, what has the Earth given us that we can get by with?”

In addition to permanent home sites, Narrow Ridge welcomes guests to rental facilities that, thanks to solar power, have been “off the power grid” since 1991.

Some of the structures — such as the amazing Strawbale Lodge and Nickle’s own home — are built primarily from, as the name implies, rectangular bales of straw covered with chicken wire and coated with stucco. The resulting buildings are amazingly attractive and enormously energy-efficient with “R” insulation values of up to 45.

“I think we are kind of a too-well kept secret,” Director Continued on page 63

Photo by Tommy Campbell Nickle and Wood-Von Mizner in resource center library.

Photo by Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center A live music jam at the outdoor stage.

Discover Grainger County • 2016 59

Mac Smith Resource Center at Narrow Ridge. — Photo by Tommy Campbell

The view from Inspiration Point — Photo by Tommy Campbell

Photo by Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center A community potluck meal.

Photo by Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center Yoga at the outdoor stage.

60 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Persimmon Point â&#x20AC;&#x201D; One of the comfortable, rustic rental cabins. Behind the cabin is a solar panel, at left, and the composting enclosure for bathroom waste, at right.

Discover Grainger County • 2016 61

Inside founder Nickle’s cozy strawbale home.

This view inside a trap door shows the straw bale construction of a house. The image was made inside the Mac Smith Resource Center.

— Photos by Tommy Campbell

Downspouts collect rainwater in cisterns for future use.

The outdoor oven is made almost entirely from recycled glass bottles.

62 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Martha Pierce, Co-Operations Manager, Wood-Von Mizner and Nickle inside one of the guest cabins

Discover Grainger County • 2016 63

Shitake mushroom crop growing on wooden hosts

Meditation seat at the Labyrinth

From page 58

Day, which celebrates the beauty, history, culture and music of the Hogskin Valley.

“Families who want their children to ‘de-tox’ from all of their electronic gadgets can come here and enjoy a meal uninterrupted by text messages,” Mitzi said. “If you take those things away from them, they may protest for a time but it doesn’t take long for them to know exactly what to do to have fun in the natural world.

I find that playing in the creek, hiking up the hill, is something that everyone can enjoy. I think it brings out the ‘kid’ in all of us as we rediscover the natural world around us.”

Located on the “north side” of Grainger County, Narrow Ridge is about five miles from Washburn and 15 miles east of US 25E. Mitzi’s husband, Jason Von Mizener, and Martha Pierce serve as Co-Operations Managers, while founder Bill serves as an On-site Volunteer.

“A lot of people talk about sustainability and alternative technologies and fuels, but simplifying is the real key to sustainability,” Mitzi said. “If they come and experience what we have here they find that it is not a sacrifice, they find the rewards of it.”

“You can talk about these things all day long, but experiencing yourself living simply, in such a beautiful place, with people you care about, it can’t help but strengthen your bonds with those people and your bonds with the natural world,” she

Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener said. “If you come here, you really are ‘getting away’ from it all. We are not a tourist destination in that we don’t have gift shops and those sorts of things. But if you just want a place where you can get away, to immerse yourself in the natural world, living a simple kind of lifestyle for a brief period, I think this is a great place.”

With an initial 40 acres in the 1970’s, Narrow Ridge has grown to protect nearly 600 pristine acres of mountain land that is forever set aside in four community land trusts for current and future generations to experience a more natural way of life that respects and embraces various components of a sustainable environment, she said.

“Our buildings and rental facilities are rustic but very comfortable,” Mitzi said. “Your cell phone generally won’t work here, which we consider a good thing! We do have a (land line) phone for public use, though.”

