Discover Hancock County 2016 by Discover Hawkins County

DISCOVER

Discover Hancock County • 2016

HANCOCK VOLUME 1 — 2016

County T EN N ESSEE

Sneedville son

Jimmy Martin is a bluegrass legend

— page 18

Siblings recall growing up in the ‘good old days’ Clem Seal and Thelma Seal Winstead — page 13

Kyles Ford Missionary Baptist Church — page 40 Catfish suppers help Treadway VFD help the community — page 52

2 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Let us help you find your East Tennessee dream!

Pictured above, front row, left to right, Phyllis Reed, Affiliate Broker; Lisa McBride, Principal Broker/ Auctioneer and Joey Haun, Affiliate Broker/Apprentice Auctioneer. Back row, left to right, Lindsey “Luci” Lawson, Affiliate Broker; Tereasa Hubbard, Affiliate Broker; Wilbur Hite, Affiliate Broker and Emily Hubbard, Office Manager.

Joey Haun 423-748-7181

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Discover Hancock County • 2016

Another case of a Subaru going places others don’t.

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8729 Kingston Pike | Knoxville, TN 37923 | 888-660-0184 www.graysonsubaru.com

4 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

Discover Hancock County • 2016

DISCOVER

HANCOCK

County

8 13 18 28 34 40 46 52 57 59 61

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

Tommy Campbell Editor & Publisher

Joel Spears

Managing Editor

Pat Smith

Circulation Manager

Sharon Roberts

Business Manager EDITORIAL

Jim Beller

Staff Writer ADVERTISING

Abby Swearingen

Marketing Consultant

Buffy Sizemore

Marketing Consultant

FEATURES INSIDE: Hancock County Appreciation Days Siblings recall growing up in the ‘good old days’ Sneedville son Jimmy Martin is a bluegrass legend Historic Hancock County Jail Hancock Co. Historical and Genealogical Society Kyles Ford Missionary Baptist Church Sneedville Fall Festival Catfish suppers help Treadway VFD help the community Hancock Co. Schools The new Kyles Ford Bridge welcomed by the community Scenes from a country ride

6 Letter from Tommy Campbell,

Christy Alvis

Allana Ward

32-33 Map of Hawkins County 63 Advertiser Index

Marketing Consultant Marketing Consultant

Freda Turbyfill

Creative Services / Production Advertising rates and information available upon request. Story suggestions, inquiries should be made to tommy.campbell@therogersvillereview.com © 2016 Hawkins County Publishers, Inc.

Discover Hancock County 2016 is a single-copy supplement to The Rogersville Review. Additional copies may be purchased at the Review office for $2 each, plus postage if mailing is needed. Call our office at 423-272-7422 or email us at pat.smith@ therogersvillereview.com for orders and delivery. Copyright: 2016, Discover Hancock County 2016, 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.

Publisher & Editor / The Rogersville Review

ON THE COVER:

Elvis lives!

Jeremiah Shockley shows off his best “Elvis Presley” impersonation at an Appreciation Day event in Sneedville. Jeremiah, 9, is the son of David and Stephanie Shockley, of the Treadway community and has a sister, Molly. His mom told the Review that the costume was part of a “Back to the ‘50’s” performance that day by a group of kids who participate in activities sponsored by Miranda Russell’s Hancock Co. Arts group, which offers music, dance and art classes for local young people.

— photo by Sheldon Livesay

6 Discover Hancock County • 2016

WELCOME TO

HANCOCK

ow Logan was a Clinch Mountain Sackett, and those boys from Clinch Mountain are rougher than a cob. There were those who called Logan an outlaw, but he was family, and he was handy with a shooting iron. — Flagan Sackett, from “Galloway” (Louis L’Amour)

She (Emily Sackett Talon) looked at me, then sniffed. “I might of knowed it. Clinch Mountain, ain’t you?” “What was that, ma’am?” I was startled. “I said you’re a Clinch Mountain Sackett, ain’t you? I’d read your sign anywhere, boy. You’re probably one of those no-account sons of Tarbil Sackett, ain’t you?” “Grandson, ma’am.” — From “Ride the Dark Trail” (Louis L’Amour) No doubt about it ... them Sackett boys were tough as leather and, as best-selling Old West author Louis L’Amour said in his novels, “handy with a shooting iron”. You may have read those books, or seen the popular madefor-TV miniseries, “Sackett”, starring Tom Selleck and Sam Elliott. While the Sackett clan was a fictional bunch, L’Amour — the most popular Western writer of all time — chose to ‘homestead’ the real-life ancestral home of one branch of that family right here on Clinch Mountain, in the midst of one of the most ruggedly beautiful pieces of real estate in the state of Tennessee ... Hancock County. L’Amour’s son, Beau, told me recently that he could not say for a fact that his dad actually visited Hancock County, but given

County

L’Amour’s penchant for visiting in person and researching the “lay of the land” prior to writing his literary gems, it is entirely possible that he did. One gentleman told me over coffee at Hardee’s one morning that he met L’Amour back in the 1950’s when the best-selling author camped out in the rugged wilderness on the Clinch River and atop the mountain not far from his own homestead. “He spent two weeks here,” Joe said. “Know it for a fact. Talked to him!” Whether he actually did or not is unimportant ... the story makes great folklore! And among these hills and valleys of southern Appalachia can be found many more golden nuggets of just such history and folk tales, much of which is far beyond our ability to even touch on in this one magazine. Hello everyone, and WELCOME to “Discover Hancock County”! As the publisher of The Rogersville Review (in neighboring Hawkins County), I often have occasion to visit in this ruggedly beautiful county and I have always been impressed by its people, their passion for holding onto their colorful heritage, and just for the fact that — in the face of widespread poverty and the highest jobless rate in the state of Tennessee — they not only persevere but thrive. Besides, the Review has a ton of readers hereabouts, henceforth the inspiration for this brand-new magazine that you hold in your hands. “Boy, if life were easy here I’da been gone 60 years ago!” my newfound friend Joe exclaimed as he refilled his coffee cup. “You got to be tough to live here. It ain’t for cissyfied folks. You do what you have to do to get by.” With the warm reception offered to visitors and the spectacular scenery that rivals that of the nearby Great Smoky Mountains, it is truly a shame that the county has never gained what should be its rightful spot as one of Tennessee’s most awesome tourist destinations. The Clinch and Powell rivers offer numerous opportunities for fishing, wading, tubing or just studying the several varieties of rare mussels that are found only here. In Sneedville — the county’s only incorporated town — visitors can walk the streets and take a step back through the pages of time by visiting the historic Jail and Courthouse. The annual Fall Festival is huge, attracting people from several states, and then there’s also the annual Appreciation Day where folks gather in Sneedville to enjoy food, good ol’ bluegrass and gospel music and fellowship. For the 6,819 souls who call Hancock home (Census of 2010) — as Joe said — life can sometimes be pretty hard. Jobs are scarce, and the median income for a Hancock County household of $19,760 — the lowest of any county in Tennessee, meaning that almost 30% of the population lives at or below the poverty level. Director of Schools Tony Seal shared with me the many

