Forgotten Communities
Not too many of us living here are aware of the many small
communities that once surrounded Crossville. They are not to
be found on today's maps, but once they were lively small settlements.
They have disappeared, and their names only appear in old histories
or in the early newspapers. That is where I find them as I search
for Looking Back material.
They are ghost towns now, and although they may not be haunted
by ghosts there are long-time residents who have memories of
some of those places.
Several weeks ago in this column I named some of these forgotten
communities and asked if any readers could give their location.The
day following the appearance of that column I had a call from
a woman who had some answers.
She did not want me to use her name, but I thank her for the
call. She remembered Flat Rock and Ridgedale had both been near
Clifty which was the center of a group of communities in the
westernmost part of the county close to Caney Fork.
She also knew about Jewett and said it was in the general area
of Grandview across Hinch Mountain. It was in a narrow valley
at the headwaters of White's Creek in a place once known as Swagerty's
Cove.
Mining was done there and in the late 1800s a railroad spur was
laid to Spring City.The second call came from Linda Martin, and
in a short time I knew she had all the instincts of a good investigative
reporter.
When she read in the column that Eula Stover had asked me if
I knew where the Verdie community had been and I had to answer
no, Mrs. Martin was determined to find the answer.She explained
that her family had been friends of Eula's for more than 60 years,
and so she started her search.
First she called a friend at the Register of Deeds office.
She had never heard of Verdie, but she suggested contacting Betty
Castillo.
That call brought positive results. Betty Castillo consulted
a book on Crossville that I had not been aware of, and she found
Verdie listed.
The community was located above Grassy Cove. Mrs. Martin also
knew that Bowman had been located east of Woody.Neverfail was
another community I had asked about but received no help from
readers.
Eventually, I did learn that it had been north of Highway 70
South near Pleasant Hill. In that same area was Smith's Chapel
and Browntown.
The community of Center was about a mile from Crab Orchard, and
New Era was near Vandever.
February is Black History Month, and it is interesting to learn
about the community of Tate Town which was formed after the Civil
War.
About 40 former slaves were freed by their Morristown owner,
and he let them use land he owned on the Jamestown Road near
where the Cola and Black Drowning Creeks come together. These
folks built homes and a log structure which served as both a
school and a church. They hired a white teacher for the school.
The community declined after 1900 when most of the people
moved to Harriman.All these places were once thriving, busy communities.
They enjoyed social activities as their reports in the Crossville
Chronicle prove.
Although they have been gone for many years their residents helped
build Cumberland County and should not be forgotten.Dorothy
Copus Brush is a Fairfield Glade resident whose column is published
each Wednesday in the
Crossville Chronicle.
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