Offering academic and experiential programs, including social ecology courses, Vision Fasts, sustainable living and natural immersion experiences, and alternative spring break opportunities, Narrow Ridge also hosts a variety of agricultural efforts, including a demonstration garden and orchard that provide experiential learning opportunities and supply food for program guests, ongoing community events including Music Jams, Film Nights, Equinox and Solstice Celebrations, community potlucks, Yoga classes, and the popular annual Hogskin History

Continued on page 64

64 Discover Grainger County • 2016

suffer severe devastation, but the Narrow Ridge community has clearly demonstrated for more than a quarter of a century that said. “Narrow Ridge is a rare and unique place where we can adequate electrical power can be harnessed (and stored for future connect with each other and with the natural world around us as use) from natural, unlimited — and inexpensive — solar energy. we tap into those values that we all really do hold. We have fertile More than forty years ago, Bill began searching for a home land, we have access to water, we have adequate rainfall, we have for his vision of providing a place of retreat and restoration for a good climate, so we can not only survive, we can thrive and be folks who were weary from the stressors of modern life. But with very happy and comfortable here.” little funding with which to move forward, the vision was set First-time visitors are often taken aside until the early 90’s when he made aback when they see the simple but the acquaintance of MacGregor Smith. comfortable solar-powered guest houses.

Narrow Ridge was first “born” “Many modern solar-powered homes in 1972, when Bill purchased a 40 of today are palatial, and I think this acre tract of steep, mountain land in creates the misconception that solar energy Grainger County’s ruggedly beautiful is only for the wealthy,” Mitzi said. “But Hogskin Valley. Due to a lack of if you combine alternative energy with financial support, Bill had to take conscientious consumption, then a person a temporary “leave” from Grainger of middle to lower-middle income can do County in 1980 and worked for almost so. Its just a matter of making choices.” a decade at a United Methodist Camp.

“When I was a kid, I was told to save In 1990, he returned to the Valley — electricity by turning off lights and I didn’t with the financial support of Michael know what it meant. I thought it was just Wilburn and Mac Smith — and about saving money on my parents’ power chartered Narrow Ridge for the second bills. But now I understand the connection time. between mountaintop removal and the For more than 25 years now, the role it plays in the production of power, Board of Directors and staff members she added. “When students come in and have successfully guided and expanded we take them on field trips and they see this non-profit corporation to include the devastation and the price we pay, in nearly 600 acres of environmentally terms of what this is doing to the land, protected land. and they really come away with a whole “With Mac’s support, Narrow new perspective.”

Ridge made a fresh start with a new But while the whole concept of way of thinking called Earth Literacy,” Director Mitzi Wood-Von Mizener the Narrow Ridge facility is, by nature, Mitzi said. “communal”, in that people reach out, In his honor, the Mac Smith cooperate and help each other, no one is Resource Center, at the entrance to expected to conform to a given standard, the facility, now houses the Narrow Bill and Mitzi agreed.

Ridge business office, Mac Smith Library (which can seat up “We don’t tell people they have to live exactly like we do, to 25 people as a lecture room), a large dining room, and a fully but we do try to show them that there are other options, that equipped kitchen. they don’t have to live a cookie-cutter existence, that they can There, visitors can peer through a small door into a wall to do something that really means something to them,” Mitzi said. see the actual straw bales that support the walls and roof.

“You really don’t have to have a home with a two-car garage in Guests at Narrow Ridge have a choice of facilities at which to order to be happy!” stay during their visit.

If, all of a sudden, America’s economy were to collapse, or, Strawbale Lodge, named for its unique construction, sleeps shudder the thought, the country come under attack from some up to 18, has five bedrooms with two to six single beds in each, foreign enemy, would the people of today be able to survive? includes a fully-equipped kitchen, a large living/dining room, and Using the principles now in place at Narrow Ridge, the a large bathroom. answer is a very definite yes, human beings could — and would — The Garden Cabin sleeps five with a small bathroom, not only survive but thrive. kitchen/dinette (but no refrigerator), and living and sleeping If a person has access to a small tract of land, some vegetable areas. seed, and understands the basics of farming, they won’t go Persimmon Point sleeps six to eight with a small bathroom hungry, Bill said. and kitchen/dinette. The lodge includes a full-size futon couch in Utilizing the principles of “straw bale” construction, sturdy, the living area and a loft with five to six single beds. comfortable, long-lasting dwellings can be constructed of Some of the lodges are “winterized” from mid-October generally readily-available natural materials at a fraction of the through mid-April, meaning that there is no running water. Fivecost of a conventional house. gallon water coolers are provided for drinking and cleaning needs.