Discover Hancock County • 2016 shining achievements of the Hancock County Public School System, and how educators there are doing their best to make sure local graduates are as well-equipped as their counterparts elsewhere to face college and the world. You can read his detailed letter elsewhere in this issue which clearly shows the all-out effort being made to fight unemployment by preparing students for careers through a solid educational background ... careers that many hope and pray will lead them home to Hancock County. Residents of this 222-square mile parcel of land are fiercely proud of their county and will quickly tell you they wouldn’t think of moving. “Won’t never live noplace else, not me,” Joe allowed. “Ain’t no place on God’s green earth that’s better than right here where you and me are settin’ right now. Listen, boy! I been here for 79 years come March and when my time comes, they’ll bury my bones in that graveyard over yonder where all of my kinfolks lie.” Hancock folks, Joe said, know how to keep on going when the “going” often seems too hard to bear. Many often travel in excess of 100 miles — outside the county and sometimes the state — to find gainful employment. “There just ain’t no jobs,” Joe said. “Real shame, too. Our young’uns grow up and leave because there ain’t nothing here for them to do, unless they want to drive a truck, or farm.” Joe thinks the county should establish a mountain arts and crafts center where local people who are talented at working with their hands could make and market their products. “Heck, them folks over yonder in the Smokies make fortunes selling homemade quilts, paintings of old barns, jams and jellies, wooden birdhouses, you name it,” Joe said. “Ain’t no reason why somebody here couldn’t get something like that started. Use that — what do they call it? — that Internet thing to sell it to folks all over.” What the county lacks economically, though, it more than makes up for in million-dollar views of hills and valleys, from Clinch Mountain in the south, to Newman’s Ridge and the Powell Mountains in the north. During the spring, mountain laurel, native azaleas, and other plants that cover the mountain vistas put on spectacular displays of color, while in the fall, the oaks, hickories, gums and maples that grace those same hills offer eye-popping hues that rival any patchwork quilt ever made. The county’s earliest history is somewhat vague, but white settlers are documented in the area by the middle to late 1700’s. Earlier than that were the mysterious, dark-skinned Melungeons who were already living along Newman’s Ridge and who greeted French and English traders as early as the late 1600’s, according to some accounts. Believed to be of mixed European, African, and Native American heritage, the Melungeons left an indelible mark upon the community. Today, historic Vardy Community School, which offered education for Melungeon children in the early 20th century, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is the Hancock Co. Jail. Hancock County was created on Jan. 7, 1844 by an Act of the State General Assembly from portions of Hawkins and Claiborne counties. Some residents of Hawkins County — not happy over the loss of their land to another county — went to court stop the process. In 1848, however, the Tennessee Supreme Court found no reason to stop the process and thus Hancock was born. The current county seat and only incorporated town in

the county — Sneedville — was originally called Greasy Rock (referring to large, flat rocks near the river where ancient Indians skinned their kills), but was re-named in honor of Knoxville lawyer William Henry Sneed, who successfully argued the 1848 case before the state’s high court. Named after Revolutionary War patriot and President of the Continental Congress, John Hancock, the county is bordered by the Tennessee counties of Hawkins, Grainger and Claiborne, and in Virginia by Scott and Lee. Over the years, a succession of country and bluegrass musicians have immortalized the county in song. “Way Up on Clinch Mountain,” a folk song based on a 17thcentury Scottish tune, was recorded by Woody Guthrie, and The Carter Family in 1928 recorded “My Clinch Mountain Home.” A fiddle tune called “Clinch Mountain Backstep” is also a perennial favorite, along with modern-day bluegrass stars’ Daily and Vincent’s recording of “Back to Hancock County”. Bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin — whom you can also read about in this magazine — was from Sneedville, while bluegrass icon Doyle Lawson spent some of his growing-up years here, too. In this one magazine, we could not begin to tell the whole story of Hancock County, but just know that — with your support — this will be the first of what we hope to be many more issues in the future. Take a look inside these pages and you will see that the greatest natural resource Hancock has going for it isn’t the spectacular scenery, nor even the abundant history ... it’s the people. The folks who call this special place home ... my new coffee-drinking buddy, Joe ... the firefighters and volunteers at Treadway Vol. Fire Department who keep their trucks on the road through monthly fish-fry fundraisers ... the folks at Kyle’s Ford Baptist Church whose heritage of faith extends back to 1801 ... siblings Thelma Winstead and Clem Seal ... and the ton of people who attended last year’s Fall Festival whose smiling faces you will see elsewhere in this edition. They, and hundreds more like them, represent Hancock County at it’s finest. Before leaving the restaurant, I asked Joe if I could make his picture for the magazine that we plan to make available to the folks here, as well as distribute through some of Tennessee’s Interstate Welcome Centers. “Hell, no!” he deadpanned, with tongue firmly planted in cheek. “I might be wanted and if they see my pho-tee-graph in that book they’ll know where to come and get me!” No matter whether one lives in the city limits of Sneedville or the unincorporated communities of Treadway, Alanthus Hill, Kyles Ford, Mulberry Gap, Xenophon, or elsewhere, one common thread stitches together folks from one end of this county to the other. Hancock County is, you see, a very special place, and people here are quick to welcome visitors with a smile and send them on their way with a “Hope to see you soon ... “Overhome!” Enjoy! And please let us know if you have ideas or suggestions for Volume Two. Sincerely,

Tommy Campbell Publisher & Editor The Rogersville Review

t a i c e r p p A In Hancock County, once a year downtown Sneedville becomes the site for Appreciation Days, a time set aside by various county offices to show their appreciation to the people. Everyone is welcome and, as you can see from these pictures from a past event, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty of food, fellowship, music and politicking for all to enjoy! â&#x20AC;&#x201D; photos by Sheldon Livesay

tion Days

Friends â&#x20AC;¢ Fa

Fun for E

amily â&#x20AC;¢ Food

Everyone!

12 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Gary W. Hicks, Jr.

State Representative It is an honor and a privilege to serve the citizens of Hancock and Hawkins Counties.

City of

Sneedville

Tennessee

Wayland Dean Rhea, Mayor William Pat Riley, Councilman/Vice-Mayor/Recorder John Mullins, Councilman Scott Shipley, Councilman Michael Gibson, Councilman Matthew Waddell, Councilman

301 6th Avenue North, Suite, 206A War Memorial Bldg. Nashville, TN 37243 Phone 615-741-7480 • Fax 615-253-0307

P.O. Box 377 | Sneedville, TN 37869 423-733-2254 | Fax 423-733-4112 Email: sneedvillecityhall@yahoo.com

rep.gary.hicks@capitol.tn.gov Paid for by Rep. Gary W. Hicks, Jr.

Hancock County School-Based Health Centers

Putting Customers First to Build Relationships that Last.

Hancock County Elementary School-Based Health Center

Hancock County Middle/High School-Based Health Center

391 Court Street Sneedville, TN 37869 423-733-2121 Hours Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Tuesday, Friday and Saturday 8:00 am - 4:30 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

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

Allergy Shots

School and Work Physicals

Child and Adult Well Physicals

Sports Physicals

Commercial Drivers License Physical Examinations

Referrals

Urgent Care

Vaccines

161 Main Street Sneedville, Tennessee 423.733.2212 www.civisbank.com

Management of Common Chronic Conditions

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 $1,552,762 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.

