Discover Hancock County 2017 by Discover Hawkins County

Discover Hancock County • 2017

DISCOVER

HANCOCK VOLUME 2 — 2017

County T EN N ESSEE

Celebrating

Years

Smith-Turner DRUG STORE

Downtown Sneedville — page 8

MELUNGEONS

The cultural mystery of Hancock County — page 18

RIVER PLACE on the CLINCH — page 40

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY

Clinch Valley Program— page 58

TAEGER HOUSE — page 26 JUBILEE PROJECT — page 52 SCENES from HOME — page 68

2 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Discover Hancock County • 2017

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4 Discover Hancock County • 2017

DISCOVER

HANCOCK

County

Discover Hancock County is published by Hawkins County Publishers, Inc. P.O. Box 100 | 316 East Main Street Rogersville, TN 37857 www.therogersvillereview.com 423-272-7422

Discover Hancock County 2017 is a single-copy supplement to The Rogersville Review. Additional copies may be picked up at the Review office and are available at no cost. We will gladly mail at a cost of $4 per copy to cover the cost of postage and handling. Copyright: 2017, Discover Hancock County 2017, 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.

MANAGEMENT

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Abby Swearingen

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Business Manager

Graphic Designer EDITORIAL

Randy Ball

Contributing Writer

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

FEATURES INSIDE:

8 Smith-Turner Drug Store celebrates 75 years 18 Melungeons: The cultural mystery of Hancock County 26 Taeger House 40 River Place on the Clinch 52 Jubilee Project 58 The Nature Conservancy 68 Scenes from Home in Hancock County Background photo: Clinch River

6 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

Celebrating

Years of Service to Hancock County

Ken Smith

Picture are, front row, left to right: Debby Roberts, Donna Ramsey, Marilyn Wallen, Gail Lamb and Deborah Lawson; back row: Kendrick Smith, Pharmacist; Ken Smith, Owner/ Pharmacist and Matthew Seal, Pharmacist.

S T

Customer Service is our TOP PRIORITY! Matthew Seal

Smith-Turner DRUG STORE 423-733-2241

Kendrick Smith

140 Church Street Sneedville, TN ~ Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturday: 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

SmithDRUG

Panoramic view, 1930s

A view of the building, probably late 1940s. Note the sign over the right-hand portion of the building: Turner’s Variety Store.

The building in its early days (1940s). Note the CocaCola® delivery truck parked at left.

Located just a block off Main Street, behind the historic Hancock Co. Courthouse, is one of Sneedville’s oldest businesses, Smith-Turner Drug Store. Since its establishment in 1941, the pharmacy has had only two owners -- Charles Turner, and his wife, Cecile, who founded the business 75 years ago, and the current owner, Ken Smith. “She took care of the store and he was the resident ‘public relations’ guy and political expert,” Smith laughed while sitting with The Rogersville Review and showing off scrapbooks filled with photos and newspaper clippings of the business from its

three-quarters-of-a-century history. In those “good old days”, the store was not just a drug store but a restaurant and community gathering place that attracted some well-known state politicians, including several governors, along with US Senators and Representatives of the day. “If a politician wanted to meet the people who made this continued on page 10

-Turner STORE

Celebrating

Years Founders Charles and Cecile Turner.

10 Discover Hancock County • 2017 continued from page 8

Charles Turner behind the counter.

town tick, and if they wanted votes, they came here,” he said. “It was open six days a week, from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. and it was the ‘hangout’ after a Hancock High School ball game.” The original soda fountain was taken out in 1992 but Smith said they have been toying with the idea of installing a new one where people can once again gather to share a cup of coffee or soft drink. “We bought the pharmacy in 1982,” he said. The Turners initially kept the “front end” of the business until four years later when Charles Turner retired, at which time Smith purchased the real estate and remainder of the business interest. For many years, the Turners lived upstairs. In addition to being a store owner, Charles Turner was also an accomplished photographer who made pictures of “anything that moved” around Sneedville. “He had a space upstairs where he did portraits, and also had a darkroom up there as well,” Smith recalled. Mrs. Turner’s mother -- Doll Greene -- owned the building, continued on page 11

Lunchtime at the soda fountain.

The original soda fountain was taken out in 1992 but Smith said they have been toying with the idea of installing a new one where people can once again gather to share a cup of coffee or soft drink.

Iris Miser rings up a sale at the cash register. Brenda, Ruth, Cecile, and Joe Rogers.

Edna Trent in front of a store window featuring a sign promoting “Fresh Peach Sundaes”.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Image showing a portion of the drug store building (at left), the adjacent movie theatre that burned in the 1980s, Circle Grill and the Sneedville Masonic Lodge. View of the building, not dated.

Photos from Charles Turner’s archives continued from page 10

one side of which was a grocery store and the other a drug store. Eventually, the grocery business, which was run by Mrs. Turner’s brother and sister-in-law, Ralph and Nell Greene, moved up the street and the building became solely a drug store. “Charles’ folks had a clothing store on Main Street but after he and Cecile married, the drug store became their focus,” Smith said. They later expanded the business to include more household goods and gift items. The Turners carried a lot of gift items mainly due to the fact that, in that era, Sneedville had few retail businesses that carried such items. “This was the place to come if you needed a gift for Mother’s The soda fountain and greeting card display. Day, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas,” Smith said. “It was a ‘little Wal Mart’ of its day.” Smith’s parents, Charlie and Ruby Baldwin Smith, as well as his grandparents, Timothy and Zanie Vaughn Smith and Jess and Laura Brooks Baldwin, all were Hancock County natives. “I was born here and we lived here until my family moved to Morristown when I was 11.” After completing high school, Smith earned a degree from the University of Tennessee School of Pharmacy, in Memphis, but never dreamed he would one day “come home” to Sneedville where he would work for the better part of the past 35 years. “I have really enjoyed being a part of this business,” he said. “It’s been great.” Ken and his wife, Rowena, have three children -- Regina, Katrina, and Kendrick. Rowena and Regina run gift shops in Morristown: Rowena’s and Gigi’s. Second daughter, Katrina, is busy raising five children and working at Geneva School (a classical Christian school) in Winter Park, FL, while son Kendrick is following in dad’s footsteps as a pharmacist in Knoxville and at the Sneedville store. Also continued on page 13

View of street in front of drug store, 1960s.

12 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

Sen. Walters, Charles Turner, Herbert Bingham. Most noted politicians of the day found their way to the drug store in Sneedville. Shown at right with Charles Turner is Tennessee Gov. Frank Clement. Paul R. and Howard Rhea

Pictured below are Charles Turner and Tenn. Gov. Blanton.

Below, front of building, 1970s

Loretta and Bud Albers, president of Albers Drug Company in Knoxville. During his career, Albers streamlined modern drugstore operations and helped develop a national drug code and bar-coding system for drug inventories.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Betty Jo Greene, Lisa Belcher.

Marilyn, Eured Seal, Loretta.

continued from page 11

of note, Regina has one son, and Kendrick has three daughters, totaling nine grandchildren for Ken and Rowena. In 1973 when Charles Turner first called Smith about working for him, there were no licensed pharmacies in Hancock County. “This was the only county in Tennessee that didn’t have a licensed pharmacy,” he said. “Prior to that, you could only issue prescriptions through a state permit.” At that time, Smith said he had a young family, and was just getting started in his career, and respectfully declined the offer. Smith said his first job was at Medical Center Pharmacy, in Rogersville, while also working at Hawkins Co. Memorial Hospital. Four years later, he took a job at Morristown-Hamblen Hospital and remained there for a year, later working at Freels’ Drug Store and then becoming a partner at Freels Health Guard Pharmacy in the 1970s. Judy R., Bethel L., Gail M., and Brenda C. gift wrap an item for a Then, in 1982, Turner called again seeking Smith’s help in customer. running the Sneedville drug store. “I guess the timing was right, it seemed right to us, and so I accepted,” Smith said. He commuted to and from Morristown, while the family spent many weekends and summers in Sneedville living above the pharmacy, much as did the Turners in the early years of the business. “My sisters and I grew up here,” son Kendrick said. “We worked on the weekends and I remember eating many meals at that soda fountain. What I remember most, though, is how all-out they would go in decorating for Christmas. We would stay upstairs and I loved coming here, especially after I got old enough to drive. I learned how to drive driving my dad to and from our home in Morristown. I earned several dollars while working here in high school!” continued on page 14

Photos from Charles Turner’s archives While most of the photos in the vast “Turner” archives are identified, some are tagged with first-names only.

June, Marlene, Taylor B. at the soda fountain.

14 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Staff members 1970: Deanna, Cathy, Peggy, Cecile, Kathy and Christmas 1973: Phyllis, Shirley, Stephen, Cecile, Brenda Kay, Anna. Loretta, Peggy, Debbie, Sterling and Sue. continued from page 13

Smith said he had just signed the paperwork to buy the business from Charles and Cecile Turner just days before a fire in 1986 destroyed the old movie theatre next door. “I was headed into Sneedville and you could see the flames from across the river as we drove into town,” he said. “I thought, oh my goodness, I have owned this place for less than a month ... I sure hope my insurance is in effect!” The drug store suffered only slight damage from the fire and later, Smith bought the vacant lot where the theatre had been and today uses it as a parking lot. In addition to his Sneedville interest, Smith became a partner in the Clinton Drug Store in 1990, Smoky Mountain Drug Store in 1992, and in 2003 founded McFarland Pharmacy in Morristown. In the 1950s, when telephone service came to Sneedville, the

crews working on installing the lines boarded upstairs and ate their meals at the soda fountain counter downstairs. There was only one other restaurant in town at the time, so the drug store’s soda fountain was about the only place to get a good “home cooked” meal away from home, he said. In 1986, the store was at the forefront of changing technology of the late 20th century, with the installation of one of the very first computers in Sneedville. For customer convenience, a drive-through window was installed in the early ‘90s, and Smith expanded the pharmacy. In 2001, a robotic medication dispenser was installed to more accurately verify prescriptions. Many of the current employees have been with the business for decades, some as far back as the 1970s. “We have a good group of employees,” Smith said. “And I have to credit them with much of our success. They are the faces

Current staff, left to right: Kendrick Smith (Pharmacist), Ken Smith (Owner/Pharmacist), Gail Lamb (Clerk), Donna Ramsey (Certified Pharmacy Technician), Marilyn Wallen, Debbie Roberts (Pharmacy Technician), Deborah Lawson (Part-time Clerk), and Matthew Seal (Pharmacist).

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Christmas 1978: Bethel, Cecile, Gail, Kaye and Loretta.

Christmas, 1980s: Ken, Ida, Cecile, Lucille, Betty J., Darlene and Kathleen.

that the public sees when they walk into our store, and they know most of our customers and their families by name.” With four registered pharmacists and two certified pharmacy technicians, the staff has more than 250 years of combined experience. Ken Smith himself is celebrating his 50th year as a pharmacist. Pharmacist Matthew Seal has travelled from Morristown to work in Sneedville for the past six years. Having worked previously in Bean Station and Greeneville, Seal says the smalltown atmosphere and the fact that his paternal grandparents were from Hancock County For more than 12 years, Pharmacy Technician Debby Roberts has kept up with orders, along with checking in orders and counting out pills. She also assists diabetic customers with ordering custom-fitted shoes. Certified Pharmacy Technician Donna Ramsey, who was a nurse prior to coming to work for Smith, handles data entry on prescriptions, communicates with doctors and insurance companies, and handles billing for medical equipment, such as wheelchairs and diabetic shoes. Marilyn Wallen, a certified pharmacy technician, came to work for the store in 1975 as a clerk. Today, her duties include: data entry of prescriptions, consulting with doctors and handling most insurance claims. Deborah Lawson has worked as a Clerk at the drug store for 11 years. Today, she answers phone calls, and works personally with customers at the counter and the drivethrough window. Gail Lamb has worked as a Clerk since the early 1970s, and today is a pharmacy technician, checking in orders, answering the phone, working at the drive through window, and providing other customer services. Today, in addition to modern pharmaceuticals, the store still offers a variety of over-the-counter healthcare and personal care products, as well as essential household cleaners and gift items, along with clothing sporting “Sneedville” logos. Photos from Charles Turner’s archives

“We want people to continue to look at us as a community gathering place,” Smith said. “Every day that I walk in this place feels like home, our customers are a part of our ‘family’, and we will always do our very best to give them the very best we have to offer.” Smith-Turner Drug Store is located at 140 Church Street, Sneedville, and may be contacted by phone at 423-733-2241. Operating hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Saturday, 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

— By Tommy Campbell

Smith-Turner Drug Store 140 Church Street • Sneedville, Tennessee

423-733-2241 Smith-Turner Drug Store as it appears today.

16 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Hancock County Welcome to

TENNESSEE

Hancock County Courthouse

1237 Main Street | P.O. Box 347 | Sneedville, TN 37869 | 423-733-4341

www.hancockcountytn.com

Hancock County Officials • Thomas J. Harrison County Mayor • Ralph D. Seal Sheriff • Micah Wallen Circuit Court Clerk • Sue Greer Administrator of Elections • Leslie “Chuck” Johnson Trustee • Janie Lamb Register of Deeds • Judy Trent Chancery Court Clerk • William “Bill” Seal Assessor of Property • Jessie Royston County Clerk • Henry Shockley Road Superintendent • Tony H. Seal Director of Schools

Melun

geons The

cultural mystery

of Hancock County The Mahala Mullins cabin and museum in Vardy Valley with Newman’s Ridge looming on the left. — Photo by Randy Ball

20 Discover Hancock County • 2017

One thing is known for sure, that the Melungeons were living on Newman’s Ridge in the early 1800s. In the

1800s,

South Carolina in 1567 under the leadership of Spanish captain Juan Pardo. About 250 people from this group established a colony, Santa Elena, on the coast, but were ran off by the English in 1587. Also in 1587, a group of Turks and other Muslim sailors were freed on Roanoke Island by Sir Francis Drake. They had been used as slave labor by the Spanish in the Caribbean. Collins’ theory is that while moving inland, these two groups merged at some point, intermarrying along the way. While the Melungeons’ origins are still open to speculation, how they came to Newman’s Ridge is a little clearer. The group was obviously different in appearance from the white population, which caused them to be pushed further and further into isolated areas. Economically, they were as a group, poor, and eventually settled on the higher ridges instead of the more-costly bottom land. Because of their differences, the Melungeons were legally at a disadvantage. Any non-Caucasian person in the early A Brief History 1800s was classified as “colored”. Melungeons were denied voting One thing is known for sure, that the Melungeons were living rights, education and rights to judicial process. Often their land on Newman’s Ridge in the early 1800s. holdings were confiscated. The Vardy Community Museum is located in Vardy Valley on the north side of Newman’s Ridge near Sneedville, and one of the Vardy There were reportedly four original “tribes” or families of displays there lists five traditional theories of the Melungeons’ origins. Among these are that the Melungeons are the descendants of the Melungeons in the Newman’s Ridge area: Collins, Gibson, Goins English Colony on Roanoke Island; deserters of Hernando Desoto’s and Mullins. The Vardy community is named for Vardeman Collins, one of 1540 expedition; shipwrecked Portuguese sailors; descendants the early settlers. Although of ancient Phoenicians; many Melungeons tried to be or are descended from classified as white, they would Mediterranean or Middlebe listed on the census as Eastern sailors. “free persons of color” which Early records show kept Melungeon children out that, historically, many of “white” schools. Melungeons referred to In 1899 the Northern themselves as “Portyghee” Presbyterian Church (Portuguese). There is some established a mission in history to back up this the Vardy Community. theory. The writer researched There was originally a oneMelungeon history in 2007, room log cabin that served and was fortunate enough to Vardy Valley, home to the Melungeons as a schoolhouse. In 1929, interview two authorities. Former Hawkins County Historian Henry Price, in 1966, wrote the Vardy Presbyterian Community School was completed. The one of the first historical research documents on the Melungeons, imposing three-story school was remarkable in structure and the entitled “Melungeons: The Vanishing Colony of Newman’s Ridge”. service it provided to the people it served. Quality education for Price’s research said that some new arrivals landed on the east continued on page 22 coast and moved inland, marrying Indians and freed slaves. They eventually wound up in Hancock County, occupying the isolated area of Newman’s Ridge. The inset on the next page is an old image Scott Collins, of Sneedville, researched the origins of the of Vardy Presbyterian Church with Vardy Melungeons and felt he had also found details of their origins. He Community School in the background. believes that Spanish and Portuguese setters came to the coast of

public records show that some “free people of color” inhabited Newman’s Ridge in what is now Hancock County. Nobody knew their origins, but many theories came to light over the years. The Melungeons were a mysterious people, different in appearance from neighboring white, black and Native American people. Even the name “Melungeon” is shadowed in mystery. Some have said it is derived from a French word meaning “mixture”, others say it’s an Afro-Portuguese term meaning “shipmate”, and still others say it comes from a Turkish word for “lost souls”. After more than 200 years of debate and theories, recent advances in DNA technology have shed some light on the origins of the “Newman Ridge” settlers.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Vardy Presbyterian Church — Photo by Tommy Campbell

22 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Above, Clay Miser’s Sunday school in the 1920s. Mrs. Rankin, a missionary/teacher at Vardy Community School. continued from page 20

the children was provided and the school served as a community center. There was a woodworking shop, a blacksmith shop and basic nursing classes available to adults. In the 1930s, the church began to help exceptional students to get an education beyond the eight grades taught at Vardy. Some went on to high school and some to college, often to Berea College in Kentucky. Soon people of Melungeon heritage were working in business, government, and education.

Negative image to Melungeon pride

In the early 1900s there was an increase in interest about the Melungeons by some national publications. Several writers of the day depicted them as a lazy tribe of mountain people often involved in moonshining and other illegal activities. While there were, factually, some Melungeon moonshiners, there were probably no more than in the surrounding population. Henry Price remembered the Melungeon friends he grew up with as being different in appearance, but working hard, usually as farmers, and that they were just like everybody else. In 1965, Jesse Stuart’s book, “Daughter of the Legend”, was released and presented the Melungeon mystique to a worldwide audience. Stuart had met Melungeons while attending Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, and many locations in Hancock County are accurately mentioned in the novel.

In the 1960s, the outdoor drama craze swept the south, and the story of the Melungeons was told in “Walk Toward the Sunset”, a well-attended live drama which opened in Sneedville in 1969 and ran for six seasons. In recent years, people have come to take pride in their Melungeon heritage. There are several gatherings and reunions held in the region, and many books have been written on Melungeon continued on page 23

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Above, a plaque memorializing the Vardy Community School. At right is a display at the Vardy Museum. — Photos by Randy Ball

One thing about the Melungeons is certain, they are a hardy, proud people who have survived and overcome many prejudices and hardships. continued from page 22

heritage by such writers as Bonnie Ball, Jean Patterson Bible, Wayne Winkler, and Brent Kennedy.

DNA Testing

Since the advent of DNA testing in the 1990s, there have been many attempts to more accurately determine the origins of the Melungeons. Most feel, however, that the results haven’t been definitive. One problem is that the Melungeon people have married into the surrounding communities and the test show a broad mixture of “markers”. Early DNA testing links the Melungeons to Mediterranean and Middle Eastern ancestry. This, along with documented cases of sarcoidis, thallasemia, and behcet’s disease seem to validate the early Melungeon claims of Portuguese, Turkish, and Jewish ancestry. A more recent DNA study in the Journal of Genetic Genealogy indicated that the Melungeons are the offspring of sub-Saharan African men and white women of northern or central European origin.

Conclusion

The Melungeons are not alone in being a people of mystery. There are several groups in the eastern United States that share mixed-race ancestry.

Information center at the Vardy Museum. — Photo by Tommy Campbell These include the Montauks, Mantinecocks, Van Guilders, Clappers and Shinnecocks in New York; the Pools in Pennsylvania; the Lumbees in North Carolina; Waccanaws and Haliwas in South Carolina; the Redbones and Creels in Louisiana; and the Jackson Whites in New Jersey. One thing about the Melungeons is certain, they are a hardy, proud people who have survived and overcome many prejudices and hardships. Just a few decades ago the term “Melungeon” was considered a racial epithet but today people are proud to claim their Melungeon Heritage.

— By Randy Ball

24 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2017

“ ”

The Mahala Mullins cabin in its original location on Newman’s Ridge.

Ketchable but not fetchable

Early photo of Mahala Mullins & three of her children

The restored Mahala Mullins cabin. — Photo by Tommy Campbell

The Vardy Community Historical Society maintains a museum for those interested in studying Melungeon History. In the Vardy Community, the Vardy Presbyterian Church is now a beautifully restored and maintained museum. Also on the property is the cabin that was home to Mahala Collins Mullins, famous Melungeon bootlegger of Newman’s Ridge. The mid-1800s cabin, made of hand-hewn logs, was donated to the Vardy Community Historical Society by Dan Williams, formerly of the Vardy Community, with the agreement that it be moved to its current site. The relocation was completed in 2000. Artifacts inside the cabin were donated by descendants of early settlers and Vardy School alumni. The house was home to Mahala Mullins (1824-1898) and her husband, John. She bore 20 living children with six of them dying in infancy or early childhood. Believed to have been afflicted with a disease today known as elephantiasis, Mullins was a well-known moonshiner who may have weighed more than 600 pounds. Hancock County Sheriff Wash Eads attempted to arrest Mullins for the crime, but due to her enormous size, could not get her through the cabin door to take her to jail in Sneedville. He reported that Mullins was, “ketchable but not fetchable.” When she died, her bed was boarded up to form a coffin which had to be taken from the house through a fireplace opening on the east end. There is also an information booth with displays about the Melungeons and the Vardy Community. To get there, from Main Street in Sneedville, turn onto Newman’s Ridge Road, go across the ridge about 3.9 miles and turn right onto Vardy Road. It is about four miles to the museum.

— By Randy Ball

26 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Taeger H An undated photo of the home taken several years ago, prior to the beginning of renovation, when the structure was still covered in clapboard siding. The background photo shows handwritten entries from the Davis family Bible.

When Bill and Carol Taeger bought what to them appeared to be a run-down farmhouse that no one wanted on SR 33 near Sneedville a few years ago, they literally had no idea that a historic treasure from Hancock County’s early days had fallen into their possession. “When we first looked at the house, it was covered outside with board siding,” Carol said. “It was in bad shape. A lot of the boards had deteriorated over the years.” But it was when they walked inside that they were struck by the

sight of massive, hand-hewn timbers from the home’s construction in the late 1840s. Built by Milam Davis in 1847, renovation of the two-story structure has since become a labor of love for the couple, who says they spend every spare waking hour working on restoring the home to its former glory. “From the outside, we had no idea that it was a log structure,” Carol said. “It was totally ‘faced’ with clapboard siding which, on

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017 Bill and Carol Taeger â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Photo by Tommy Campbell

Nearly two-century old rundown log farmhouse finding new life at the hands of couple devoting their time and talents to its restoration

House the bottom portion, had rotted away, along with some of the supporting sills underneath the house. The roof was in terrible condition and the porches, top and bottom, were also in a state of rot and disrepair.â&#x20AC;? At first the couple thought the project might be to big for them to tackle.

continued on page 28

Milum (Milam) Davis, the builder and original owner of the house, is shown here in an undated photo.

28 Discover Hancock County • 2017 Readers can get a sense of the massive size of the hand-hewn, expertly dovetailed boards in the background behind Carol and Bill.

continued from page 27

“Honestly, it looked spooky, but then when we walked in, and we thought ... wow!” she said. While extensive renovations have been done inside and out, they have tried to maintain the authentic antebellum character of the house. Visible throughout the interior are massive hand-hewn logs, cut from nearby stands of virgin timber. Some of those boards are 24-inches wide and four to six inches thick. “We have found tons of handmade nails,” she said. Someone with a metal detector even found Civil War-era buttons on the property, artifacts, no doubt, from a skirmish at nearby Kyle’s Ford. “We are trying to keep everything as original as possible,” Carol said. The upstairs bedrooms were a real challenge ... covered in wallpaper made of newspapers of bygone eras, and decades’ worth of paint. A page of one of those newspapers has been framed and now hangs on the wall as an artifact. Old linoleum rugs bearing several layers of worn paint had to be

ripped out and the original wood flooring restored. With their interest growing, Carol set out on an extensive and on-going genealogical journey to learn more about the family that built the home 170 years ago, and those who occupied there afterward. A centuries-old family cemetery located just up the hill behind the house has proven to be a literal treasure-trove of names and dates of many of those early settlers. The bricks used in the construction were probably made at what was then a brick factory near the Clinch River, Bill said, displaying one that contains a very visible paw print, probably belonging to a dog of that long-ago “first family”. “Every day we work on this place is a new adventure,” Bill said. “You never know what’s going to turn up or what we’re going to find.” The old clapboard siding has been removed, a full second-floor porch has been rebuilt, and many other renovation projects are ongoing, Bill said. “We dug out all of the old chinking from between the logs, continued on page 29

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Massive hand-hewn timbers, some measuring almost than 24 inches by six inches, can be seen in the downstairs living room.

The immortalized paw print of a dog -- that probably belonged to the first owners of the house -- embedded forever in a brick, handmade on the site or at a brickyard nearby in the late 1840s.

continued from page 28

peeled off some of the old bark, and put new insulation in,” he said. “We stripped what seemed like 80 coats of paint off the original doors with a heat gun. Man, that was a job! But all in all, the building is basically in really good shape considering how long its been here.” Carol said that since she and Bill both have outside jobs -- she works at Sneedville’s Jubilee Project and Bill runs a welding and metal fabrication shop for farm equipment located next to the house -- the renovation has taken longer than they had anticipated. “We have to do most of the work ourselves because you can’t afford to hire people to do this kind of work,” Bill said. “And truthfully, we enjoy it,” Carol added. “It’s our time together because this is a labor of love for us.”

The couple chose to keep many of the existing, original elements of the home’s interior, including this wooden door leading into the kitchen area.

As each day brings new discoveries -- old books in the attic, an antique horseshoe, a Civil War-era belt buckle, and more -- they are increasingly grateful to have the opportunity to live in what Carol calls a historical landmark in the Sneedville community. “That old tree stump out front is where they used to gather up for ‘wakes’, to lay out the dead,” Bill said. “I truly feel like God sent us here,” Carol said. “It’s a big challenge, and I’ll be honest, its a lot more work than either of us thought because we’ve had to deal with a lot of structural damage caused by rot and termites, and a lot more stuff that caught us by surprise,” Bill said. One of the rooms on the main floor contains a fireplace and continued on page 31

30 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

A more complete view of the front of the house, partially hidden Scaffolding surrounding a fireplace on the opposite end of the behind scaffolding. house.

The wood floor in this downstairs room was in such bad shape that it had to be ripped out to the bare dirt below. Note the massive hand-hewn timbers and the fireplace which was exposed after being covered over for years by various remodeling elements.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

The upstairs bedrooms have been renovated beautifully and still retain an authentic pre-Civil War feel with just a touch of Americana from more recent decades. continued from page 29

View looking out an upstairs bedroom window on the upperlevel porch. At far right is the stump of an old tree which, when alive, served as an iconic gathering place -- in the days before commercial funeral homes -- for community “wakes”, whereby deceased persons would be placed in their coffins for visitation by family members and friends prior to burial.

stacked-stone hearth that are original to the 1840-era construction. The wood floor was buckled and severely damaged and had to be ripped out to the bare dirt below. The old house at one point also served as a Post Office of sorts. “It’s functional right now but we are looking forward to the day that we can but a ribbon on it and say, ‘we’re done!’” Carol laughed. “It just takes a lot of time, a lot of money, and a lot of patience!” The 1847 construction date is believed to be accurate due to a hand-painted date corresponding to that year on one of the fireplace chimneys. The Surgenor family, which is connected by family lineage, eventually bought the house from the Davis family, she said. A Surgenor descendant -- one of the last of the family to occupy the house -- today lives near Kingsport and has visited the couple several times to give them a better understanding of its history. Flipping through a thick file of genealogical documents, Carol said she really became interested in digging into the family histories of the people who lived there in bygone days after seeing an old photo of the house in a local historical publication. “There is so much here, so much to look through, so many trails to do down,” she said. “And I love every minute of it. I’m like a kid at Christmas anytime I find out something new that I didn’t know about these people. Bill said that with few written records to rely on, much of the house’s “story” is being revealed through discoveries on-site and through Carol’s extensive genealogical work. “Most everyone who knew anything about the early days of this place have passed on so its like finding and putting together a really big puzzle,” he said. “To be honest with you, when I was young and in school, I could have cared less about history. Now that I’m at this age, I care about history and I enjoy learning about this place and the continued on page 33

32 Discover Hancock County • 2017

The Taeger house renovated front. — Submitted photo

“I guess you could say its a work in progress, and who knows how long it will take us to finish it, if we ever do get finished, but I can tell you that we are having a lot of fun and we are very grateful for the opportunity to live and work to restore this amazing house.” — Carol Taeger

Discover DiscoverHancock HancockCounty County••2017 2017

continued from page 31

people who lived here.” While Bill handles most of the carpentry work, he doesn’t work from a formal plan or blueprint. “I just start working. If I listen to it, the house will tell me what I need to do,” he grinned. According to information Carol has found, Milum Davis (also spelled ‘Milam’ in some sources) was born April 2, 1794 near Kingsport. In 1821 he married Ellen Baldwin (the daughter of John Baldwin and Elizabeth Newberry), of Wythe Co., Virginia, and to that union seven children were born: John, Elizabeth, William Baldwin, Mary Stafford, Catherine Alkire, Julia Ann and George Washington. Milum Davis died on Dec. 29, 1865 -- just two months after the death of his wife -- and is buried in the Davis Cemetery at nearby Kyles Ford. Milum’s father, John, came to America in 1775 from Wales. Three years later he married Elizabeth Milam in Botetourt Co., VA. John Davis enlisted in the Continental Army on Nov. 4, 1775 and earned the rank of Sergeant in the Revolutionary War. According to records on file in Washington, Davis served under Lt. Col. Francis

“Swamp Fox” Marion as part of the 2nd South Carolina Regiment and later under Col. David Campbell’s command at the Battle of King’s Mountain. He is last mentioned on company payrolls in November of 1779. At the end of the war, for his services, John Davis was granted 640 acres of land in Washington Co. (now Tennessee). A Hawkins County Will Book (Book 1, Pg. 598) shows 3,840 acres on north Beaver Creek that was granted to a John Davis in 1789. At that time, this was one of the Revolutionary War Land Grants made to soldiers who served in one of the North Carolina regiments. John Davis died in July, 1794, just three months after the birth of his son, Milum. “I guess you could say its a work in progress, and who knows how long it will take us to finish it, if we ever do get finished, but I can tell you that we are having a lot of fun and we are very grateful for the opportunity to live and work to restore this amazing house,” Carol said.

— By Tommy Campbell

34 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Mark Albert Skelton Amy Kathleen Skelton MO

Serving East Tennessee Since 1983

Attorneys At Law

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423-353-4230

121 South Depot Street • Rogersville, TN 37857 www.MarkSkeltonLawOffice.com

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Discover Hancock County • 2017

Authorized Dealer

Hancock Farmers

192 Jail Street • Sneedville TN

423-733-2255

Relax Enjoy Special

Events E

www.hancockfarmerscoop.com

McNeil Funeral Home We offer a complete range of high quality, affordable service options to assist you during your time of need. Traditional Funerals • Memorials • Cremation Pre-Planning Services • Grief Support 124 Church Street • Sneedville, TN

423-733-2246

www.mcneilfuneralhome.com

Experience Hale Springs Inn in the heart of historic Rogersville, Tennessee. The Inn features nine guest rooms with private baths and a complimentary full breakfast. McKinney’s Tavern offers nightly chef specials, daily lunch specials — and catering for special events. The Hale Springs Inn is a full service event venue.

110 West Main Street Rogersville, TN 423-272-5171

www.halespringsinn.com

Large Selection of

Wine & Spirits 423-393-1166

4017 Hwy. 66, Suite A Hwy. 66 Plaza g Rogersville Store Hours: Monday — Thursday 9am to 9pm Friday — Saturday 9am to 10pm

Email requests to: BlueRidgePackage@gmail.com

Convenience Store • ATM Discount Smoke Shop • Ammunition Car Wash • Laundromat Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 11 p.m. Saturday: 7 a.m. - 11 p.m. • Sunday: 8 a.m. - 11 p.m.

CORNER MART 120 North Jockey Street • Sneedville, TN 37869 • 423-733-4283

HANCOCK

36 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Hawkins County

County of Hancock

Thomas J. Harrison, County Mayor 1237 Main Street • Sneedville,TN 37869 423-733-4341 thomasharrison15@hotmail.com

Discover Hancock County • 2017

ANNUAL EVENTS

Spring Fest Last Saturday in April Jimmy Martin Memorial Bluegrass Festival Last Friday and Saturday in May Vardy Days First Saturday in June Hope Walk First Friday in August

R ock Hill Clin

Chestnut C G ro ve

Alde

er Riv

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Livesay Mill

1237 Main St., 423-733-2954

Clerk & Master

1237 Main St., 423-733-4524

County Attorney

1237 Main St., 423-733-2954

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Hawkins County

373 Newman’s Ridge Rd., 423-733-1423

EMERGENCY SERVICES Emergency Medical Services Hancock Co. Emergency 911 District

Circuit Court Clerk

nta

Guidance Department

1517 Main St., 423-733-2222

HANCOCK COUNTY GOVERNMENT

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Fall Festival First Saturday and Sunday in October Hancock Co. Elementary School Ice Cream Social First Friday in November Overhome Christmas Parade First Saturday in December

Rock Crawl Last Saturday in August at Ferguson Farm Labor Day Celebration First Monday in September Hancock Co. High/Middle School Ice Cream Social First Friday in October

190 Willow St., 423-733-8453

Hancock Co. Rescue Squad 265 New Jail St., 423-733-8833

SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT 265 New Jail St., 423-733-2249 Jail Secretary: 423-733-2250 If no answer, dial: 423-733-4475

CITY OF SNEEDVILLE

Bus Garage

410-B Harrison St., 423-733-8149

Hancock Co. Middle/High School Base Health Center 2700 Main St., 423-733-2819

Hancock Co. Elementary School Base Health Center 391 Court St., 423-733-2121

Hancock Co. School Nutrition 418 Harrison St., 423-733-1188

MEDICAL SERVICES Hancock Co. Hospital

3519 Main St., 423-733-5030

County Clerk

City Hall

Sneedville Medical Center

County Mayor

Fire Department

Hancock Co. Disability Center

County Extension Agent

Sneedville Community Center

Hancock Co. Home Health Agency

418 Harrison St., 423-733-2519 1237 Main St., 423-733-4341 122 Campbell Dr., 423-733-2526

County Tax Assessor

1237 Main St., 423-733-2332

County Trustee

292 Jail St., 423-733-2254 265 New Jail St., 423-733-2622 253 Obie St., 424-733-4253

SCHOOLS Hancock Co. Public Schools 418 Harrison St., 423-733-2591

1861 Main St., 423-733-2131 1246 Main St., 423-733-8453 1246 Main St., 423-733-4032

Hancock Co. Mental Health Clinic 333 Campbell Dr., 423-733-2216

County Transportation

Hancock Co. Early Learning Center

Sneedville Mental Health Center — 24 Hour Emergency

Election Commission

Head Start

Hancock Co. Health Department

Highway Department

Hancock Co. Special Day Care

Hancock Co. Elementary School

1237 Main St., 423-733-4545

373 Newman’s Ridge Rd., 423-733-2534

Hancock Co. Solid Waste

Hancock Co. Middle/High School

Hancock Co. Library

High School Vocational Department

1237 Main St., 423-733-2939 423-733-2183

1237 Main St., 423-733-4549 1064 Main St., 423-733-2201

1064 Campbell Dr., 423-733-9658 1138 Willow St., 423-733-2020

418 Harrison St., 423-733-1762 1197 Main St., 423-733-2594 418 Harrison St., 423-733-8094

2700 Main St., 423-733-4611

472 Harrison St., 423-733-4616

423-639-1104

178 Willow St., 423-733-2228

UTILITIES: ELECTRIC, GAS, WATER, SEWER Powell Valley Electric 340 Jail St., 423-733-2207

Powell Valley Gas Utility District 418 Harrison St., 423-733-8800

Sneedville Utility District 187 Campbell Dr., 423-733-4382

38 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Tennessee Farmers Insurance Companies Auto • Home • Life

Brad Seal

LUTCF Agency Manager brad.seal@fbitn.com

168 Livesay Street Sneedville, TN 37869 423.733.2276 • Office 423.733.2391 • Fax 1.877.8876.2222 • Claims www.fbitn.com

Close to Rogersville and Morristown Try the

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

132 Church Lane • Mooresburg, Tennessee 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

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. — Connie

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

Hancock Manor NURSING HOME SE RV I N G YOU F R OM OU R H E A RT

HEALTHCARE Managed Facility

1423 Main Street Sneedville, TN 37869

Wendy’s Simple Treasures & Consignment We offer new and gently used items for the home and personal wear.

Jim & Wendy English Owners / Managers

A Unique Boutique with a Country flair! Check us out!

423-733-4783

Fax 423-733-2944

www.hancockmanor.com Please call to arrange a tour. George Brewer, Administrator • Patti Kramer, Director of Marketing and Admissions

Greene’s IGA Super Market 138 Jail Street • Sneedville, TN 37869

423- 733-4218

WENDY SIMPLE TREASURE

MONDAY - FRIDAY 10AM - 5:30PM SATURDAY 10AM - 3:30PM CLOSED SUNDAYS

212 E. Main Street • Rogersville, TN 37857 423-921-3244 WendysSimpleTreasures@gmail.com

DISCOVER

HANCOCK

County extra copies

Need of Discover Hancock County 2017?

Additional copies may be picked up at the Review office at 316 E. Main Street, Rogersville, TN and are available at no cost. We will gladly mail at a cost of $4 per copy to cover the cost of postage and handling.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Hancock County School-Based Health Centers Hancock Elementary School-Based Health Center

Hancock County Middle/High School-Based Health Center

391 Court Street Sneedville, TN 37869 423-733-2121 Hours Monday and Thursday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

2700 Main Street Sneedville, TN 37869 423-733-2819 Hours Monday—Friday 8:00 am—4:30 pm On days that school is in session

Harrison Farm & Home Supply

Hancock County School-Based Health Centers provide a full range of services: x

Allergy Shots

Referrals

Child and Adult Well Physicals

School and Work Physicals

Commercial Drivers License Physical Examinations

Sports Physicals

Urgent Care

Management of Common Chronic Conditions

Vaccines

During times that school is in session only students, including preschoolers and those being home-schooled, and school/school-related personnel can be seen due to the clinics being located on school property. The school health centers are open to the public during hours that school is not in session. A sliding fee discount is available to all families or individuals who qualify on the basis of income and family size.

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under H80CS00840 Health Center Cluster $1,890,223 total award and 70% financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. ETSU is an AA/EEO employer.

We’re here for you when a bandaid is not enough.

See us for all your medical equipment needs. • • • • •

Lift Chairs Power Chairs Walkers Braces Oxygen Therapy

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

... and lots more.

Hancock Medical Equipment 1326 Main Street • Sneedville, TN 37869

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.

We have everything you need for Home Improvement, Building Supplies, Landscaping and Gardening ... Phil Harrison, Owner Main Street • Sneedville, TN 37869

423-733-2958

Hancock County Home Health and Hospice Agency Providing • Skilled Nursing • Home Health Aide • Hospice • Physical Therapy • Speech Therapy • Medical Social Services • Private Duty • Choices Medicaid Waiver Service (Personal Care and Homemaker)

Accepting patients in Grainger, Hawkins, Claiborne and Hancock Counties We are accepting applications for full time and part time Certified Nursing Assistants in Hawkins County

423-733-4032 • Fax: 423-733-2681 Toll Free: 877-733-4032 To make a referral or for more information about the services we provide please call the office at 423-733-4032.

40 Discover Hancock County • 2017

“This is genuine, authentic Appalachia at its best!” - Lindy Turner, Executive Director, Clinch-Powell RC&D

As good as it gets -fishin’ on the Clinch, where smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, redeye/rock bass, and blue gills abound.

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

The old bridge structure can be seen in the background behind the country rocking chairs that invite visitors to come and sit a spell on River Placeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back deck.

42 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Historic photo, taken in the 1920s, of two unidentified ladies standing next to a sign showing the various charges, or “tolls”, for crossing the then-brand new Edward Talley Bridge across the Clinch River, which is visible in the background at far left.

The former Elmer Wallen Grocery as it appeared in 2005 when CPRC&D first began to eye the historic building for renovation and development.

the time Elmer and Jewell built their general store in 1940 on the banks of the historic Clinch River, and for nearly 25 years afterward, the Elmer Wallen Grocery was one of four businesses that provided for almost every “store-bought” need of people who lived in the Kyle’s Ford community.

When Elmer died of a heart attack in 1964, the store was purchased by Walter and Alice Willis, who lived upstairs with their children and continued to operate the business as Willis Market. The Willis’ operated the store until 1983 when it closed and in the years afterward, fell into a state of disrepair.

Then, in 2005, the abandoned, two-story, vine-and-briarovergrown building caught the eye of the Clinch-Powell Resource Conservation and Development Council. The thought of the neglected building once again becoming a focal point for the community, as well as a tourist destination was,

Discover Hancock County • 2017

A photo of the store and old bridge as they appeared shortly after the business re-opened in 2008.

“

This undated photo taken in front of the Elmer Wallen Grocery shows Katherine Wallen and her mother, Jewell. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Cantwell McClain.)

well, somewhat of a stretch of the imagination back then, according to Lindy Turner, Executive Director for the RC&D, but where there is a vision, there is always a way, if people are willing to work hard and take the time required to fulfill their dreams, she said. In addition to preserving a vital part of the community’s heritage, that vision also included a goal of creating much-needed jobs for people in Hancock County, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state. A year later, in 2006, the plan to resurrect the building began to take shape and, after many hours of planning, clean-up, and restoration work -- accomplished through the help of countless continued on page 44

“He (my father, Elmer Wallen) bought live chickens, eggs and hides. There were fox and coon and mink hides that hung all over the wall of the feed room (where the kitchen is now). We sold all kinds of grocery, dry goods, feed, overalls and shoes. The ladies always came to buy the feed so they could pick out the feed sacks because they made dresses and clothes from the sacks. In the back, the Nolichucky Library had five shelves of books that people could check out and there was a dry cleaning pickup and delivery service that ran out of Tazewell. On Saturday afternoon, my dad would pick up four widow women on the Testerman stretch of road so they could come and visit and trade and buy snuff. Children always left with a free piece of candy and customers received fruitcakes for customer appreciation. My daddy always said he made two livings, the one he kept and the one he gave away. There was a pot belly stove in the store and an old homemade bench where the men would straddle and play serious checker games for two hours every night. My brother, Hugh Elmer Wallen, had a truck and he ran a route to meet the needs of folks who couldn’t get to the store. Most folks ran a charge account from tobacco crop to tobacco crop. We lived upstairs for about six years after the store opened, then we moved to a house closer to town. Dr. Pearson operated his practice out of the upstairs for about 10 years and then Fern Snodgrass (wife of John Snodgrass) operated a beauty salon upstairs for about 10 years.” -- Katherine Wallen Cantwell Reminiscences shared with Clinch-Powell RC&D

44 Discover Hancock County • 2017

The authentic “enamel-topped” dining tables from years gone by get lots of comments. continued from page 43

volunteers, the Clinch-Powell Enterprise Community, Appalachia CARES / AmeriCorps, and others -- the old structure was scrubbed from top to bottom, stripped, painted, re-wired, and restored “to its former glory” by late 2007. With only a “bare bones” selection of refreshments and a “basic” stock of groceries and essential items typically needed by campers, hikers and tourists, River Place on the Clinch held its grand opening in 2008. Today, River Place on the Clinch is not only a gathering place for locals, but an internationally-known destination for people who pass through the region, offering a well-stocked “general store” with grocery and camping essentials, bait and tackle, souvenir T-shirts, genuine Amish goods, handmade brooms, locally made jewelry and gifts, old-timey candy and soda pop, a full restaurant (with seating for up to 150 people), outdoor decks and a stage that often attract a variety of live country, bluegrass and gospel bands, along with rentals of canoes, cabins, campsites, and a group retreat center. No matter if you’re looking for an ice-cold Coke® or a fresh, hot cup of coffee, River Place on the Clinch is a community gathering place that also attracts state- and national-level politicians. In fact, on the day that The Rogersville Review was there working on this story, First District Congressman Phil Roe (R-Tenn), stopped River Place on the Clinch even attracts national-level lawmakers, such as Congressman Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) who stopped by on a beautiful June day in 2016 to announce his re-election campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives. Pictured with Roe is Lindy Turner, Executive Director of ClinchPowell RC&D, which owns and operates River Place on the Clinch.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Hannah Sexton is ready to help customers at the checkout counter. Tourists can find an abundance of unique and many authentic Appalachian craft items in River Place’s gift shop. by to have lunch with Editor & Publisher Tommy Campbell, and Executive Director Long, as Roe toured the district after announcing his intent to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives. “When we started in 1989 as Clinch-Powell, it was an outgrowth of a two-state effort to protect the Clinch and Powell rivers,” Turner said. “As people came together, from the very beginning we didn’t want it to be just about the rivers and the ecologies around the rivers, but also about the people who live around the rivers. Its all interconnected.” Hancock was one of five primary counties CPRC&D worked in at the time, and the organization’s broad mission has always been focused on the environment, conservation, community development and building strong communities, she said. “Economic development here is a huge need,” she said. We try to look at what are appropriate ways to sustain development that fit with local communities. We are the largest private employer in the county, which is a sad statement, really, and we are virtually the only employer that pays wages and benefits in this area.” Tourism is very important to economic development today, but that effort must always be centered around “what will people accept”, she said. “When we started planning this, nobody wanted Kyles Ford to become just another cluttered-up ‘tourist trap’ with mile after mile of billboards,” she said. “Our strongest assets are our culture and natural resources. This is authentic Appalachia at its best. It isn’t Dollywood. I’m not putting that area down, but thousands of people go there and think they are seeing authentic Appalachia, mountain life. These are real people. Nobody has had culinary school training or been to hospitality classes, but they will go the extra mile and then some to make sure that visitors have a good experience.” From overalls to custom-designed t-shirts, clothing for all ages continued on page 46 and sizes is available at River Place on the Clinch.

46 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Southern fried catfish, complete with all the trimmings, is a specialty of River Place on the Clinch. Of course, the hand-pressed hamburgers and custom grilled rib eye steaks are also popular!

Young visitors enjoying a summer day on the back deck.

No matter if your taste in music runs country to bluegrass to gospel, you’re sure to hear a little of all at the outdoor concerts on the back stage at River Place on the Clinch. The concerts usually run from Memorial Day through October, weather permitting.

continued from page 45

Although a general store for much of its existence, River Place in the past has also served as a public library (the Nolichucky Library kept five shelves of books in the back of the store), a trading post for trappers selling pelts, a farm and feed supply store, as well as hosting a doctor’s practice and a beauty shop. “When we bought and restored it, part of our goal was to honor that past,” Turner said. “It was a balancing act of what fit local needs and coming up with something that would be a tourist attraction.” And tourists do come, sometimes by the bus load. “We get visitors from Australia to Austria and from all over the United States,” she said. “We also get a lot of motorcycle traffic. More and more people are coming here not just because they are passing through, but as a destination because of the unique history, people, culture and beautiful mountain scenery of the area.” Turner believes that as more and more people visit Hancock County and see what the rugged, beautiful county has to offer, that will result in even more tourists. “And that will eventually translate into more and more jobs. That’s what we are hoping for,” she said. Turner said that all proceeds derived from sales and rentals at River Place are channeled back into the operation of the place. While River Place is open year-round, weather permitting, the winter months typically bring shorter operating hours for the store and restaurant, but in the summer months, it’s at full throttle, open seven days a week, 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 7 a.m. - 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday. Bluegrass, country and gospel music is also such an integral part of the local culture that bands are often found pickin’ and singin’ on the back deck. “We start Memorial Day weekend and go through October with our outdoor ‘concerts’,” she said. “On Friday nights, we grill rib eye steaks and Saturday nights are catfish nights. You get good food, good portions, good prices, and good service. We take pride in offering food like your mama used to make!” Two of the specialties of the house are their delicious Southernfried catfish with all the trimmings, and hand-patted hamburgers with home-style fries.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Souvenir coffee mugs are also available to commemorat e leisurely cano e trips down th e Clinch.

A portion of the outdoor dining area on the back deck. An upstairs dining room will seat about 70 for those seeking a place to have a group gathering. “We even have churches who meet here for Bible study,” she said. Lodging is available in beautiful, rustic, fully-stocked cabins with very comfortable beds.” “We have six cabins with full facilities,” she said. “One has electricity but no plumbing. All of the others have heat, air conditioning, and nice big porches.” A full outfitter is also on site offering rentals of canoes, kayaks and inner tubes. “We even provide a shuttle service,” Turner said. The historic Testerman Farm, just east of the river, serves as CPRC&D’s Retreat Center for larger groups and is frequently a base of operations for church groups visiting the area on summer mission trips. “Yeah, we’re kinda rustic, but that’s what people come here for,” she said. “When people ask, ‘do you have hot tubs?’ We go, no, that’s Gatlinburg you’re looking for! Its very natural. You get glimpses of the river from the cabins but you don’t have a wide expansive view of the river in the summer because of the foliage. And that was deliberate. We did not want to strip the riverbanks of trees and ruin the natural appearance. In the winter you can see much more of the river. We wanted to keep the landscaping as natural as possible.”

Visiting fishermen and hunters are repeat visitors to the facility, and since River Place adjoins the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Kyles Ford Wildlife Management area, there are many opportunities to haul in smallmouth and largemouth bass, catfish, redeye/rock bass, blue gills and more, while deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbit and dove hunting are also popular. During seasons, grouse, quail, woodcock and waterfowl are also hunted, and sportsmen should consult Tennessee state law and TWRA regulations for seasonal dates and up-to-date information. Today, just yards away from the facility, the brand-new Col. David Snodgrass Memorial Bridge -- which opened in 2016 -- spans the Clinch River. The former Edwin R. Talley Bridge, built at a cost of $110,000 by the state in 1927, operated until 1939 as a toll bridge. “Even that was a part of a Tennessee state tourism initiative,” Turner said. “Even then they were hoping to bring tourists to this area. Before that there was a ferry that cost a nickel to cross the river. Shockingly, the toll bridge didn’t bring the hoped-for tourists.” Pricing is believed to be a major factor in the toll-system’s demise: persons could be ferried across the Clinch River just downstream for a nickel, while crossing the bridge cost a dime. Construction of the new bridge, which began in April of 2013 continued on page 48

48 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Canoers, kayakers and inner tube enthusiasts are frequently seen floating down the peaceful Clinch River. The water gear can be rented at River Place on the Clinch, which even offers a shuttle service in season.

continued from page 47

at a final cost of $5.6 million, was delayed for several years as engineers worked with environmentalists to come up with plans on how to best build the structure and still protect the river’s diverse population of threatened and endangered aquatic life, which includes almost 50 imperiled species of mussels and fish. Those federal environmental regulations prohibited traditional construction methods, so a final plan was devised to build the new bridge about 25 feet upstream from the old bridge, and to drive pylons down to bedrock to support the new 240-foot span without touching the river itself. The metal superstructure of the old Talley Bridge was allowed to remain in place and state officials initially said that it would become a ‘walking bridge’ for pedestrian traffic only, but after further inspections it was deemed not safe for that purpose and the decking was removed, thereby closing the historic structure forever. “No doubt about it, this is a special, special place in so many ways,” Turner said. “We invite people to come on by and sit on our deck and let us show you how special River Place on the Clinch and the people here really are!” River Place on the Clinch is typically closed on Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and hours and days of operation sometimes change with the weather, so

visitors are encouraged to call ahead and make sure the facility is open before making a long trip. River Place on the Clinch is located at 2788 Hwy. 70, Kyle’s Ford, TN 37765 and may be contacted by phone at 423-7334400, or 877-483-7211. Readers may visit their website at www. riverplaceontheclinch.com. Headquartered in Rutledge, with additional offices in Sneedville and Greeneville, the CPRC&D serves a large area of East Tennessee with emphasis in Claiborne, Grainger, Hancock, Hawkins, Union, Hamblen, and Jefferson counties. For more information, readers may visit their website, www. clinchpowell.net; call 865-828-5927 (Rutledge office), or send U.S. Mail to:

Clinch-Powell RC&D 7995 Rutledge Pike P.O. Box 379 Rutledge, TN 37861

“But come with a smile ‘cause I don’t allow no bad moody people ‘round me.” — Lindy Turner — By Tommy Campbell

Discover Hancock County • 2017

The loft bedroom of a rental cabin.

Lodging is available in beautiful, rustic, fully-stocked cabins with very comfortable beds.

Bedrooms in the cabins typically sleep several.

Harpeth Hills Church of Christ • Brentwood, TN

For the past three or four years, Harpeth Hills Church of Christ in, Brentwood, TN, has partnered with Friendship Academy, in Lebanon, TN, to travel to the Sneedville community for summertime outreach ministries. “For the past two summers, we have been invited specifically to run our Fun Camp for interested children of Sneedville,” Harpeth Hills member Allen Long told the Review. “Four or five days a week, we work with the school and offer fun activities and educational programming for a portion of the day. Sneedville has a summer program offered through the school, and we sort of tag onto it.” The Review met up with the enthusiastic mission team as they were preparing to take a break from their work by renting canoes and kayaks at River Place on the Clinch for a leisurely float down the river on a beautiful, sunny summer afternoon in June of 2016. Long said the time spent in Hancock County is a great experience for the youth of the church. “They make lasting relationships with some of the youth of Sneedville, and when we come back it’s a magical reunion,” he said. “We have also built a great relationship between our church and the school district. It is our hope that we continue to build deep relationships with the school, other local churches, and the local people.” Long said that Sneedville holds a very special place in the hearts

The Harpeth Hills Church of Christ team poses for a picture before heading out in canoes and kayaks rented from River Place on the Clinch. Shown (in no particular order): Allen Long, Grace Long, Elise Long, Kelsey Thompson, Michael Lillicrap, Vivian Armstrong, Mary Alice Armstrong, Jimmy Gilfilen, Emily Malec, Jake Paddison, Hannah Biskner, Elizabeth Locke, Nathan Crawford, Brennan Smiley, Bill Wood, Caleb Wood, Scott Cole, Noah Pagel, Abigail King, Jeff Lanius, Holly Lanius, Meghan Lanius, Olivia Lanius, and Josh Lanius.

of members of Harpeth Hills and that the group hopes to return for many years to come. “Sneedville is also an example of the fact that people can do mission work nearby, it doesn’t have to be across a body of water in another country,” he said.

50 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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The River Bluff Lodge features seven bedrooms, six baths and is perched on a bluff overlooking Clinch River, in rural Sneedville, TN. Located in Historic Hancock County in Northeast Tennessee, we have some of the most beautiful views and abundant wildlife in the state. From our wrap-around porch, you can see for miles. This is a a great place to bring your family! Directions: From Morristown or Rogersville, turn on Hwy. 31 from 11W. Go about 17 miles and turn right onto Duck Creek Road. Go 1/2 mile and turn onto River Bluff Drive. From Sneedville, go South across the River Bridge on Hwy. 31. Go past the boat ramp and turn left onto Duck Creek Road. Continue 1/2 mile and turn left on River Bluff Drive.

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Discover Hancock County • 2017

Maj. Gen. Rear Adm. Samuel P. Carter:

‘Sailor on horseback’

KYLES FORD -- On Jan. 2, 1863, a Union Cavalry force of almost 1,000 men from Nicolsville, Kentucky, passed this way after a raid on the East Tennessee and Virginia Railroad in Upper East Tennessee. Military arms, railroad equipment and bridges were destroyed during that raid. The expedition returned to Kentucky by way of Looney’s Gap, Clinch Valley, and Kyle’s Ford, Tennessee; Blackwater and Jonesville, Virginia; and Harlan, Kentucky. The daring raid, conducted over very difficult mountainous terrain in the dead of winter, forced the Confederacy to commit additional troops to guard the railroad, a vital link between the upper and lower South. The raid was led by Samuel P. Carter, a native of Elizabethton, Tennessee. Carter was a career officer in the U.S. Navy; he was, in effect, loaned to the U.S. Army, becoming a “sailor on horseback”. Carter is the only American to ever hold the rank of brevet Major General in the U.S. Army and Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy.

(Framed photograph and text hanging inside River Place on the Clinch, placed by the Hancock Co. Historical and Genealogical Society. A nearby marker on Hwy. 70 also notes the historical significance of the Civil War raid.)

Jubilee Project

52 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2017

Jubilee Center is located at 197 N. Jockey St. in Sneedville.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Providing food, water, spiritual support and other help to those in need For the past 25 years, Jubilee Project,

a ministry of the United Methodist Church, has been living out this mission statement in a variety of ways. The founders, Steve and Diantha Hodges, came with gifts for community development and started a whole spectrum of programs during their 16 years with the ministry. Today, Jubilee continues that legacy and seeks to empower the people of Hancock County in some of the same ways, but has added a few new programs. Sometimes empowerment is a matter of meeting the basic needs of life and Jubilee seeks to address some of those issues. Food security is one of the those issues and Jubilee addresses it by offering a food pantry at their Center and a mobile food pantry, in partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank, for those in the Treadway area. People come once a month to receive food, personal hygiene and household supplies (when available), but additional food is

available on an emergency basis if an individual or family runs out. The ministry also addresses the food security issue by hosting the Summer Feeding Program for children through Second Harvest, and providing garden boxes to grow vegetables through their women’s ministry. Clean, accessible water is also one of the basic needs of life and is a challenge for many of the people in the county. Through their water program, Jubilee seeks to provide clean water for households in need of help. For some that means digging a well or putting in a septic system and for others that may mean adding a bathroom to their home. For some it may merely mean adding a purification system or developing a spring. Whatever the challenge, Jubilee works to come alongside the homeowner and provide access to clean water. They also work alongside homeowners to make their homes safe and secure and work on handicap-accessibility issues. Through their work camp ministry, teams and individuals come from churches and colleges to do housing rehab. The program doesn’t include work on roofs, but includes most other home repairs. Through the program they match the skill level of the work teams with the needs of the homeowner. Other times empowerment is a matter of education, support and fellowship and Jubilee offers two programs: one for women and one for youth. The women’s ministry meets twice a month and is grounded in encouraging the women to improve their own lives and coming together to empower one another. It’s a time of talking about the Bible and other Christian topics, learning life skills, making crafts and sharing a meal, but it’s all done within the framework of support and fellowship with one another. continued on page 55

“In the name of Jesus Christ, helping the people of Hancock County, Tennessee meet their spiritual, economic, social and physical needs.” ~ Jubilee Project Mission Statement

54 Discover Hancock County • 2017

A student on spring break from Virginia Commonwealth University works on a house through Jubilee’s home repair ministry.

A water purification system provided through Jubilee’s clean water project.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

A well being dug through the water project proceeds as Grant Gibson looks on. continued from page 53

The youth program meets on Fridays after school and, like the women’s ministry, is a time of support and fellowship. It is also a time to encourage the youth to discover the love of God and the possibilities that God offers for their lives. All meetings include a faith lesson, a meal, a fun activity and a learning activity. The learning activity might involve cooking or doing a craft, but is designed in some way to teach. They also have a camp scholarship program to give the youth a Christian summer camp experience. The following vision statement sums up well the hope and focus of the ministry:

Above, Phyllis Teal and Carol Demers working on a quilt with the Jubilee women’s ministry.