Bill’s own attractive “straw bale” home has stood the test of Solar panels provide electrical power to all of the lodges which also utilize waterless “composting toilets” ... components time for more than 30 years with minimal upkeep and expense. of modern-style bathrooms but with the waste collected and In the event of a nuclear attack, America’s power grid could From page 63

“

I think we are kind of a too-well kept secret. If you come here, you really are ‘getting away’ from it all. We are not a tourist destination in that we don’t have gift shops and those sorts of things. But if you just want a place where you can get away, to immerse yourself in the natural world, living a simple kind of lifestyle for a brief period, I think this is a great place.”

From page 64

composted for agricultural purposes.

The key to Narrow Ridge’s overall success, Bill and Mitzi believe, are the volunteers who have invested thousands of hours of time and hard work into not only building the framework for Narrow Ridge, but also in teaching others how to live simpler, healthier, less stressful lives.

“We have been learners more than teachers, and we have been blessed with some very, very good neighbors,” Mitzi said.

Earth Literacy may represent a new way of thinking to some 21st century souls, but the concept, she said, is as ancient as the very first inhabitants of the North American continent themselves. “ Native people were Earth literate in that they understood the land not from books, lectures or academic conversations, but by paying very close attention to what Earth could teach them,” she said.

Those early Native Americans learned that, through seeking a balanced relationship between themselves and the natural world around them, Earth would provide for their needs.

Mitzi and Bill agree that the fast-paced destructive lifestyles practiced by so many in the “modern” world today has distanced humanity from an appreciation for its natural “roots”.

Narrow Ridge offers visitors and residents alike a rare opportunity to reconnect with their natural heritage.

“It is amazing how a few days of slowing down, breathing fresh air, listening to a bird’s song or gazing at the stars can refresh the soul and help us to better understand our relationship with the rest of the natural world,” Mitzi said.

Even at the end of a person’s life, Narrow Ridge has developed a way in which their bodies can be returned to the soil from whence they came.

In 2007, Narrow Ridge set aside five acres of land for a “green cemetery” as a means of honoring the natural life cycle of birth, death and renewal.

Five years later, in April of 2012, Mitzi said that years of research and planning were rewarded with a letter from the state of Tennessee recognizing Narrow Ridge as the owner/operator of a Natural Burial Preserve ... the very first contemporary “green cemetery” in the state of Tennessee.

Bill explained that the Narrow Ridge Natural Burial Preserve differs from conventional cemeteries in that it is expressly intended to be free of embalming fluids, concrete vaults, nonbiodegradable caskets and chemical fertilizers.

Grave markings of native plants and modestly sized, flat markers of stone native to the area are permitted, and in time, Bill said, the site will return to a natural forest with trails that provide access to grave sites.

A timber-frame pavilion located at the preserve provides a quiet, sheltered space for memorial services or gatherings in honor of deceased loved ones, he said.

There is never a “fee” for a cemetery plot within the site

Discover Grainger County • 2016 65

because Narrow Ridge believes that the death of a loved one should not result in financial hardship for grieving family members, Mitzi said.

However, Narrow Ridge does welcome donations in memory of a deceased loved one, donations that will be used to further the group’s efforts to preserve rural land and promote Earth literacy and sustainable living.

Families who use the burial preserve are responsible for the cost of opening and closing the grave, although it is perfectly acceptable for friends and family to open and close the grave by hand, she said.

Covered pavilion at the Natural Burial Ground

For more information about Narrow Ridge and its activities and programs, readers can visit their website at www.narrowridge. org or call 865-497-2753.

Mitzi and Bill said they would be glad to schedule a tour and provide information regarding upcoming events.

The facility’s physical address is 1936 Liberty Hill Road, Washburn, TN 37888, although be forewarned: many GPS directional devices do not show accurate directions to the site.

VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express cards are accepted for payment of lodge rental fees, which vary according to the different accomodations, and also for donations toward the Center’s “wish list” and ongoing mission.

Readers who would like more information may visit their website at www.narrowridge.org

For more information about Narrow Ridge and its activities and programs, readers can visit their website at www.narrowridge.org or call 865-497-2753.