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Clem Seal and Thelma Seal Winstead Photo by Tommy Campbell

Siblings recall growing up in the ‘good old days’ SNEEDVILLE — One cool, foggy morning in November, we sat down with siblings Thelma Seal Winstead and Clem Seal over morning coffee at the Hancock Manor Nursing Home in Sneedville. I had gone there to interview Thelma but, as it turned out, her brother — a former Road Superintendent of Hancock County — had stopped by to visit. At 92, Thelma has been a resident of Hancock Manor for the past four years, while Clem, 77, and his wife of nearly 60 years live just down the road. Clem spent his early years working in the once-prolific zinc mines around Treadway and other communities that once were a big part of Hancock County’s economy. “The bottom fell out of the zinc business and I had to find steady work, so I went to work for the county on a road crew.” Twenty years later, having worked on just about every road in the county, he decided to run for the top office in that department, and the voters of Hancock County gave him that chance, re-electing him for almost four decades. “Three hundred and fifty miles of roads may seem small when

you look at some counties, but in these mountains, let me tell you, that’s a lot of roads to keep up,” said Clem. “I was elected when I was 40 years old and I’d come out to work every day with overalls and boots on, ready to work alongside my men,” he said. “I’d run graders, backhoes, whatever the job called for.” Clem said that formal schooling for him ended in the eighth grade but that he later went back and got his GED. “The thing that helped me as Road Superintendent was that I had worked all those years on the roads,” he said. “I knew them like the back of my own hand. I knew where every problem place was that might give us trouble, and I tried to keep everything up the best I could with the budget we had to work with.” Thelma said that while the calendar may say she is 92, she certainly doesn’t feel it. “Oh I love to laugh, I love to talk to people,” she said. “I see folks walking around a whole lot younger than me who act like they swallowed dill pickle juice. They’re all frowned up and I continued on page 15

14 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

Photo by Tommy Campbell

Discover Hancock County • 2016

“When the preacher came to our house, he was gonna et first and the children last,” Clem said, adding with a chuckle, “if there think, what in the world are you so grumpy about? We all got a lot was anything left!” to be thankful for. I know I do. People take their youth and their Clem also recalled that, while the family might have been families for granted. One day they’ll look back and wish they had “poor as dirt”, they always had good food to eat, mostly what they both of ‘em.” grew in their garden or meat from chickens and pigs they raised. The siblings were born in a small cabin on the Clinch River “My mama could cook the best mealy potatoes you ever ate,” about a miles from Sneedville. Thelma recalled. “My daddy was a big man,” Back then she said, people Thelma said. “He was a good man. were closer and loved each other. We worshipped him when we was “Families today aren’t close little. He farmed and did what he and that’s a pity,” Thelma said. could. He even carried the U.S. Thelma looks forward to Mail for a while.” regular visits from her brother and Her late husband drove a also to attending church services truck, farmed and did odd jobs that are held at Hancock Manor. to provide for his family while “Oh, folks like to say we ‘uns Thelma stayed at home and kept in Hancock County are hillbillies, house for the couple and their hillbillies!” Thelma said. “Well, three sons. ain’t nothing wrong with that, no “And let me tell you, she could sir. We may be hillbillies but we cook the best turnip greens you was raised right, you hear? We was ever put in your mouth,” brother raised with good common sense, Clem bragged. “And cakes? She to love and respect people, to go poured that sweet, gooey icing to church and do the right thing.” on them and that was some fine There were seven siblings in eating.” the Seal family, and — even in the “I laid it to ‘em, all right!” “good times” — life could still be Thelma grinned. “I wanted my trying. cakes to have plenty of flavor.” “We didn’t have a dozen pairs Clem also pointed out that of shoes,” Clem remembered. Thelma could make the prettiest “And if daddy said it, we did it. He bonnets. didn’t have to jump all over us.” “Women today don’t wear “They tried to teach us,” ‘em much anymore, but hers were Thelma said. “Our mother prayed a sight to see,” he said. “I wish I This photo of Thelma was featured in the Summer 2015 us through some hard, hard times. edition of Perspective magazine, a publication of the had one today just to show it off!” We didn’t have much in the way of Tennessee Health Care Association and the Tennessee “Lord, what a sweet life we Center for Assisted Living as part of the publication’s worldly goods but we had a lot of had,” Thelma smiled. “This is Your Life” salute to the “Who’s Who” among things that folks don’t have today. As a younger sibling, Clem residents of long-term care facilities in the state. We had family, we had love, and recalled at the age of nine the — photo courtesy Hancock Manor we had God.” stir that it caused in 1948 when “We were taught to remember Nursing Home, Sneedville Thelma and her “fella” slipped off where our strength and grace comes to get married. from,” Clem added. “When you forget where you came from and “I was nine, and when she came back from their honeymoon, who it is that watches over you, you’re walking on thin ice.” me and Daddy were shucking corn down at the barn in the deep The family was also raised to be “thoroughbred conservatives”. snow,” he said. “They had to park in front of Daddy and me, and “There wasn’t none of that liberal nonsense you see today he saw them, but never looked up. Just kept on shucking that allowed around our house,” Clem said. “We were raised to work. corn. After a minute, Daddy looked at me and said, ‘look at them It was an honor to work and a blessing that we could support our scoundrels!’ Whooee, I thought there was gonna be trouble for families.” sure!” Of the seven siblings, three are now deceased. Thelma chuckled. “Ninety two,” Thelma said with a shake of her head. “Am I “You know, we had a real good daddy,” she said. “Those were really 92? Well, my birthdays say I am, but in my heart, I feel like a some of the best days.” teenager!” “What we were blessed with more than anything were GodAs I left, Thelma graciously invited me to come back soon and fearing parents,” Clem pointed out. “There were many times that visit again. Daddy could have tanned my hide but he didn’t.” “But come with a smile ‘cause I don’t allow no bad moody Growing up, the family attended a Missionary Baptist Church people ‘round me,” she said. near their home. — By Tommy Campbell “Mama made us respect preachers,” Thelma said. continued from page 13

16 Discover Hancock County • 2016

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

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1423 Main Street Sneedville, TN 37869

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

Community Clothes Closet, Inc. A Thrift Store — Selling used clothing and household items P.O. Box 145 | 106 East Main Blvd. Church Hill, TN 37642

423-357-7004

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“SERVING THE COMMUNITY”

Sneedville Wendy’s Simple Treasures Furniture Co.

the Unique q Boutique with a Country Flair

Doug Garland Owner

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423-921-3244 WendysSimpleTreasures@gmail.com

Wendy English Owner/Manager

STRIVING TO TURN DREAMS INTO REALITY! Givens Nelson Realty, Inc. Givens Nelson Realty offers extensive knowledge of local real estate market and financial resources available. No matter the season, we are grateful for the opportunity to place families into their dream home. Partner with us — together we can make a difference in the community where we work, play and live. Serving all of Hawkins, Hancock and surrounding counties.

Stephen A. Nelson Principle Broker / Owner

Convenience Store • ATM Discount Smoke Shop • Ammunition Car Wash • Laundromat

Ken Givens Affiliate Broker • Paul Clevinger Associate Broker Chuck Holt Associate Broker • Melissa Nelson Affiliate Broker Phyllis Dalton Brown Affiliate Broker • Kay Holt Affiliate Broker Destany Rodriguez Affiliate Broker • Christina Vaughn Administrative Assistant

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Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Joppa Mountain Pottery

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18 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Sneedville son

Jimmy Martin is a bluegrass legend The middle of seven children, two of whom died in infancy, Jimmy Martin was born in Sneedville on August 10, 1927 and died in Nashville on May 14, 2005. In the 77 years in between, he became a bluegrass legend. When Martin was four, his father died of pneumonia, which would impact his life’s path. Jimmy and his siblings assumed much of the farm work, under the strict direction of stepfather Ellis Johnson, according to bluegrassmuseum.org. “Johnson sang gospel music in a quartet and took the aspiring vocalist with him to performances, but discouraged Jimmy’s interest in instruments because of his religious beliefs.” A rebel from early on, Martin got a guitar anyway. “I learned the basic chords from an old hillbilly named Reuben Gibson, who lived in the hills around Sneedville, and I taught myself how to play,” Martin said in The Big Book of Bluegrass (1984). “I heard Lester Flatt and Charlie Monroe both play runs, but I didn’t try to top them.” Martin dropped out of school in the eighth grade and left Sneedville to pursue music, working as a painter and factory hand to support himself in the 1940s. “I was paintin’ machinery in a factory in Morristown, Tennessee, and I was playin’ on WCPK from 4:30 to 5:00 every evening,” Martin told WETS’s Wayne Winkler. “I got fired on my job for singin’ too much, and I cussed out the foreman for firin’ me. When I went back after my clothes, I seen him on the street, and told him, ‘Listen in on Saturday night, ’cause I’m singin’ with Bill Monroe on the Grand Ole Opry,’” Martin said. Sure enough, according to bluegrassmuseum.org, “hearing that lead singer and guitarist Mac Wiseman would be leaving Bill Monroe in 1949, the 22-year-old took a bus to Nashville and insinuated his way backstage at the Grand Ole Opry. Monroe’s banjo player Rudy Lyle heard him sing and arranged an on-thespot audition.” A fan called “coelhoe” at banjohangout.org recalled an encounter with Martin at an early 1970s bluegrass festival in Jackson, Ky. that gave some insight into Martin’s early musical influence: “He sat down and we talked for over an hour about his grandfather who had taught shape-note singing schools around Tennessee and Georgia. Jimmy talked about how his granddad

took him along for the summers, starting when he was quite young. By sitting in the singing schools, Jimmy learned to sing all four quartet parts, and it was that skill, he said, that he demonstrated for (Bill) Monroe when he asked for a job with The Bluegrass Boys.” continued on page 21

