Part 2: Railroads & Rivers
Missed Part 1: Nuance in the South?
Part 2: Railroads and Rivers Written on Nov 1, 2020
Persia, Hawkins County, Cherokee river
Because of the events in part 1, I couldn’t sleep and was up late that first night in the Airbnb. So I studied up on the oldest ancestor in the area I could find at the time.
George (3rd Great Grandfather) was born in 1850 in a little hamlet called Persia, Hawkins County, TN. It was about a 40 minute drive away from where we were staying.
As we entered the area, we turned into a road that led underneath a railroad bridge with a big cross painted on it. That part of the valley felt warm, homey and peaceful. As we went through the tunnel under the small railroad crossing it opened up into a church with a graveyard. I felt immediately at ease here. I had no agenda but to wander around the graveyard and look for graves that were dated around the same time George had lived there. The trees were beginning to whisper of Autumn against a clear blue sky. Luckily, I had my partner with me who was willing to go along with whatever whims I felt for the day.
The railroad tracks close to the graveyard would have been there when George was born. The railroads running through the Eastern Tennessee Valley were very important supply chain routes for the Confederacy. George was born in the time right before the Civil War broke out in the USA.
“The railroads in East Tennessee provided a major supply route between Virginia and the Deep South, and thus both Confederate and Union forces considered the region of vital importance. On November 8, 1861, East Tennessee Union loyalists destroyed five railroad bridges, forcing the Confederate government to invoke martial law in the region.” ~Wikipedia Eastern Tennessee Valley Railroads”
In fact, after doing more research into George’s life, I learned his father-in-law was a Union sympathizer named William Strong, MD. William was killed by Confederate soldiers 3 years after these 5 bridges were blown up. The entire area was put under martial law by the Confederate government because most people in this area wanted to join the Union.
Tennessee had more battles and conflicts than any other state except Virginia because it was a border state with supply lines. So this reality led to my Great, Great, Great Grandmother Caroline Strong losing her dad to the Civil War when she was 14 years old.
Learning that many ancestors of mine lived and died in this little valley of Tennessee gave me a sense of awe, wonder, and felt bittersweet. As I reflect on who my people were and the times that shaped their lives, I realize I won’t know their stories completely. Though I can honor them and acknowledge they were here.
The River Runs Through It
As we drove away toward the Holston River, I felt this slice of land in the valley settle into my bones.
We went on to see the Holston River which now turns into the Cherokee Lake. I wanted to see the main waterway that had framed George’s life. Before the railroads came, waterways dominated how people settled and lived. Though if George were to come back now to the waterways of his birth, he wouldn’t recognize it at all because of the Cherokee Dam.
In 1940 (90 years after George was born), WWII was in full swing and leaders in the USA were looking to figure out to strengthen our own military and infrastructure. The need for electricity to run manufacturing was critical and the Federal Government helped fast-track the building of a large dam on the Holston River downstream from where George was born.
“The Cherokee project required the purchase of 45,158 acres of land, nearly 6,000 acres of which were wooded and required clearing. The project also required the relocation of 875 families, 51 cemeteries, and a historical tavern at Bean Station. The water supplies of Jefferson City and Morristown had to be modified, and 99 miles (159 km) of roadway had to be redirected. Fourteen new bridges were constructed and five existing bridges were raised above reservoir operating levels.”
It changed the area’s waterways immensely. While now the area isn’t as prone to flooding as it was, it caused the great change to the landscape and many families were displaced. It’s also a testament that when the USA wants to get something done, it can make things happen quickly.
Today, it’s prime real estate on the banks of the reservoir and a hot spot for recreation, fishing, and boating. As we day turned into afternoon we still needed to head to Greeneville through Bull Gap. I chose this route because I thought it was the most likely route George would have taken at the time to Greeneville. I had a sense of wonder and lightness as I tried to imagine what this land would have looked like 100 years ago.
In the next installment I will journey to Greeneville where my heart felt heavy…
Other interesting sources: