HISTORY : OF : JACKSON COUNTY JOHN ROBERT KENNAMER COPYRIGHT 1935 PRESS OF SOUTHERN PRINTING AND PUBLISHING Co. WINCHESTER, TENNESSEE ~•;, ,1:fl' ,, f ,.,,1. ' I:.,.>,fl ,J.., r ' ; . ..... ~....- -..... ~ .......-..... ~... ....~ C ~ -;...:~ -;.... C ~ Cl; ... ~ ::,; C- ~ -;........ -,..., , -.. "-- ......~ ~.... C- ::...,; ~ C- ~ ..:.:: \,,J .....- ~ '\ /. , ~ , .. ~ t'. /, ; ~ ~ .f , ,s: • PREFACE While many are more capable than I am of writing the History of Jackson County, I yield lo none in loyal devotion to her people and native home. I shall esteem it the greatest satisfaction, if I can preserve q true and faithful record of the life, characteristics and mode of living of those who have gone on before in the race of life. I have sought facts for a correct history of the County wherever I could find the1n. If it should be found by the reader, that any of my statements are incorrect, let me say in advance, lhai when I penned those statements I believed lhe1n to be true. I have been collecting oral inforniation for this work for twelve years, besides reading n1any histories and searching newspaper files and cemetery records. Would it not be a sad thought that our ancestors, the pioneers in creating this County, should be en­ tirely forgotten, or should we let die the n1e1nory of their heroic service? Who zvould wanl to live only in the fickle and fa ding memories of lhe fleeting present? It is with a profound feeling of gratitude the author acknowledges the splendid aid given in preparing this work by every one. He hereby acknowledges the source for much of the material zzsed: Thomas IJ;J. Owen's History of Alabama and Dictionary of Ala­ bama Biography, in four volumes; The Archives and History Departn1ent, Jtlontgon1ery, Ala.; Iiistory of Alabama by Miller; History of Alabama by Albert­ James Pickett, Edition 1896, by Robert C. Randolph.~· The Formative Period in Alabama, 1815-1828 by Thomas Perkins Abernethy; Early History of Hunts­ ville, Ala., 1804-1870 by Edward Chambers Betts; The Upper Tennessee by T. J. Campbell, 1932; Oliver D. Street, Guntersville, Ala.; Peter A. Brannon, tionl­ gomery, Ala.; illrs. Leona l\T oodall 11,f erritt, Claren­ don, Ark.; Elder lV. '1V. Thompson, HLZntland, Tenn., and lJ,fany others. The author is grate{ul to l~f iss Cora wlichrels for correcting his manuscript. To lovers of home and this heaven-blest coLZnly this little volume is sent forth to the reading public. JOHN R. KEl'l1VAMER. ,v OODYILLE, ALABAMA, APRIL 1, 1935. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. THE INDIANS IN JACKSON COUNTY________________ 1 II. THE E.-\HLY PIONEER________________________________________ 5 Ill. Ho,v THE COUNTY vVAS SETILED________________ 8 IV. LIFE IN THE EARLY DAYS______________________________ 11 V. JACKSON COUNTY ORGANIZED ________________________ 17 VI. DECATUR Co UNTY ____ ---------------------------------------- 20 VII. RIVERS AND ROADS__________________________________________ 23 VIII. lV[U,ITARY FORCES, 1819-1861 ------------------------ 27 IX. NORTHERN PART OF MARSHALL COUNTY ______ 29 X. l\iAIL ROUTES____________________________________________________ 32 XI. THE CHEROKEE INDIANS REMOVED \VEST____ 35 XII. RAILROADS IN JACKSON COUNTY____________________ 38 XIII. SLAVES AND SLAVERY______________________________________ 43 XIV. vV. .\Rs ---------------------------------------------------------------- 47 xv. H.;\RDTIMES ------------------------------------------------------ 63 XVI. COURT HOUSES AND JAILS ______________________________ 66 XVII. CHURCHES ------------------------------------------------------ 71 XVIII. PHYSICIANS ----~·----------------------------------------------- 84 XIX. LA\VYERS AND LODGES ------------------------------------ 89 xx. NE\\TSPAPERS ---------------------------------------------------- 94 XXI. EouC.c\.TION ------------------------------------------------------ 98 XXII. LJFE IN THE GAY N INETIES ____________________________ l 08 XXIII. SOME GREAT COURT TRIALS. _________________________ 116 XXIV. B. .\N KS ------------------------ ---- ------ -- _--- ---- ___ -----. __ --- ____ 122 XXV. l .. IVE STOCK ____________ __________________________________________ 125 XXVI. Ro.AD Bu ILDIN G ________________________________________________ 128 XXVII. BELLEFONTE ____________________________________________________ 131 XXVIII. P.