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Martin at the Grand Old Opry publicity photo

20 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Bobby and Sonny Osborne and Jimmy Martin — courtesy of Bluegrass Today

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Foggy Mountain Boys — courtesy of Bennie & Eula Sims Coll. Archives of Appalachia ETSU continued from page 18

Martin apparently made an impression on Monroe, and his hero offered him Wiseman’s spot in the Shenandoah Valley Trio, the opening act for the Blue Grass Boys. One week later, Martin was a Blue Grass Boy. Martin played with Monroe off and on for about four years, recording nearly 50 songs in 11 Decca sessions from 1950-54 as one of the Blue Grass Boys, including “Uncle Pen,” “Memories of You,” “Letter From My Darling,” “On and On,” “The Little Girl and the Dreadful Snake,” “Sitting Alone in the Moonlight,” “Memories of Mother and Dad” and “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome.” Martin’s high voice and Monroe’s tenor voice became known as the “high lonesome sound.” Martin eventually hooked up with the Osborne Brothers in West Virginia after banjo player and vocalist Larry Richardson left. “Larry decided he wanted to move on,” Bobby Osborne said on his “Road to the Opry” series. “I had already got my notice that I was going to be called for military duty. When Larry left, I didn’t have anybody to sing with. “I played the guitar then, so there was just Ray Morgan, Ezra (Cline) and myself. Ezra said, ‘We need somebody to sing with.’ Well, I had met Bill Monroe, who had come up there to the State Theater and played a show. He had Jimmy Martin, Rudy Lyle and Joel Price with him,” Osborne said.

“We had a radio program there every day at 1:35 p.m. for a supermarket in town. We did an early morning show for a car lot there in town, also. So Bill came up there on that 1:35 show and did a song to advertise his show at the State Theater there in Bluefield that night. “So, while he was there, Jimmy Martin heard me sing that day. He had broken a guitar string. I just lived around the corner, so I went down there and got him a guitar string and brought it back. Then I heard him sing with Monroe. Of course, I’d already heard him sing before with Bill on the Opry,” Osborne recalled. “So when Larry left, we didn’t have anybody left to sing with me. We had heard that Jimmy Martin had left Bill Monroe. Ezra said, ‘Why don’t you call him and see if he’s a good singer?’ I said, ‘He’s a good singer.’ He said, ‘Why don’t you call him and see if he’ll come up here and work with us?’ “I knew where Jimmy was from – Sneedville, Tennessee. So, I got in touch with him. He was working with a little group in Morristown. I called him up and he said, ‘Am I going to sing with the same guy who was with the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers?’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ And he said, ‘Well, Sport, I’ll be right there.’ He called me ‘Sport.’ I never did like that, but he called me that anyway,” Osborne said smiling. “He called everybody ‘Sport.’ If he couldn’t think of their name, he just called them ‘Sport.’ continued on page 22

22 Discover Hancock County • 2016

WCYB Farm and Fun Time — courtesy of Mountain Music Museum, Bristol continued from page 21

“He came to Bluefield. Of course, I had never played a mandolin, I had been playing the guitar. I had went over to North Carolina with Larry Richardson and bought me a little old $15 Gibson mandolin. I had it there, but I had never fooled with it. I don’t why I even bought the thing, but I did,” Osborne recalled. “When Jimmy got there, he said, ‘Now, Sport, I’m going to play the guitar. I don’t know how to play the mandolin.’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t neither.’ He said, ‘Sport, the tenor singer is supposed to play the mandolin. You’re going to have to learn to play the mandolin.’ Well, I had that little old mandolin and I got it out. I knew a chord or two on it, but that was about it. So I got to fooling with that mandolin and finally I got to where I could play it good enough to play on the radio. So me and him started singing together then. That was probably in early 1951,” Osborne said. Although later to be known for playing the theme to TV’s Beverly Hillbillies, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs had helped define bluegrass two decades earlier, joining up with Monroe back in 1945. In 1948, they left Monroe and formed the Foggy Mountain Boys, one of the early groups to gain fame on WCYB’s Farm and Fun Time radio program broadcast live from a studio in the old General Shelby Hotel in Bristol. Osborne and Martin would soon join them in the town which would come to be known as “the Birthplace of Country Music,” based on the historic Bristol Sessions two decades earlier in 1927.

“Jimmy knew some people in Bristol, Tennessee,” Osborne said. “In the meantime, we knew that Flatt and Scruggs was there. They’d been in Bristol because we’d had them out to the park to play the show with us. We knew they were in Bristol in a show down there called Farm and Fun Time. There was two hours of live music on it everyday from 12 o’clock until two. “So, Jimmy called down there and got us an audition. Me and him left the Lonesome Pine Fiddlers and took Curly Ray Cline and Charlie Cline with us. Another guy on the session with us was a guy called Little Robert (Van Winkle). He was 39 inches tall and played the guitar, danced and sang. So he went with us,” Osborne said. “We went down there, took an audition and they hired us for the Farm and Fun Time. We stayed at Farm and Fun Time and got us a booking agent down there and started playing shows. In the meantime, I knew I was looking any day to get my call from the military. We went on to Bristol and played some shows and had our own program there on WCYB,” Osborne said. They also recorded for RCA Victor and played on the Big Barn Frolic on WJR in Detroit until one day in 1955 when Martin gave Osborne some abrupt news. “We come out of the station one day and Jimmy Martin looked at me and he said, ‘I’m going to Knoxville. You want to go with me?’ I said, ‘No, I’m going to stay here.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m going to Knoxville.’ He had gotten a job at Knoxville, Tennessee. He went continued on page 24

Discover Hancock County • 2016

“SunnySide of the Mountain” album cover © Decca Sunny Mountain Boys — courtesy of Bluegrass Today

24 Discover Hancock County • 2016 continued from page 22

walking right off down the street from that radio station and left me standing right in the middle of the street.” Speechless, Osborne watched Martin march off toward the next phase of his career, solo work and the Sunny Mountain Boys. Martin began an 18-year stretch with Decca in 1956, recording “Hit Parade of Love,” “You’ll Be a Lost Ball,” and six others, according to bluegrassmuseum.org. “By the next year, he had assembled his classic band, with brother-in-law Paul Williams on round-hole mandolin and tenor vocals and J.D. Crowe on banjo and baritone vocals.” Bill Hartley of the Birthplace of Country Music Museum comments, “Martin was known for the many novelty songs he performed, but also for the more serious material he and his brother-in-law, mandolin player, Paul (Humphrey) Williams, wrote, including “Mr. Engineer,” “This World Is Not My Home” and “My Walking Shoes.” The Sunny Mountain Boys appeared on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport, La. from 195860 and the Wheeling Jamboree in West Virginia from 1960-62. With WWVA and KWKH both broadcasting on clear, 50,000-watt channels, Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys gained national notoriety. “Jimmy Martin and the Sunny Mountain Boys made some of hardest-hitting bluegrass music of all-time,” said Bluegrass Today contributor Daniel Mullins, who manages the Classic Country Connection, a music store in southern Ohio, and hosts the “Bending The Strings” radio program. In 1962, Martin centralized his home base, settling in Nashville’s Hermitage Hills. Martin’s 20-acre spread fittingly bordered a plantation once owned by another, strongly-independent Tennessean, President Andrew Jackson. A fan called “southerndrifter” at banjohangout.org told a story of a realtor who once tried to buy Martin’s property: “He had no idea who Jimmy Martin was! Jimmy invited him in. Following is how the conversation went: Gentleman: “Mr. Martin, I am here today to make you an offer to buy your property.” Jimmy: “Is that so, Hoss?” Gentleman: “Yes sir! Today I am authorized to offer you $27 million for your house and land.” Jimmy: “I see. Well, Hoss, let me ask you a question.” Gentleman: “Sure Mr. Martin, anything.” Jimmy: “If I sell y’all my place, where is ol’ Jimmy gonna live?”