At left, women from Fairview United Methodist Church in Maryville host a Christmas party for the women’s ministry.

Jubilee Project envisions a world where everyone has enough, where those who have more share with glad and generous hearts, and where those who have less find relief from oppression and hope for the future. If you would like to find out more about Jubilee Project, or would like to make a donation or participate in any way with the ministry, please call the office at 423-733-4195.

Linda Stransky

Executive Director

56 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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58 Discover Hancock County • 2017

“The Clinch, Powell and Holston rivers run nearly parallel courses through the remote ridges, pastoral valleys and small towns of southwestern Virginia and northeastern Tennessee. These last free-flowing tributaries of the Tennessee River system harbor the nation’s highest concentration of imperiled fish and freshwater mussels. Above these ancient rivers, rare plants cling to cliffs and slopes, and long forested ridges provide critical habitat for migratory birds, black bears and other wildlife. Through land management, community outreach, innovative science and diverse partnerships, The Nature Conservancy’s Clinch Valley Program works to protect these special lands and waters for generations to come.”

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2017

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY Clinch Valley Program

60 Discover Hancock County • 2017 Ronald Lambert, a Land Protection Specialist who works out of The Nature Conservancy’s Sneedville office, wades in the shallow waters of the Clinch River near Kyle’s Ford as he uses an underwater viewing “cone” to check on the condition of mussels on the riverbed.

Discover Hancock County • 2017

The water of the Clinch may appear to be “muddy” at first glance but is actually surprisingly clear, with good visibility from the surface to the riverbed below.

ardy pioneers and frontier trailblazers Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett walked its valleys, climbed its hills, and fished and hunted its rivers and forests. The legendary Carter Family immortalized its forested peaks and lush, green valleys in song. Best-selling Western novelist Louis L’Amour homesteaded a branch of his feisty, fictional Sackett clan on Clinch Mountain. Brothers from both north and south fought each other in bloody Civil War skirmishes here. Without a doubt, the Clinch Valley is one of the most historic, ruggedly beautiful places in all of Tennessee or neighboring Virginia, one that annually attracts visitors from across the country and around the world to snap photos, hike the mountain trails, pull fish from the waters of the Clinch River, or float peacefully down the stream using inner tubes, canoes or kayaks. Today, one of the organizations that is working diligently to keep the valley -- and the river and mountain that share the Clinch title -- clean, safe and protected for the people and wildlife that call Hancock County home today and in the future is The Nature Conservancy.

TNC has worked with people of the Clinch Valley since 1990 and the end result of those efforts is that, today, more than 35,000 acres of critical natural habitat throughout the two-state region is protected. “One reason the Clinch and Powell rivers are so clean is their rural isolation and the small number of big industries located on the rivers,” Ronald Lambert explained. Lambert, a Land Protection Specialist who has worked out of TNC’s Sneedville office for more than 20 years, said that most of the major industries in the region are located away from the rivers, without the large volumes of water withdrawals that most paper mills have to have. “There are long stretches on both rivers that you can canoe for miles without seeing any structures,” he said. “There’s places in Hancock County you can float for long distances at night and not see any lights at all.” Brad J. Kreps, TNC’s Clinch Valley Program Director, who works out of the Abingdon, Virginia office, said the Clinch River is one of the most special and unique rivers in the United States. “It has the highest concentration of rare aquatic species than

The picturesque Clinch River is one of three of the last free-flowing tributaries of the Tennessee River system.

continued on page 62

62 Discover Hancock County • 2017 continued from page 61

“There’s this building where we’re meeting today (River Place on the any other river,” Kreps said. “That’s why The Nature Conservancy Clinch), and the old Testerman Farm just down the road. With the started working here, with the local communities, to figure out how help of Clinch-Powell RC&D, The Nature Conservancy was able to purchase that property and sell it to the Tennessee Wildlife Resource we can keep the river healthy.” In the Clinch alone, Kreps said, the organization has protected Agency and the RC&D took control of the old house and turned it seven key shoals that collectively represent one of the world’s most into a group meeting retreat center. The ford is actually just down diversified groupings of freshwater mussels and other aquatic life to the river from us. There were boarding houses on both sides of the river where people would have to stay if the river was in flood.” be found anywhere in the world. TNC purchased the 800+ acre site mainly with an eye toward “Kyles Ford is one of the most diversified mussel shoals in the protecting the rare mussel shoals, but the eventual renovation of the world,” he explained. “The mussels bed down in these shoals and Testerman house was an unexpected benefit, Kreps said. they are doing exceptionally well through this whole stretch of the “Its such a cool Clinch through Tennessee. feeling to sit here now It’s the showplace. They are and remember back to the really thriving and mussels 1990s and look at what are one of the most sensitive has been accomplished indicators of water quality over that period,” he said. and that’s one indication “Ronald has done a ton of that the river is healthy for educational programs with not only the aquatic species, kids and local landowners but for people as well.” and farmers to help them At one time, Kreps understand what a rare said, mussels could be found gem they have flowing throughout the Tennessee through their home county River basin. Evidence of and that it is in all of our their abundance can often best interests to protect be found at ancient Indian it for current and future sites along the rivers, where generations. We are seeing mounds of shells can even more and more focus today still be found. on tourism to encourage “One of the big people to visit and spend game changers was in money in the community, the 1930s when TVA put but we want those in impoundments in the visitors to be respectful rivers, which, of course, of the environment, the were needed, but one of the communities, and of the unintended consequences people who live here.” was that it changed the Trying to join tourism aquatic habitat, a lot,” Kreps with environmental said. “Where we find the protection into a workable best mussel shoals now are solution for all is often a in the last remaining free“balancing act”, Kreps said. flowing tributaries of the “We always try Tennessee, so the Clinch to incorporate the and Powell above Norris environment into (Dam) are where we work. economic planning,” he Mussels need that free- A photo taken looking down toward clusters of mussels on the riverbed. said. “I sometimes wonder if flowing condition.” Pigeon Forge’s leaders, back in the day, would have still gone down Kreps and Lambert agree that healthy economies and healthy that same path if they had it all to do over again? You have to temper rivers and eco-systems can co-exist in harmony with each other. “Ronald has worked for more than two decades to help farmers everything with the thought of, how can we use what we have in be more productive, which saves them time and money, while also a common-sense way that protects the rivers and still encourages people to come and use them, enjoy them. Tourism is great, but it protecting the river and the life that it nurtures,” Kreps said. In Hancock County alone, more than 120 landowners partner can also backfire on you if you fail to plan.” To Hancock County farmers, their two most valuable assets are with TNC to implement agricultural “best management practices” tillable soil and clean water, Lambert said. such as fencing cattle to keep them away from direct access to stream “And that’s at the heart of everything we do, to keep the water banks and planting erosion-stopping trees and grass along creeks clean and the soil in place,” Lambert said. “We bring in a ton of and streams. public grant funds into the county that support local contractors “We work all over the county, but Kyles Ford has been a hub of community activity in this county for a long time,” Lambert said. continued on page 64

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Lambert displays a spiny riversnail (Io fluvialis) from the river.

Krepps shows off a close-up view of the aquatic critter, a kidneyshell, or by its scientific name, Ptychobranchus fasciolaris, with the mussel’s “age rings” clearly visible.

Ronald Lambert talks passionately about the river that has been so much a part of his life for several years.

Brad Krepps, TNC’s Clinch Valley Program Director who works out of the group’s Abingdon, Virginia office, checks a mussel he picked up out of the river and points out the series of “age rings” that mussels add each year as they age, much like the growth rings of trees.

64 Discover Hancock County • 2017

Ronald Lambert talks passionately about the river that has been so much a part of his life for several years. continued from page 62

and vendors. If The Nature Conservancy and RC&D brings in one dollar, it will change hands many times in this community. That’s a huge value.” In 2002, TNC launched the Conservation Forestry Program which now includes the management of more than 22,000 acres to model sustainable forestry practices. The program is a unique arrangement where landowners receive an annual payment in exchange for granting the Conservancy the right to manage their timber in a way that protects clean water and increases the health of the forest over time. According to Kreps, the TNC is also working closely with local, state and federal agencies in an effort to manage the environmental impacts of the region’s coal mining industry. To that end, TNC has helped to update an inventory list of abandoned mines in the Clinch Valley and to set goals for restoring those former sites, such as rejuvenating compacted soils and replanting native trees. “To say that the Clinch River is a world-class asset for Hancock County would be an understatement,” Kreps said. The tranquil river that flows through Virginia and Tennessee is not only one of the most ruggedly beautiful streams in America, but also is one of the cleanest, supporting the highest number of rare and

endangered fish and freshwater mussels in the entire country, Kreps and Lambert said. “Mussels have their own value in the environment,” Lambert explained. “They are natural water cleaners. Right above Sneedville you have one of the healthiest mussel beds in the world and those mussels suck in tons of water and filter out all of the junk, so that’s another reason to keep it clean.” If the mussels were to die off, what’s next, Lambert asked.