By Tommy Campbell

Editor & Publisher

66 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Wendy Leedy

H

• ARTIST • INSTRUCTOR • ILLUSTRATOR • • CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL FRAMER • • LOVER OF ANIMALS, HISTORY AND LIFE •

“I’ve got my CPF degree, which is Certified Professional Framer. er college art professor said she’d never work in art, but an animal-loving Grainger County artist not only There’s not a whole lot of us. We don’t just frame pictures. We also do a lot of shadow boxes and memory boxes.” proved him wrong, but ended up with a career in art and her work in a Smithsonian collection.

The other part of “we” is Amy Leedy, Wendy’s daughter-in“I’m basically a picture-framer by trade,” said Wendy Leedy, law, Frame House assistant and fellow artist. owner of The Frame House, located at 4048 Rocky Springs Road “We’ve worked together for the past 16 or 17 years,” Wendy in Bean Station. “I helped my dad in his wood working shop and said. “We get along great. It’s unbelievable. We’re both artists, but we made all my frames. two different kinds. There’s no competition. It’s “When I married and moved up here, just encouragement back and forth. I see things in her work and she sees things in my work.”

I took a piece into one of the frame shops in “My stuff is way more colorful and out there,” Morristown. I looked around and said, ‘Man, it Amy said. would be fun to work in here.’ She said, ‘Well, “I’m more traditional and in the middle of come in Monday,’” Leedy recalled. the box,” Wendy countered. “She’s on the outside “I stayed there for four years. That’s where I going, ‘Come on out! It’s more fun here!’” learned how to do it right – proper materials to “I mix my media up – paint and crayons, oil use, mat margins, the proper backing, the right pastels and crayons, colored pencils and crayons,” kind of glass. Museum glass and conservation Amy said. glass blocks the ultraviolet rays we use on With four dogs wandering around the shop, originals and watercolors, which don’t have a long it’s not surprising to learn Wendy is a lover of shelf life. Non-glare glass is good for people with animals, often making them her subject matter. lots of windows,” explained Leedy, who parlayed the job into a lifelong career.

“I’ve had this shop for 36 years,” she said.

Wilbur Donkey, Chalk Pastel Continued on page 67

Discover Grainger County • 2016 67

Bit by Bit, Wendy’s first pastel on suede accepted to the Smithsonian’s Booth Western Art Museum, Chalk Pastel. animals are first and foremost. I love to capture their character in their eyes and demeanor. But I love going and finding these old “Animals are probably favorite,” Wendy says. “I do a lot of homes and walking around. Every time I had to do a commission work. It’s hard to get into it sometimes because you calendar drawing, if the place was still standing, I’d try don’t have that connection with your subject. If it’s an animal to go to it and just walk around. It’s amazing the aura or somebody’s home place, if I can go to that place and just that you absorb when you go with the right attitude. walk around, it’s a whole lot better. If I’ve got something I can When I do a building, it’s like bringing it back to connect to. life.”

“I did a lot of drawings of historical buildings for Leedy often uses a unique media combination banks in the area. They were historical calendars. when she creates art with animal subject Last year, the Grainger County Historical Society matter: chalk on suede. printed a 12-month calendar where we “I work on suede mat board,” Wendy had a different image on each page. said. “It’s a little different. Most Most of the calendars just had one people who work in chalk work on image then had tearsheets, where you a gritty paper type surface. But since tore the month off. I started in Grainger Wilbur Resting, Pencil I do a lot of animals, I think you can pick County and did two banks in Hawkins up the hair and the softness of their noses and County, a couple in Morristown and one in stuff a lot better.

There’s no dust when you draw on suede. The Sevierville. That kind of got me started,” she said. fibers in the suede grip the little dust particles and unless you “She draws animals because she loves them and does the have to go over it multiple, multiple times, when you put it down historical stuff because it interests her,” says Amy. From page 66

“You’re right,” Wendy replied. “It’s a combination. The

Continued on page 69

68 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

The Four Aristocrats, Acrylic Painting

www.wendyleedyart.com 865-993-2952 Grayce, Chalk Pastel on Suede

Zoe and Chigger, Pencil

Oscar T, Chalk Pastel on Suede

Pileated Woodpecker, Chalk Pastel

Discover Grainger County • 2016 69

Gazebo at Tate Springs, Pencil

Gilley’s Hotel, located in Hawkins County, Pencil

From page 67

it just stays. The suede is really soft. I start with the eyes. If they don’t look back at you, it doesn’t work.”