Gentleman (kinda startled at the question): “Well Mr. Martin, for 27 million dollars, you can live pretty much anywhere you want!” Jimmy: “Hell, son, I’m living where I want!” Gentleman (completely floored!): “Mr. Martin, I don’t think you understand, $27 million is a lot of money!” Jimmy: “Hoss, ol’ Jimmy has got a lot of money!” Jimmy, who kept his property, had made a lot of money making a lot of hit records. “One of my favorite Jimmy albums has got to be ‘Country Music Time’. It is filled with songs which would become bluegrass standards,” Mullins said. “Although released in the summer of ’62, ‘Country Music Time’ is still just as earth-shattering over forty years later. Although I’ve heard the songs a million times, I can’t help but just sit and soak in these classic sounds.” The album includes the songs, “There Ain’t Nobody Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” “Pretending I Don’t Care,” “Leavin’ Town,” “Don’t Give Your Heart To A Rambler,” “Train Forty-Five,” “Drink Up And Go Home,” “I Can, I Will, I Do Believe,” “There Was A Love,” “Hit Parade Of Love,” “Steppin’ Shoes,” “The Joke’s On You” and “Skip, Hop, And Wobble.” “Talk about some bluegrass gold!” Mullins said. “‘Country Music Time’ is littered with classics. There is at least one of these songs being played in every jam session across the country this weekend.” Other Martin fan favorites include “Rock Hearts,” his most successful recording, peaking at Number 14 in the Billboard’s Hot C & W Sides chart in December 1958, “Ocean of Diamonds,” “Hit Parade of Love,” “Sophronie,” “Stepping Stones,” “Tennessee” and “Widow Maker,” his only other Top 20 recording, in February 1964. Throughout the 1960’s the Sunny Mountain Boys experienced numerous personnel changes, including innovators like J.D. Crowe and Doyle Lawson, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum’s Hartley pointed out. “I met Jimmy Martin when I was 14 years old,” said Lawson, a Kingsport native. “He is from Sneedville, where we had moved in 1954. Around that time, I made up my mind that I wanted to play music for a living, and realized that only playing one instrument was somewhat limiting, so I made it a point to learn how to play the banjo and guitar, too.” Lawson recalled joining Martin in 1963 at the tender age of 19, five years after having met “the King of Bluegrass” in Sneedville. “I had my heart set on going to Nashville and working for either continued on page 25

Discover Hancock County • 2016 continued from page 24

Jimmy Martin or Bill Monroe,” Lawson said in an interview at mandolincafe.com. “I had been introduced to Jimmy when I was 14 and he took an interest in me and really got me on the right track in how to play mandolin. “He showed me how to use my wrist properly and how to use tremolo effectively. I remember him telling me that Bill showed him how to use the wrist and he would show me. I went to work for Jimmy on February 3, 1963 not as a mandolin player, but on the banjo,” said Lawson, who played banjo with Martin until 1966, joining Crowe in Lexington, Ky. “In 1969, I was back with Jimmy Martin for about six months playing mandolin and singing tenor but then went back with J.D. Crowe until August of 1971.” As Lawson left to pursue his own sound, Martin forged onward. Others who played with Martin’s bands through the years, according to bluegrassmuseum.org, included Bill Emerson, Paul Craft, Vic Jordan, and Alan Munde on banjo; Earl Taylor, Vernon Derrick, and Ronnie Prevette on mandolin; Bill Yates on bass; Tater Tate on fiddle; and Lois Johnson, Penny Jay, and Gloria Belle on high harmony vocals. Martin gained even more notoriety in 1972 on the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s iconic, triple-LP release, “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” including being the featured voice on the title track, as well as contributing recordings of “the Grand Ole Opry Song,” “Sunny Side of the Mountain,” “Losing You (Might Be the Best Thing Yet),” “You Don’t Know My Mind” and “My Walking Shoes.” The album gave his popularity another boost, and Martin became a favorite on the burgeoning bluegrass festival circuit. “I love bluegrass,” Martin said in The Big Book of Bluegrass. “It’s the only kind of music I ever will love. When I sing those songs it hits me deep, and when I’m at the microphone I give it all I’ve got. I want to see bluegrass stay up so bad, and do something for it however I can.” Ken at banjohangout.org recalls Martin’s passion: “After 40 plus years of hard traveling and playing country schoolhouses, atop drivein hot dog stands, honkytonks, cow fields, and one-night stands of every kind, Jimmy still loved the music. He loved how the guitar sounded, where the song sounded the best and creating the sound he wanted from young musicians at 1 a.m. when he was feeling no pain. He had a passion that did not dim with age or hardships. I think passion is one of the most beautiful things in life. It gives life spice, zest and flavor. “The second story occurred at Bean Blossom, Indiana after Bill had passed away. Jimmy as always closed the show. He had an unbelievable ability to get the crowd involved, energized, and enthusiastic, which he had done again that night. I was standing with (Martin’s banjo player Larry Wallace) at the top of the hill where the band’s records were sold. It was considerable time after the show had stopped and most of the people had gone. As we were talking, I heard someone from afar singing ‘In the Pines’ and it was gorgeous and

mournful and lonely. The harmonies were great. I asked Larry who was singing that and he told me that it was Jimmy down in the pines behind the stage. He said Jimmy thought it sounded best there.” Martin reportedly liked the buffets at Captain D’s and Shoney’s. A poster named John Mark Batchelor at banjohangout.org recalled something a former Sunny Mountain Boy told him: “Audie Blaylock told me while I was working for him Jimmy liked to take advantage of whatever was a good deal to him. So they’d go down to the Shoney’s buffet around 10 and eat breakfast and then wait two hours for the dinner to come out and then eat dinner!” Another called “The Old Timer” said, “I personally saw Jimmy give away the bride at a wedding saying, ‘I’m through with her now, so you might as well have her.’” “Martin had an exuberant personality and a famously highstrung temperament, but he was an extremely entertaining stage presence,” Richard Thompson wrote in Bluegrass Today.

