HALLS/FOUNTAIN CITY
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A great community newspaper
VOL. 51 NO. 29
July 16, 2012
The missing R
IN THIS ISSUE
Life
How ‘Coryton’ became Corryton By Jake Mabe
Steppin’ out Knoxville Mayor Madeline Rogero will lead Knoxville area seniors in the Walk with Walgreens senior center competition.
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See the special section inside
Forgotten hero of the Great Smokies Although he may not be as well known as Col. David Chapman or Carlos C. Campbell, Gen. Frank D. Maloney may have had as long a relationship with the movement that finally resulted in the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as anyone else.
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See Dr. Tumblin’s story on page A-9
NEIGHBORHOOD BUZZ
Rowe to speak to Halls B&P Rural/Metro market general manager (Knox and Loudon Counties) Dennis Rowe will speak to the Halls B&P at noon Tuesday, July 17, at Beaver Brook.
Index Business A2 Jake Mabe A3 Government/Politics A4 Marvin West/BettyBean A5 Interns/Jake Mabe feature A6-7 Dr. Jim Tumblin A9 Faith A11 Kids A12 Health/Lifestyles Sect B
4509 Doris Circle 37918 (865) 922-4136 news@ShopperNewsNow.com ads@ShopperNewsNow.com GENERAL MANAGER Shannon Carey shannon@ShopperNewsNow.com EDITOR Sandra Clark sclark426@aol.com FEATURES EDITOR Jake Mabe jakemabe1@aol.com ADVERTISING SALES Patty Fecco fecco@ShopperNewsNow.com Brandi Davis davisb@ShopperNewsNow.com Shopper-News is a member of KNS Media Group, published weekly at 4509 Doris Circle, Knoxville, TN, and distributed to 27,825 homes in Halls, Gibbs and Fountain City.
You know you’re in God’s country when a tractor is slowing traffic on the main highway. Around these parts, that means you’re in Corryton. The “interns” – a group of middleand high-school students spending the summer at the ShopperNews on Tuesdays – were met at Rutherford Memorial United Methodist Church by Corryton native Joe Longmire. You might know Joe from Midway IGA. He’s a great guy and knows more about his community than just about anybody. Joe told us that the community was named after Coryton (one R) Woodbury, who thought Corryton would become a boom town once the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad was connected to the Morristown to Luttrell line. Woodbury bought a bunch of acreage for $220,000 and formed the Corryton Town Company in 1889. Woodbury laid out the area into city blocks, alternating intersecting street names for trees or presidents (i.e. Maple and Washington). It all sounded great until the U.S. economy tanked in 1894. The railroads went bust. They were later absorbed by Southern Railway. Joe says the original Corryton depot was built in 1889. It burned in 1907 and was rebuilt. The later depot was torn down in the 1930s. In 1991, Corryton residents helped build a branch of the public library at the spot of the old depot. You might have heard the story about the infamous Corryton train wreck. It happened on Aug. 21, 1889, killing Col. Isham Young, chair of the board of the city’s public works, and several six other prominent Knoxville residents. You may not know that Corryton was briefly called Floyd, after the maiden name of Capt. Charlie Smith’s wife, Maryetta Floyd Smith. Two of the three homes
Corryton resident Joe Longmire points toward the spot where the original Corryton train depot once stood. It is now a branch of the Knox County Public Library. Photo by Ethan Sanders
Capt. Smith built in Corryton still stand. Joe told us that the Methodist Church split over slavery during the Civil War. Corryton’s Northern Methodist Church and Southern Methodist Church were located near one another. Joe says they officially joined back together in 1939, “although they’d been meeting together long before that.” The Northern Methodist Church was located in Joe’s mother’s backyard. “They took about 10 steps and were in church.” After Joe chatted with us awhile at the church, we all hopped on a bus driven by Randy Smith. Joe had him take us to the site of Sawyer’s Fort and to get a look at the house that still stands there. Sawyer, a Revolutionary War soldier and member of the famous Overmountain Men, built a
homestead and fort there in 1785 as protection against Indians. The U.S. Army camped at Sawyer’s Fort in December 1863 during the Civil War just after the Battle of Knoxville. You can find a dispatch with the dateline “Sawyer’s Fort” in the war’s official correspondence. Our final stop was at the original Little Flat Creek Baptist Church. It was built in 1797 and is believed to be the oldest Baptist church in Knox County. Joe says it used to sit where Emory Road crosses the railroad, but was later turned into a barn. It was moved to its current location behind the new Little Flat Creek Baptist Church during its bicentennial in 1997. Joe says that Buford Blanton, an expert in the field, says the old church is the largest log building he’s ever seen in East Tennessee. A couple of services are still held in the log church each year. Joe is building a model railroad
County posts $17.3 million surplus gives us an opportunity to do someSome would say Trustee John thing,’ ” Hammond said. Duncan and his staff worked hard The commission funded $7 mil- to increase collections. That is lion of a requested $35 million in- demonstrated by the increase in By Sandra Clark crease sought by Superintendent Dr. fees collected from $1.3 million to When the county’s fiscal year Jim McIntyre and the school board. $1.9 million. ended on June 30, Some would say the economy both property tax is coming back. Consumers are and sales tax revAsk five people and you’ll get five spending more and paying propenues exceeded answers as to why the county has erty taxes on time. projections, reWhatever the reason, the surplus produced a surplus. sulting in a $17.3 Some would say Mayor Tim “no gives County Commission the opmillion surplus. shenanigans” Burchett projected portunity to step up and do the right This surplus is low in preparing last year’s budget thing for Knox County’s 56,000 available for one- during uncertain economic times. public school students. We’ll see Hammond time school needs Others would say he just got lucky. how this plays out. and could fund technology upgrades in all schools. Knox County – fiscal year ending June 30, 2012 Commission chair Mike Hammond said Friday that he has asked Budget Actual Difference interim Finance Director Chris Caldwell to attend the chair’s lunProperty Tax 248,769,308 261,463,386 12,694,078 cheon at 11:30 a.m. Monday, July 23, Sales Tax 136,514,750 141,164,674 4,649,924 to discuss the commission’s options. “When I saw those numbers Total 385,284,058 402,628,060 17,344,002 come in I thought, ‘Wow! This
Will commission fund school needs?
Why the surplus?
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Read about the interns’ trip to the Copeland farm in Jake Mabe’s column inside. of what Corryton would have looked like back in the day. He’s also got what’s left of the old Corryton post office at his and his wife Becky’s home. (By the way, my great-grandfather, Larkin Mabe, was a postal carrier in the area near the turn of the last century.) “There’s not much population up here, to this day,” Joe says. “But the post office is still here. And all of this was started by the railroads.” Well, his dreams of glory may not have worked out, but I think Coryton Woodbury would be mighty proud of the community that bears his name.
Where’s Larry?
In the 7th District, Commissioner R. Larry Smith voted against the school board’s budget, saying he did not favor a tax increase. He was one of four votes against the $7 million increase which did not require a tax increase. The school board’s budget included these 7th District expenditures in FY 13: Adrian Burnett Elementary, $7 million Shannondale Elementary, $4 million Powell High School, $2.250 million Additionally, Powell Elementary School was slated for $1.250 million in FY 14. Spending all or part of a surplus for one-time construction is prudent fiscal management and an investment in the health and safety of students and school staff.