Wendy’s connection to animals is so strong, when it was severed while she attended the University of Tennessee at Knoxville where she graduated in 1971, her grades were affected.

“When I went to college, I didn’t have that release of cleaning stalls and riding. My grades were not that good. I begged my parents, ‘Please let me bring my horse!’ There was no down time. My grades suffered,” she said.

“Finally, I talked my parents into letting me take my horse to UT. I kept him at Chilhowie Park. You got a stall in the barn

for $4 a month. I went from B’s and C’s and an occasional D, to straight A’s after I got my horse up there,” she said.

That didn’t stop the criticism from her commercial art professor, who pushed, of all things being commercially viable, abstract art.

“I fought with my professors at UT constantly,” Leedy says.

“I tried to throw an animal in every sort of assignment. I had one teacher get in my face and shake his hand. He said, ‘You will never be worth a damn as an artist if don’t quit drawing these animals! You’ll never get a job!’

“I was the only art student in the graduating class that had

Continued on page 70

Bean Station Tavern - Grainger County, Tennessee

Built in 1814, the original structure was much larger, but was mostly destroyed by fire during a Christmas celebration in 1886. The remaining structure is picture here and was used as a stopping place for Presidents Andrew Jackson, Johnson and James K. Polk and other early travelers being the largest inn between Washington, D.C. and New Orleans. It was dismantled in the 1940’s by TVA making way for Cherokee Lake.

70 Discover Grainger County • 2016

“When those people stood and looked at those horses and the message and the tears would come down their cheeks.

You can’t get any better than that.

To have them react to something you created with a piece of chalk, a pencil or a tube of paint. To touch people’s heart, man that’s it. That’s where it’s at.”

– Wendy Leedy

From page 69

an art job to go to,” she recalls. “It was because I could draw horses! I got a job at a horse magazine re-touching photographs and doing layouts for the magazine.”

Recently, Wendy has found success entering art shows and competitions.

“I’ve drawn forever and ever and ever. Just in the last 15 years, I’ve gotten more serious with my own art. I’ve had five pieces accepted for exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Booth Western Art Museum down in Cartersville, Georgia. It’s between Chattanooga and Atlanta. That’s been a wonderful blessing and experience,” Leedy said.

“They open up for juried exhibitions then you send them a digital photo and the measurements of your artwork, including your frame, in an email. Then they pull those out and pick the ones they want. It’s not a permanent display,” she said.

“But I think the one that is down there now they are considering for their permanent collection. It’s just a pencil drawing. There are different wings in this museum. They have a Presidential Wing, a Civil War Wing, Native American Wing, and Early Frontier,” all subjects that interest Leedy, she said.

“That’s been a huge, huge blessing. The last piece that went down there they asked if I would donate it for their huge, monstrous gala/fundraiser they have in February. I said, ‘Well, sure,’” Leedy recalled.

“The first one was (the piece with) the team of mules. That’s done with chalk on suede. Those mules live down Emory Road, almost to Knoxville. That’s a real team. I was just excited to get a showing. I was totally clueless that Smithsonian had satellite museums. I’m tickled,” Leedy says.

Leedy, whose work can be seen and purchased at wendyleedyart.com and etsy.com, was scheduled to be one of the featured artists in a Western art display at Rose Center in Morristown in July.

Leedy has been teaching drawing classes for nearly 30 years at Rose Center on Monday nights.

She is also the current vice chairman of the Grainger

Continued on page 73

Reign, Soft Pastel Chalk on Suede

72 Discover Grainger County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

First Kiss, Pencil

Pride and Joy, Greeting Card, 2012 Grainger County Tomato Festival

www.wendyleedyart.com 865-993-2952 2010 Grainger County Tomato Festival

Discover Grainger County • 2016 73

From page 70

County Tomato Festival and craft booth coordinator.

Wendy, who also does book illustrations, recently won the runner-up award in the Morristown Art Association juried show with a piece that was very personal and truly inspired.