Jimmy Martin — © Decca Records/Buddy Lee Attractions “When he hits the stage, it’s like cannons going off,” country star Marty Stuart said in a 2005 Edward Morris article at CMT.com. “I think he’s uncontrollable.” Despite his large presence – or perhaps because of it – Martin was never made a member of the Grand Ole Opry, despite his immense popularity and talent. “Martin is likely the most accomplished figure in Bluegrass music to never have been made a member of the Grand Ole Opry,” Hartley said, which according to Thompson in Bluegrass Today, “rankled him for the rest of his life.” “He didn’t have sense enough to tone it down – thank God,” Stuart said. “He dared to be different, and he’s paid the price for it.” continued on page 27

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26 Discover Hancock County • 2016

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Discover Hancock County • 2016 continued from page 25

Martin died of bladder cancer at his Hermitage Hills home on May 14, 2005 at the age of 77. Friends and fans visited him there up until the end to pay tribute. A banjo player at banjohangout.org remembers: “There was a period when Jimmy was by himself, and he liked me to come over and read his emails to him. I remember one fan letter that went on and on about how much Jimmy and his music meant to this person. I looked around, and Jimmy was just crying. “The last show Jimmy did that I know of was the Smiley Hollow festival up in Ridgetop, Tenn. I’ll never forget him standing there for what seemed like forever afterwards signing autographs and talking to folks until the last one left. Then he just kind of collapsed onto a bench exhausted. The cancer was getting him, but he was dedicated to his fans.” According to Wallace at mandolincafe.com, music professionals attending Martin’s funeral included: Earl Scruggs, Louise Scruggs, Jim Lauderdale, Shawn Camp, Jimmie Fadden, Terry Eldredge, Jamie Johnson, Terry Smith, Hazel Smith, Marty Stuart, Connie Smith, Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury, Robbie McCoury, Mike Bub, Jason Carter, J.D. Crowe, Paul Williams, Bill Yates, Doyle Lawson, Carl Jackson, Alicia Nugent, James King, Larry Sparks, Wayne Lewis, Billy Walker, Tom T. Hall, Hank Williams III, Vernon Derrick, Ronnie Prevette, Kenny Ingram, Paul Craft, Buck White, Sharon White, Cheryl White, Leroy Troy, Audie Blaylock, David Nance, Derek Dillman, Lance LeRoy, Rhonda Vincent, Mickey Harris, Hunter Berry, Linwood Lunsford, Jim Rollins, Superman Kent Blanton, Mark Kuykendall, Marty Raybon, Sam Jackson, Mike Scott, Jesse McReynolds, Dan Hays, Eddie Stubbs, Tim O’Brien, George Gruhn, Pat Enright, David Talbot, Larry Cordle, Dwight Dillman, Sonya Issacs, Ben Issacs, Luke McKnight, Robin Roller, Andrea Roberts, Karl Shiflett, Charlie Collins, Larry Stephenson and James Monroe. Said Wallace: “Jimmy’s youngest son Buddy Lee, came up and talked about his dad. This was a very touching time of the service. He ended by saying that Jimmy was the ‘Evel Knievel’ of Hermitage, Tennessee. He told about Jimmy riding their motorcycle and went about 10 feet up a tree and when he came down he landed flat on

his feet. And Jimmy was also the World’s Champion bareback mule rider. He said Jimmy still had the grass stains on his coveralls from that ride! Buddy also said he was going to write a book titled, ‘100,000 ways to fix anything with a coathanger.’ He said his dad taught him how to fix anything with a coat hanger.” While Martin’s membership to the Opry was denied, his talent and legacy cannot be. “Powerful seems an inadequate term when describing Jimmy’s talent,” Mullins said. “He squeezed every single ounce of emotion out of a word, and made you feel whatever he was feeling. Whether he was feeling exuberant, depressed, lovestruck, or lonesome, you felt it too.” “When you’re talking bluegrass in Tennessee, there’s Bill Monroe and Jimmy Martin, two giants,” Hank Williams III told Bluegrass Today in 2014. “Not only was Jimmy one of the real kings of bluegrass, he was also an incredible person and a true character. A lot of people don’t have the drive that he had. He lived both sides of it, enjoying commercial success but also being the underdog.” Martin wasn’t all hat. He owned a stable of coonhounds, many named after country music stars. “Being from Tennessee, I could relate to him – the coon dogs and that way of life. My granddad on my momma’s side of the family, that’s what he used to do when he wasn’t farming. He’d run those dogs – that was his hobby,” Williams said. “All in all, he was very passionate till the day he died about what he did and what he stood for,” said Williams. “Songs like ‘Tennessee’ and ‘Old Pete,’ I could really latch on to them. He was something else. It was a shame when we lost him. The good come and go, but I was just glad to be around while he was here.” Sources: banjohangout.org; bluegrassmuseum.org; Bluegrass Today; Bluegrass Unlimited; The Big Book of Bluegrass; CMT.com; doylelawson.com; Grass Roots: A Musical Heritage of East Tennessee; Bill Hartley, the Birthplace of Country Music Museum; mandolincafe. com; Bobby Osborne, Road to the Opry.

— By Jim Beller

Photo by Sheldon Livesay

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Historic Hancock Co.

Jail A crowd gathers outside the Hancock Co. Jail after notorious bank robbers were captured and placed behind bars there. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; photo courtesy Hancock Co. Historical and Genealogical Society

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Photo by Sheldon Livesay

SNEEDVILLE — Appropriately located on Jail Street in Sneedville, the historic Hancock Co. Jail — which dates from 1860 — may actually be the county’s oldest public building. The lock-up was used and actually had a working Sheriff inside its walls until a new prison was built some years ago and today serves as a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places and as home-base for the Hancock Co. Historical and Genealogical Society, and as the county’s official “Welcome Center”. According to the application for listing on the NRHP, the are around Sneedville —then known as Greasy Creek — was first settled in the early nineteenth century. Historians say that white settlers were in the area much earlier than that, but the first recorded proof of such habitation dates from about 1795. Hancock County was formed in 1844 from a portion of adjoining Hawkins and Claiborne counties but legal disputes prevented any “official” business from being conducted here until 1848. Two years later, a small brick Courthouse was constructed in the center of town and served for about 10 years until 1860 when a larger facility was built.

A log jail was also built in 1850 and it, too, was replaced in 1860 by the more sturdy brick structure which today is the focal point and gathering place for many researching their Hancock County roots. While it was still in daily use, the two-story building served a two-fold purpose: rooms on the first floor served as a residence for the County Sheriff while prisoners were kept on the second floor. The facility houses a museum and research center, featuring a wealth of books, photographs, Census material, newspaper articles and files of information on the county’s vast history, including the mysterious Melungeons, Carter’s Raid during the Civil War and other noted events. The Taylor Room — restored by the family of Sheriff George Taylor (1952-1958) — looks much as it did when the family actually called it “home”. For more information, visit www.overhomesneedville.com, visit the Jail at 120 Jail Street, write to P.O. Box 307, Sneedville, TN 37869, telephone 423-733-0140, or email hchsl@earthlink.net.

— By Tommy Campbell

30 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Cell doors

Cell bunks

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Wanted posters and a spinning wheel on display inside the museum

Photos by Sheldon Livesay

The Hancock County Tennessee Historical and Genealogical Society’s tremendous research center features records, photographs, books and other valuable resources relating to Hancock County’s history and genealogy.

HANCOCK

32 Discover Hancock County • 2016

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

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Discover Hancock County • 2016

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

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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

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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

34 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Hanco & Ge Photos courtesy Hancock Co. Historical Society

Sheriff George Washington Edds and wife, Rachel. Sheriff Edds served from 1882-1884.

The scene of Hancock Countyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first fatal automobile accident. It happened at the Hurley House, east of Sneedville, on Saturday, May 27, 1927 and claimed the life of Mitch Livesay. The group of men standing at right, looking at the wrecked car, were not identified.

www.overhome

Discover Hancock County • 2016

ock County Historical enealogical Society

esneedville.com

Taking a look back ... If you are a collector of comic books, wouldn’t you love to have some of those on display here? Pictured at a local store are Dr. Paul Reed and Brenda Turner Cody.

Roscoe Lawson is shown sitting in his car on the old Kyle’s Ford Bridge

36 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

View of Sneedville Motor Company, the local Ford dealership, located where Rite Aid Pharmacy is today.