“To say that the Clinch River is a world-class asset for Hancock County would be an understatement.” Brad Kreps “Well, the fish would begin to die, and then what?” he said. “By having such a large diversity of mussels tells us we’re holding on to continued on page 65

Discover Hancock County • 2017

Clinch River’s mussels and fish are so famous that the State of Tennessee’s Highway Department even included sculpted images of the aquatic life in the concrete sidewalls of the new bridge, which opened in 2016. continued from page 64

some of the cleanest water in the state, maybe even, the world. It all goes back into the food chain, so the cleaner the better.” Lambert said that TNC has helped protect and restore two and one-half miles of river frontage in Hancock County alone. “This stretch from Brooks Island just upstream to Kyles Ford is one of the ‘golden stretches’ of mussel shoals on the river,” Lambert said, wading out into the knee-deep gently flowing water as he and Kreps pointed out some of the diverse mussel species clearly visible on the riverbed below. “We have purchased land at multiple spots along the rivers that we call our ‘string of pearls’, where you have these aggregations of rare mussels as mini-preserves,” Kreps said, reaching down into the water and picking up a small aquatic creature. “That’s a Spiny Riversnail (io fluvialis),” he said. “It’s the largest freshwater snail in North America.” Some of the mussels look remarkably similar to little fish. “Baby mussels attach themselves to fish to complete their development and when they are ready, they naturally fall off the fish to the river bottom where they grow to adulthood,” Lambert said. “You gotta make sure the fish are doing good too, because the two are so inter-connected.” Every year that mussels live, they put on growth rings, much like trees, Kreps said. “Some of them live to be 60 to 80 years old, and you can tell how old they are by counting the rings,” he explained. The TNC team uses hand-held “river scopes” to view mussels on the bottom of the river. “This is the kind of habitat that mussels thrive in, where its a foot deep with good flowing water,” Lambert pointed out. “That’s where you’ll find the riverbed just covered up with them.” Mussels, they said, are also burrowers and are often found as deep as four to five inches in the riverbed, which actually helps them survive during times of low water levels and floods. As important as the mussels are to life in the river, it wasn’t until the 1970s that scientists really began to pay attention to the creatures

The new Col. David B. Snodgrass Bridge at Kyle’s Ford looking west toward the old Edward R. Talley Bridge which is visible in the background. The new bridge opened in 2016 after three years of construction and at a price tag of $5.6 million. The Talley bridge, built in 1927-28 as one of 18 “toll” bridges in Tennessee, by contrast, cost only $110,000. It operated as a toll bridge until continued on page 66 1939 and is one of only three that still exist today.

66 Discover Hancock County • 2017 continued from page 65

and just how important they are in the chain of life, Kreps said. “Now, monitoring teams come in regularly to check water condition, the numbers of mussels, and other vital components of their habitats,” he said. “It really is fascinating when you start to learn more about the whole eco-system and how interdependent it, and we, really are.”

Lambert often does presentations in local school classrooms. “More times than I can remember, teachers will say they have lived here all their lives and didn’t know all the fascinating things there are to know about the mussels,” he said. The Nature Conservancy is working with partners to increase rare mussel populations along the Clinch by transplanting mussels from more populous areas in Tennessee into “seed beds” at various points along the river in Virginia. “We are seeing more and more signs that these transplants are

starting to take off,” Kreps said. “Its peaceful out here,” Lambert commented, standing kneedeep in the gently flowing stream under a clear blue late June summer sky, and pointing at the surrounding mountains. “A lot of times on weekends, you can see people out here fly fishing, some snorkeling, floating on tubes. Mainly people fish for catfish and smallmouth bass, but there’s a lot of other fish in this river, too, more than people realize.” In fact, more than 98 species of fish can be found in that short stretch of the Clinch between Kyles Ford and Brooks Island. “That’s more than one-third of all the species you can find in the entire Tennessee River system,” he pointed out. The water level in the free-flowing river is totally dependent on rainfall, so in dry times, some stretches are extremely difficult to navigate, and while motorboats are prohibited on the Clinch River in Hancock County, non-motorized vessels such as canoes, kayaks and inner tubes are welcome. “The more people enjoy the river, the more they should care about taking care of it,” Kreps said. The two rivers’ combined watershed provides drinking water for more than 100,000 people in the rugged mountainous terrain of the two-state region, which is a prime focus of TNC and its partners. “When we first visited this property years ago, it was a working dairy farm and cattle were all over the place,” Lambert recalled. “There was no grass on the banks and there was a lot of erosion. That landowner was one of the first to sign a contract to work with us. Today, you look around and all you see is green. This is also one of the places where churches come to baptize new believers and that was a part of the contract, that pastors could still baptize people at this spot.” Tourists come to the region from near and far to bird watch, fish, walk the mountain trails, and float or kayak the rivers, and both Lambert and Kreps emphasized that on-going education is critically important to home folks and visitors alike, informing them of how vital it is to their own health and well-being to manage the river systems properly. “Everything that happens within this watershed affects the life and health of these rivers, and ultimately, all of the people, wildlife, aquatic life, and domestic livestock that depend on the water the river provides for drinking and other needs,” Kreps said. One of the most important things that people can do is to be cognizant of things that can affect the river, both good and bad, he said. For instance, streamside forests and vegetation are critically important in preventing erosion and runoff into the river and to providing habitats for deer, turkey and the thousands of migratory birds that stop off on the Clinch’s wetlands each year on their way to warmer seasonal climates. It is that vegetation that serves as a natural filtration system to help keep pollutants and sediment from reaching the river, where those elements could severely harm or even destroy the balance of the delicate eco-system. It also minimizes flooding, which is ever on the minds of all property owners who live or own land adjoining the Clinch River, Lambert said. One of the unique things about the Clinch River is how many diverse interests -- industries, businesses, residents and farmers -co-exist along its banks, in harmony with each other. “We want everyone to know we are here to offer our help,” Lambert said. “We are their friends and the work that we do here is continued on page 67

Discover Hancock County • 2017 continued from page 66

to not only to protect the river and its huge variety of aquatic life, but to also make sure that people have clean drinking water and a great place that they can go to enjoy when they have time to fish or just float down the river.”

Local residents interested in learning more about The Nature Conservancy and what it has to offer may contact Lambert by phone at 423-300-8855, or by email at rlambert@tnc.org. TNC encourages residents and property owners to follow good land management practices, such as pumping septic tanks every three to five years to prevent pollution of groundwater and the river; allowing streamside areas to remain in a “natural” state with minimal amounts of mowing or logging; using gravel instead of asphalt on driveways and access roads because paved roads prevent water from soaking into the ground; and never dumping garbage or disposing of hazardous materials in an unlawful or unsafe manner. Livestock owners can make a huge difference by planting native trees and shrubs alongside creeks and streams; fencing livestock away from flowing streams; using rotational grazing to keep sediment and animal waste out of the water; soil testing to make sure that fertilizer is applied at the correct rate; and generally being “wetland friendly” .. avoiding clearing or filling wet areas that naturally filter water runoff. The good news, Lambert and Kreps said, is that farmers and ranchers can often receive grants and technical assistance from their

A majestic eagle sits in a tree on Horton Ford Road. — Photo by Rhonda Hurd

local Soil and Water Conservation Districts to help with the cost of installing or completing these “best” practices. In the early days of TNC’s presence in the county, Lambert admitted it was tough to gain the landowners’ trust. “Oh, we got some suspicious looks, let me tell you!” he laughed. “A lot of folks were wary of working with a ‘government agent’. We had a lot of work to do to convince them that we don’t work for the government, we are a private group, but that was their perception of us in the beginning.” Lambert chuckled as he recalled trying over and over to get in touch with one landowner who was doing everything he could to avoid talking to him. “I finally called one day and his wife said he was up at the barn grading tobacco, and she said it was alright if I went up there,” Lambert said. “I spent the afternoon grading tobacco with him. We just sat there and chewed the fat, graded tobacco, and I never once mentioned the work we do. The next day he called me up and said, ‘OK, come on over and let’s talk about it’. “This is still a county where a handshake and a man’s word mean a lot, and we respect that,” Lambert said. “We are here to help but we don’t force what we have to offer on anybody. I’m here, I’m the face they see. A lot of days, I just go down to the hardware store and hang out and listen to what’s on peoples’ minds.” Trust, he said, is a very valuable thing. “I live here, I am accountable to the people here, and I want to keep it that way,” he concluded. Local residents interested in learning more about The Nature Conservancy and what it has to offer may contact Lambert by phone at 423-300-8855, or by email at rlambert@tnc.org.

— By Tommy Campbell

68 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Scenes from in Hancock County Photos by RHONDA HURD

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Right at home The coming of fall in a peaceful valley Clinch River Missionary Baptist Church Kyle’s Ford Church, established in 1801 Memorial to Hancock County’s Military Heroes on the lawn of the Courthouse The Hancock County Courthouse

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70 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2017

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 Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll go into research. Keyuna Roberts, psychology Keyuna knows her story will involve psychology.

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Discover Hancock County • 2017

2017

Series

SURGOINSVILLE 10 MILER Saturday, February 25, 8:00am Surgoinsville Middle School

SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC King & Queen Competition RRCA Tennessee State 10 Mile Championship

BAYS MOUNTAIN MARATHON Saturday, March 11, 8:00am 26.2 mile trail race Bays Mountain Park – Kingsport Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC Trail Series Competition

LAUREL RUN ASCENT

Saturday, April 15, 8:00am 11 mile trail race Laurel Run Park – Church Hill Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC Trail Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition

AMIS MILL 10K

Saturday, June 3, 8:00am Amis Mill Eatery – Rogersville SFTC King & Queen Competition

THE RIVER MILE

Tuesday, June 6, 6:00pm Laurel Run Park – Church Hill SFTC Kids’ Festival of Miles SFTC Mile Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition

SFTC Race of the Year Awards: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015

WOLF RUN

Tuesday, July 18, 6:00pm 7 mile trail race Bays Mountain Park – Kingsport Kingsport Fun Fest Event Trail Runner Trophy Series SFTC Trail Series Competition SFTC King & Queen Competition

BAYS MOUNTAIN TRAIL RACE Saturday, September 23, 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

CROOKED RIVER HALF MARATHON Sunday, October 15, 3:00pm The Lodge at Crooked River AP Carter Highway – Virginia SFTC Long Distance Series SFTC King & Queen Competition

For information, contact…

Race Director Mark Skelton 423.272.4812 (office)

markskelton@markskelton.com www.MarkSkeltonLawOffice.com SFTC Shirt of the Year Awards: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016

www.RunTriCities.org

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72 Discover Hancock County • 2017

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Teresa Suarez also a Florida transplant joined with Lesley and the team in 2012. Her joy is in helping people to realize their dreams of moving on to the next chapter in their lives with confidence. Now the Principal Broker and owner of the company, Teresa brings the added experience of a full-time, lifetime career of over 40 years in real estate to the office and to her buyers and sellers alike. She knows that so many of our memories are wrapped up in our real estate, how relevant every purchase and sale truly is, and how to overcome obstacles so that every intended purchase and sale can certainly happen! 423-300-2548

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