“It was kind of a God thing,” said Wendy, who was moved to include a message from the Bible. “I wasn’t going to enter it.

It was really inspired. This was my out-of-the-box piece. I wasn’t going to show it because a lot of times religious art is rejected.

“The word that I got as my inspiration was to do the Apocalypse horses. Not the riders, just the horses. That’s what I did. I was counting on the judge not knowing,” she said.

“At the opening, several people came and got me and said, ‘Tell me what’s going on here. There’s a story here. Tell me what it is.’ And I did. Oh my goodness! All of them had tears in their eyes,” she recalls.

“When those people stood and looked at those horses and the message and the tears would come down their cheeks. You can’t get any better than that. To have them react to something you created with a piece of chalk, a pencil or a tube of paint. To touch people’s heart, man that’s it. That’s where it’s at,” she said.

“That was the point of it. If you’re in tune to that, then it will mean something to you. You never know how people are going to react to it. It may spark conversations and people will just keep it in the back of their mind and later somebody might get saved as a result,” Wendy said.

With results like the Smithsonian and moving people to tears, Leedy has no plans to stop working anytime soon.

The Frame House Directions:

Custom Picture Framing & Gallery

Hwy. 11W or Hwy. 25 to Lakeshore Rd. (SR 375S) Turn onto Lakeshore Rd., go 3 miles Turn right on Rocky Springs Rd. - 1/4 mile on left 4048 Rocky Springs Rd. Bean Station, TN 37708 Hours: Tuesday - Thursday10-5 Friday 10-6 Saturday 10-2 Closed Sunday & Monday

Wendy Leedy • Artist & CPF

865-993-2952

www.wendyleedyart.com

“People keep asking me when am I going to retire. I keep telling them I’m like a mule. I’m going to die in my traces if I can,” she said.

“I’ve been so blessed. I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. I want to stay small enough that everything is still personal. I don’t want to feel like I have to crank things out and be a factory. If it doesn’t come from your heart, it’s not going to come out of your fingertips.”

2014 Grainger County Tomato Festival

By Jim Beller

Staff Writer

74 Discover Grainger County • 2016

Welcome Amigos!

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Discover Grainger County • 2016 75

Mary’s Chapel Untied Methodist Church

Old Time Apple Butter

40-Years, 42,000 Pints!

Pictured making “Mary’s Chapel Old Time Apple Butter” at one of Rogersville’s Heritage Days — held each October — are Sharon Wiers, Margaret Howerton, Linda Rich, Roy Rich, Vera Tate, Jim Tate (stirring) Lauren Davis (helping to stir) Amy Carmon, Jeremy Williams, Lois Carmon, Sue Jackson, Jo Hatfield, Mary Lou Burch, Ron Jackson.

— Contributed photo

76 Discover Grainger County • 2016

During the fall, M Team” still whips and welcomes folk BEAN STATION — How many jars of “Old Timey Apple Butter” can one church make and distribute over a 40-year period?

Using a very conservative estimate, that total would be more than 42,000!

What started out in 1976 as a one-time project for a church bazaar turned into a four-decade outreach that has not only earned Mary’s Chapel United Methodist Church culinary acclaim from consumers across the country, but has also been an important tool in reaching lost souls for the Lord.

“It has definitely been a big part of the life of our church over the years,” Linda Rich said.

Money earned from the sale of the canned delicacy has allowed members to build a fellowship hall, install carpet in their sanctuary, and has supported many other projects over that 40year period.

The project was the brainchild of three ladies — Berta Rich (Linda’s mother-in-law), Leanous Miller and Mattie Overbay — who saw it as a way to share the legacy of the homemade “jam” with others, and was truly in keeping with the mission of the church, which is to not only offer “spiritual” nourishment, but, just as Jesus did when he fed the multitudes using a few fish and small loaves of bread, to also offer good food to nourish the physical body as well.

It wasn’t long before everyone involved knew they had a “hit” on their hands, and what better way to share the Gospel of Jesus with people than through hands-on demonstrations of how the mouth-watering treat is made?