A view in downtown Sneedville in 1917 as a group of young men were leaving for World War One Photos courtesy Hancock Co. Historical Society

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Group of ladies (and one child) gathered outside the Sneedville Post Office. Note the caps ... could they have been nurses?

Sheriff Verlin Maxey and his wife, Eva.

... remembering our heritage.

Hancock County Historical & Genealogical Society www.overhomesneedville.com

38 Discover Hancock County • 2016

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

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

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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.

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The money made here goes back to help local needy people.

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

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They take extra care to make sure their Broasted Chicken is excellent. The best in East Tennessee. We have sent our friends there. — Connie

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Kyles Ford

40 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Missionary Baptist Church

KYLES FORD — For almost 215 years, Kyles Ford Missionary Baptist Church has been a beacon of light and hope for not only folks in Hancock County, Tennessee, but for those in other counties as well. The church was chartered on Nov. 14, 1801 — in what was then Hawkins County — with 131 members contributing their names to form what was originally called Blackwater United Baptist Church of Christ. continued on page 43

Photo by Tommy Campbell

42 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

Discover Hancock County • 2016

The original 1801 charter is today kept — for safety purposes — in a bank vault in Sneedville. On it are inscribed the names of 131 charter members who met together on Nov. 14, 1801 to form what was then called Blackwater United Baptist Church of Christ. Pictured holding the aging document are (left to right) Dwight Snodgrass, Rita Richardson, Angie Seal and Pastor Glen Bradley. — photo by Tommy Campbell continued from page 41

In what surely must be a historical rarity among small, rural churches, members still have the actual handwritten charter which is kept — for safety purposes — in a bank vault in Sneedville and brought out only for special occasions. “It’s the oldest church in the county and one of the oldest in the state,” Dwight Snodgrass told the Review, as he, Pastor Glen Bradley and other members showed the Review the aged, yellowing document during a recent lunch at River Place on the Clinch, just a stone’s throw from the church on SR 70. With an average attendance today of 65 to 70, the church has several young families with children, which Pastor Bradley says is both a blessing and an encouragement. A variety of classes are offered for all ages, and its Vacation Bible Schools are always eagerly anticipated by children in the area. Historical data shows that members, in the early years, would meet at a variety of locations, including meeting houses at Blackwater, Blackwater Lick, North Fork, and Cook’s Branch. By Aug. 17, 1835, membership had increased to 141, but a conflict regarding “the societies of the day” reared its head, dividing the congregation as did so many other Baptist churches

of that era, resulting in opposing members following Rev. Isaac Christman. The remaining parishioners would meet in the homes of members, while those who followed Rev. Christman kept the church building, according to a local historian. “The believers not supportive of missionaries became known as Primitive Baptists and those members of the church contributed to the establishment of Willis’ Chapel Primitive Baptist Church in Kyles Ford,” states a printed history from the church’s bicentennial in 2001. Blackwater Baptist Church persevered and joined the Mulberry Gap Association when it was formed in 1836, with the first annual meeting held at the church in September of that year. The title “Missionary Baptist” was later added to the name of the Mulberry Gap Association, church records show. The church was dismissed from the Mulberry Gap Association in 1967 and in 1972 became an active member of the Holston Valley Baptist Association. Members said that the year the current building was constructed isn’t known, but that plans were made in Aug. 1931 to remove the second story and to build the side additions. continued on page 45

44 Discover Hancock County • 2016

For all your farm equipment needs!

Harrison Farm & Home Supply

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423-733-2272 423-733-2 4 www.grntrail.com www.grntrail

2042 Main Street Sneedville, TN 37869 Fax 423-733-2272 Email: grntrail@bellsouth.net

Hours: Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm • Saturday 8am - 12pm

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

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Discover Hancock County • 2016

Photos of the church through the years. The original church building was located closer to the Clinch River and was washed away in a flood, members said. Historic photos courtesy Kyles Ford Missionary Baptist Church.

Kyles Ford Church two story from 1800s

Kyles Ford Church before renovation

continued from page 43

During the Civil War, it is thought that soldiers from the nearby raid at Kyles Ford may have used the old church building as a field hospital. Over the years, the church has welcomed others to use its building, including members of Livesay’s Chapel Church when a storm destroyed their own church in April of 1933, and in October 1937, to the children of Kyles Ford School after that building was destroyed by fire. According to members, the name of the church was changed to Kyles Ford Baptist on April 2, 1939. The church’s very first VBS was held there in July of that year with more than 79 children in attendance.

Later that summer, the church signed at agreement with Powell Valley Electric Cooperative to provide power to the building at a cost of $1.25 per month. The first service using the new electric lights happened on May 4, 1941. Members say they believe the church has stood the test of time because of a solid faith in Christ. “There’s a lot of good folks here,” Snodgrass said. Pastor Bradley, who has served for the past 14 years, added that there is a “good spirit” among the congregation. “People love one another,” he said. “You can see the genuine concern they have for the lost and those in need.”

— By Tommy Campbell

46 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

Sneedville

FALL FE Sneedvilleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s annual Fall Festival is held on the first Saturday and Sunday in October and always attracts a huge crowd of people who come for miles to enjoy the

Discover Hancock County • 2016

e’s Annual

ESTIVAL food, music, mountain arts and crafts, and just plain ol’ good hospitality of the “Overhome” folks in Hancock County. Photos by Sheldon Livesay

48 Discover Hancock County • 2016

We’re all about

neighbors, fami

Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;˘ 2016

t celebrating...

ily, community.

Photos by Sheldon Livesay

50 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Gibsons Tax Service

Earthworks Clearing • Leveling • Driveways Drainage • Erosion Control

Tom 423-733-4052 or Reuben 423-300-5755

FAST, RELIABLE, SECURE Mike Gibson Owner

Phone: 423-733-8030 Cell: 423-300-9283 www.gibsonstaxservice.com

1498 Newman’s Ridge Rd • P.O. Box 202 Sneedville, TN 37869

Overhome Cabins Hancock County, Tennessee

Carpet • Vinyl Tile • Ceramic Hardwood • Laminate

The River Bluff

For more information, or to make a reservation call 423-300-9283 Or check us out on the web at: www.overhomecabins.com

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.

556 River Bluff Drive • Sneedville TN 37869 • 423-300-9283

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Discover Hancock County • 2016

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52 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Catfish suppers help Treadway VFD help the community TREADWAY — Hungry for some of the best fried catfish filets in the south? Then Treadway Vol. Fire Department is the place to be on the second Friday night of each month. For eight bucks, not only will you get a plate heaped high with hot fish filets — fried to perfection by a host of firefighters-turnedcooks in the “truck bay” — baked potato, green beans, cole slaw, a dessert and drink but you’ll also leave knowing that you helped a group of dedicated men and women keep their fleet of fire fighting vehicles ready to roll whenever they are needed. Charter member Hubert Gordon said the department was organized in 1978. “There was Raymond Pearson, Henry Holt, Artis Seals, Roger Dalton and me,” he said. “We didn’t have a fire department in the community and Sterling Trent, a retired Tennessee State Trooper, continued on page 53

Kathleen Gordon dishes up delicious catfish filets.

Discover Hancock County • 2016

James Manis assists another volunteer in filling cups with ice and sweet tea.

Barry Maxey keeps a close eye on a bubbling pot of frying catfish.

continued from page 52

encouraged us to organize and really helped us to get started.” Of that number, only Gordon and Dalton are still alive and active in the department. At the time of our visit, Roger was busy shuttling pans of piping hot fish from the fryers to the serving line. Gordon said that — as with most small, rural fire departments, Treadway is no different. “We started out selling hotdogs at festivals and other places, anything we could do to bring in some money to keep the trucks on the road,” he said. The original “fire department” began in Hubert’s garage. Later, a two-bay concrete block and galvanized metal building was erected at Artis Seals’ place.