-\IXT ROCK ,r ALLEY ________________________________________ l36 XXIX. Co\rEs _------- ------------------------. --------- ---------------- ____ l 45 XXX. TO\VNS ON THE RAILROAD ______________________________ l57 XXXI. CoFFEETo,vN, LANGSTON, SAND MouNTAIN __ l74 XXXII. POLITICAL CHANGES AND \VORLD \VAR __________ l87 ..:'\.XXIII. REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS ______________________________ l 91 ..:Y.x:x1v. GovERNOR, CoNGRESSl\:IEN AND CouNTY OFFI{:IALS ____________________________________________________ l96 JOHN ROBERT l{ENNAMER \Voodvillc, Alabama CHAP1lER I. The Indians In Jackson County THE Indians found here ,vhen the first white man visited this land ,verc the Cherokees, ,vho ·occupie(J the northern part of Georgia, eastern 1"ennessee, the ,vestern Carolinas and the northeastern corner of Alabama. They \Vere of a reddish or cinnamon bro,vn complexion. T'he n1cn ,vere rather tall, well muscled, of an athletic build, stood erect and moved gracefully; and ,vere often proud or arrogant while in ,var or the chase. 'The ,von1en ,vere smaller and for the n1ost part, handsome. Their dress consisted of a clout ,vorn about the waist, a mantle made of the inner bark of trees or a species of flax worn as a shawl across the shoulders. I\1any wore moccasins on their feet, 1na<lc of dressed deerskins. All were fond of orna1nents, and often painted their faces in bright colors. "fhey dressed their heads ,vith f eath­ ers of the eagle and other birds. "fhe Chickasa ,vs, a fierce ,var-like tribe of Indians occupied the north,vestern part of Alabama; the Creeks held the eastern part of the State south of the Cherokees. As the great Tennessee ·\Talley had no large Indian towns, it seen1ed to be held for a long time as a great hunting ground for difl'erent tribes. There are evi­ dences, ,vhich sho,v that the Sha,vnee Indians once occupied this territory from about 1660 to 1721. We find in this county the Shawnee custom of many box­ burials or burials in stone graves. In Kennamer Cove, ,vhich ,vas for seventeen years a part of Jack­ son County, is an Indian mound ,vith graves lined with stone. 1 2 HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY No one knows how many fierce battles the Chero­ kees fought ,vith the Chickasaws, Shawnees and the Creeks for possession of this happy hunting ground. One of the most important engagements was fought on Mountain Creek near Trenton, Ga., about 1755, with the Creeks. At first the Cherokees were nearly overwhelmed, but they rallied and completely routed the Creeks. A treaty was signed in 1759 with the Creeks and the latter withdrew from this territory and remained friendly until 1813. At this time the Cherokees were on friendly terms with the United States government and furnished 500 warriors to General Jackson at the battles of Talladega and Horse Shoe, in the Creek war. The Cherokee men were indolent, though fond of dancing and ball-playing, and when not engaged in war, they spent much ti:ine in hunting and fishing, while the women did most of the work. The fertile soil made the raising of corn, peas, beans, squashes and pumpkins not so difficult. Their tools used in farming were indeed very crude, a kind of hoe made of fishbone, wood or stone. Corn was pounded in mortars ,vith a pestle or parched before eating. The men were experts in the use of the bow and arrow, the spear, the tomahawk and the gun. In war they marched single file and the hind warrior would obliterate their tracks to conceal their move­ ment or number. It is remarkable how they endured fatigue and thirst on their long marches in the chase or war without a murmur. They had no written language until Sequaya, a half-breed Indian, invented the Cherokee alphabet, which he announced to a gathering of the chief men at Santa, a small village in this county. HISTORY OF JACKSON COUNTY 3 CHEROKEE To,vNs. These towns as listed by Mr. 0. D. Street (See Ala­ bama Historical Society, Vol. 4) are: "The Five Lower Towns on the Tennessee," named in their order, Running ,vater, Nickajack, Lookout Mountain Town, Long Island Town, and Crow Town." "The first two were just within the limits of the present State of Tennessee on the south side of the river a fe,v miles below Chattanooga; the third was where Trenton, Georgia, now stands; Long Island Town was on the island in the Tennessee River at Bridge­ port, Alabama; Crow Town, the largest, was in the present Jackson County, Ala., on Crow Creek, and about one-half mile from its confluence with the Tennessee." "Long Island and Crow Town were the first Cherokee settlements established ,vithin historic times west of the height of Cumberland and Sand mountains, and this took place as we have seen about 1782." There are evidences of an Indian village, at an early date, on Dry Creek in Paint Rock valley. Many stone implements as, spear-heads, flint arrow­ points, tomahawks, mortars, pestles, pieces of broken pottery vessels are to be found there. INDIAN MOUNDS. As reported by Mr. James Mooney,- Bureau of Ethnology-"We find a Mound on the west bank of Tennessee River, one mile above Bridgeport, and three small mounds on the west bank of Tennessee River, three miles below Bridgeport. Two mounds on ,vest bank of Tennessee River, just above Widow's Creek. One on the west bank of