“For years we traveled around to festivals in the area,” she said. “In fact, we did the very first Rogersville Heritage Festival. It was a lot of fun and people enjoyed coming by and letting us show them how it was made. It gave us the opportunity to share stories with folks who often remembered how they, too, made apple butter with their own families while growing up.”

A pint jar of the mouth-watering delicacy and a copy of the church’s cookbook that contains the “old timey” Apple Butter recipe.

For orders, persons may call Lois Carmon (865-475-7441), Jo Hatfield (423-312-8364), or Linda Rich (865-767-2514), or by writing to: Mary’s Chapel United Methodist Church 410 Mary’s Chapel Road Bean Station, TN 37708

Discover Grainger County • 2016 77

Mary’s Chapel’s “Apple Butter Making up huge batches of the delicacy, ks to “come on up and stir a while!”

Members of the church, which was established in 1893, haven’t participated in festival appearances in about three years but when members did, they would always have a “sell out”.

“We had to start working weeks ahead of time because, at the Rogersville Heritage Days alone, we would sell 30 cases or more,” Linda recalled. “People from far-away states would come by and buy it by the case to take home for their own use and some said they gave it away as Christmas gifts. We miss doing the festivals but it just became such a load that the small number of people we had involved in the project couldn’t handle it. It’s a lot of fun but believe me, it’s a lot of hard, exhausting, hot work, too.”

Persons who are interested in obtaining the product can now find it for sale at a number of local retail outlets.

“The owner of Rogersville Produce is a good friend of ours and for years they wanted to sell our Apple Butter but couldn’t because of state labeling requirements,” Linda said. Then, after the state passed a law that allowed the sale of homemade jams and jellies, Rogersville Produce became an outlet for “Mary’s Chapel Old Time Apple Butter”, she added.

Recently, the church dedicated a large Quilt Square, some four feet by four feet in size, to the trio of ladies who started it all back in 1976. That Quilt Square now graces the outside wall of the church’s fellowship hall.

Their “Old Time Apple Butter” project has been written up in newspapers, magazines, and even featured on WBIR-TV’s “Heartland” series.

During the fall, Mary’s Chapel’s “Apple Butter Making Team” still whips up huge batches of the delicacy, and welcomes folks to “come on up and stir a while!”

“We are always in need of new recruits who want to lend a hand, no matter if that’s for an hour or a day,” Linda said.

In addition to its Apple Butter project, the church has for sale a cookbook which includes more than 700 recipes — “all tried and true!”, Linda says — along with the classic recipe for making your very own batch of “Mary’s Chapel Old Time Apple Butter”.

The cookbooks are available for $12 each (or two for $20; plus $3 postage for one, or $5 for two) and may be ordered directly from:

Linda Rich 309 Cherokee Drive Bean Station, TN 37708

The church is located at 410 Mary Chapel Road, Bean Station, and visitors are always welcome to “come as you are”, Linda said.

By Tommy Campbell

Editor & Publisher

Sharing Our Recipes Mary’s Chapel

United Methodist Church Cookbooks make great gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, showers, Christmas, Mother’s Day and other special occasions.

To order, complete the order form below and mail with a check or money order to: Mary’s Chapel United Methodist Church c/o Linda Rich 309 Cherokee Dr. Bean Station, TN 37708 More Information: 865-850-1170 email: LindaRich@charter.net

Please send me _____ copies off Sharing Our R Recipes eciipes at $12 each, plus $4 s/h per book — or 2 for $20.

Enclosed is my payment for $_______.

Mail book(s) to (Name):_________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ City: __________________________________ State: ______ Zip: _______________ Phone: ( ____ ) ________________________ Email: _______________________________________________________________

78 Discover Grainger County • 2016

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Discover Grainger County • 2016 79

The annual Tomato Festival, held in late July in Rutledge, is Grainger County’s premiere agri-business event showcasing the county’s vast array of fruit and vegetable crops.

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DISCOVER

82 Discover Grainger County • 2016

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Discover Grainger County • 2016 83

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84 Discover Grainger County • 2015

Let us help you find your East Tennessee dream!

Pictured above, front row, left to right, Phyllis Reed, Affiliate Broker; Lisa McBride, Principal Broker/Auctioneer and Joey Haun, Affiliate Broker/Apprentice Auctioneer.

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