When the current building was constructed about 10 years ago, one of the goals was to have a large meeting room that could be used for fire department and community functions. “We generally have a big crowd every month,” he said, looking over the meeting room which — for the January 9, 2016 fish fry — had very few empty seats and a line of hungry customers headed in the door. “On average, the department clears between $700 and $1,000 a month on the fish frys,” he said. “A lot of people don’t understand how much money it takes to buy fuel and just to maintain these trucks, and there’s only so much money that comes from other sources,” he said. “And above that, its just a time when folks in the community can come and sit down continued on page 55

54 Discover Hancock County • 2016

Photo, above, of the first “official” Treadway Vol. Fire Department building located on Artis Seals’ property. — Photo courtesy Treadway VFD. Photo, below, is the present Treadway Vol. Fire Department. — photo by Tommy Campbell

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Charter member Hubert Gordon holds a framed photo of four of the five original charter members of the Treadway Volunteer Fire Department — Raymond Pearson, Henry Holt, Roger Dalton and himself. Not shown is charter member Artis Seals. Of that number, Seals, Pearson and Holt are deceased. — photo by Tommy Campbell. continued from page 53

together and enjoy a good meal at a good price. That’s why these fish frys mean so much.” The delicious fish plates also attract people from surrounding counties as well, with some die-hard supporters driving from Virginia to enjoy the mouth-watering meals. So, on the second Friday of every month — unless a major holiday falls on that date — come on over to Treadway, located a few hundred yards south on Hwy. 131 — just off Hwy. 31 between Sneedville and Mooresburg — and enjoy the food and fellowship with Chief Doug Brown and the folks at Treadway Vol. Fire Department. “If you leave hungry its your own fault,” Hubert laughed. “We feed real good here. I reckon that’s why they keep on comin’ back for more!”

— By Tommy Campbell

56 Discover Hancock County • 2016

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 I’ll go into research. Keyuna Roberts, psychology Keyuna knows her story will involve psychology.

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EDDE CHEVROLET COMPANY, INC. 8700 Rutledge Pike | Rutledge, Tennessee 37861 Sales and Service: 865-828-5233 | www.eddechevrolet.net

Discover Hancock County • 2016

Hancock Co. Schools

‘... dedicated to providing the highest quality instruction to our students’ — Tony Seal, Director of Schools

— By Tony Seal Director of Schools

Hancock County, Tennessee

I am excited to share with you information about our schools, staff, and students. Our schools serve our community with great pride and consideration of our citizens. Our three schools serve 1,065 students ranging from PreK through 12th grade. Hancock Co. Early Learning Center, lead by director Angela Rasnic, provides high quality preschool services to our youngest students. Principal Dr. Angela Kinsler leads Hancock Co. Elementary School, serving grades K – 5. Mr. Brian Greene serves as principal of Hancock Co. Middle-High School, with grades 6 – 12. Hancock County’s Career and Technical Center, serving grades 9-12, is lead by Ms. Jennifer Yount. These leaders, combined with the faculty and staff at each school, work diligently daily to provide a quality experience to students. Our system offers many opportunities for students. Academically, dual enrollment courses and online learning opportunities are available to help prepare students for postsecondary college or careers. A variety of Career and Technical courses are also available. The programs include Transportation, Architecture and Construction, Office Administration, Human Services and most recently added Agriculture and Health Science. The introduction of our Health Science program was made possible through a competitive grant application called Perkins Reserve Grant. The grant was awarded based on program area needs and labor market data. Through the Perkins Reserve Grant, Hancock County Schools now offer the Therapeutic Nursing Service program,

which includes course work in a high wage and high demand area of employment. Through the program, students are eligible to receive an industry certification, further creating college or career ready graduates. Through combined academic and technical programs, students have a variety of courses to better prepare them for the future. Through much hard work, Hancock Co. Schools have made many recent improvements. In 2015, the composite ACT score of graduates increased .7 points compared to the previous year. This increase indicates the academic growth of students and a higher level of college or career readiness. Our system has also experience increased student achievement in Reading/ Language Arts and Mathematic. Hancock County Middle-High School saw substantial increases in both areas. In 2015, 90% of our seniors graduated on time while meeting all requirements of the Tennessee Diploma Project. These accomplishments inspire us to continue being student centered, serving our community as we work to continuously improve. As a school system, we are dedicated to providing the highest quality instruction to our students. With community involvement and parental support our schools will continue to succeed and grow. The Hancock Co. Board of Education provides strong support to our system. The board is composed of Chairman Kyle Livesay, Freddie Mullins, Jeff Stapleton, Dennis Holt, David Jones, Carl Reed, and Judy Greene. In the coming years, I look forward to working with this group to further improve our schools and strengthen our community. For more information about Hancock County Schools, please visit our website at www.hancockcountyschools.com.

Enriching tomorrow by learning today

58 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

Discover Hancock County • 2016

The new Kyles Ford Bridge welcomed by the community SNEEDVILLE — After what seemed to be a lifetime for Hancock residents, the new Kyles Ford Bridge across the Clinch River opened on Mon., Oct. 12, 2015. The old bridge has been shrouded in tarps — to protect the environmentally delicate Clinch River below — as crews sandblast and do restorative work prior to the structure opening in the future for fishing and foot traffic.

— photos by Sheldon Livesay

60 Discover Hancock County â&#x20AC;¢ 2016

Discover Hancock County • 2016

m o r f s e n e Sc country ride . . a Located on Newman’s Ridge Road, at one of the highest geographic points in the county, visitors often stop at Goins Chapel Baptist Church to just gaze at the beautiful mountain panorama that unfolds below. — photos by Sheldon Livesay

62 Discover Hancock County • 2016

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advertiser INDEX Blue Ridge Package.................................................. 39 Christian-Sells Funeral Home................................. 51 Circle V Earthworks.................................................. 50 City of Sneedville...................................................... 12 Civis Bank................................................................... 12 Clinch River Market.................................................. 39 Community Clothes Closet, Inc.............................. 16 Community Health Centers.................................... 12 Creek Country Real Estate...................................... 64 Corner Mart............................................................... 16 County of Hancock..............................................32-33 East Tenn Pest Control............................................. 50 Edde Chevrolet Company, Inc................................ 56 First Century Bank.................................................... 38 Forever Young........................................................... 39 Gary W. Hicks, Jr., State Representative............... 12 Gibsons Tax Service ................................................. 50 Givens Nelson Realty, Inc........................................ 16 Grayson Subaru.......................................................... 3 Greene’s Trailer & Equipment................................. 44 Hancock County Farm Bureau ............................... 39 Hancock County Home Health and Hospice Agency.............................................. 38 Hancock Manor Nursing Home ............................. 16

Hancock Medical Equipment................................. 38 Harrison Farm & Home Supply............................... 44 Holt’s Food Center IGA............................................ 39 Home Place B&B....................................................... 17 Investment Rental Properties................................ 39 Jarnagin ..................................................................... 26 Joppa Mountain Pottery......................................... 17 Justice Stoneworks, LLC.......................................... 39 Main Street Realty.................................................... 17 Mark A. Skelton, Attorney at Law.......................... 26 Michael’ Family Diner............................................... 39 Morristown Livestock & Auction Co...................... 26 Overhome Cabins..................................................... 50 River Place at the Clinch.............................. 32-33, 44 Rowena’s on Main..................................................... 17 Sneedville Furniture Co........................................... 16 Terry’s Carpet............................................................. 50 The Rogersville Review....................................... 62, 63 The Shepherd’s Corner............................................ 38 United Country Real Estate / Clinch Mountain Realty and Auction.................... 2 Walters State............................................................. 56 Wendy’s Simple Treasures....................................... 16 Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.......................... 51

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