|| Home Page || Surnames Index || Instructions ||
|| Cemeteries of New River ||
NEW RIVER AREA OF CAMPBELL, ANDERSON, SCOTT CO TN.
The New River Area is about 10 miles west of Caryville TN.
Running down Beech Fork Creek to New River, up and down New River,
from Fork mountain toward Oneida.
And from the head of Ligias Fork Creek to New River.
MAP OF NEW RIVER AREA.
........................
CARYVILLE TENNESSEE.
Caryville is located about 30 miles south of the Kentucky line, off I-75.
Caryville, in 1866, was named after Judge William Carey of Virginia.
It was first named Wheeler’s Station after H.D. Wheeler, one of the
community’s first merchants. Caryville was a coal mining town in 1939.
In 1806 Caryville was called Walnut Cove; Later it was called Wheelers Gap,
named after the Wheeler brothers, Thomas, Richard and Benjamin Wheeler
who owned the freight line; It was last named after Judge William Carey
who owned the Inn which was often occupied by Civil War Troops moving
through the area. Judge William first was the mailman and clerk in the
freight office. William md Malinda E Wheeler(1813-1892) d/o Thomas
Wheeler who owned the freight office. William and his sons were killed
during the Civil War. Melinda E Carey is buried in the Gray Cemetery at
Knoxville; However she has a stone in the Carey Cemetery.
William and Melinda Carey's daughter, Sue Carey met at Caryville and later md
De Tavernier, Major Fifth US Calvery from Prussia who later became a Colonel
in the Union Army.
CAREY, William 8-6-1806 3-30-1863 (Judge William) Carey Cemetery.
CAREY, M E 5-4-1813 Wife of William Carey Cemetery.
The New River Valley is an isolated spot of Anderson, Scott and Campbell Co TN.
The center of the New River Area is located approximately 15 miles west,
from 1-75 and Lake City TN; Beginning at head of New River at Fork
Mountain and following the New River Valley down river toward Huntsville.
.........................
NEW RIVER POST OFFICES
Ligas P.O. served from the top of Graves Gap Mountain to the mouth of Ligas
Fork Creek where it joins New River and beyond before the county boundries
were changed. Ligias P.O. about 1917 was changed to Stainville.
Ligisa P.O. was served by horsback until about 1917.
............................
Podopholine P.O. served from Fork Mountain down river to Cages Creek.
In 1912, Podopholine was at the mouth of Cages Creek.
Podopholine was served by horseback until about 1917.
Jackson SEIBER served as Postmaster for Podopholine Post office,
20 May 1902 -28 Oct 1915.
PICTURE-PODOPHOLINE POST OFFICE
PICTURE-SEIBER/ARTHUR/BYRGE/BUNCH GROUP
..........................
High House P. O. Served the Shea TN Area(Beech Fork), Nicks Creek,
Pee Wee(Stoney Fork), Gennetts Camp(Clinchmore) area until about 1913.
HighHouse was served by horseback until about 1913.
CLINCHMORE TENNESSEE(Gennetts Camp).
Clinchmore is 13 miles West from U. S. 25W, at Caryville TN.
.........................
A small steel railroad was run from Shea, up Beech Fork Creek to Gennetts
Camp(Clinchmore), before or a little after 1900 to carry out the logs.
this old railroad ran beside the creek, lower then the modern Tennessee
Railroad. Telltale signs of it are still visible up Beech Fork Creek(2003).
The newer Tennessee Railroad was run up the creek and finished about 1930.
Gennetts Camp was at lower end of the area of Clinchmore, the end of the
first railroad, which was small steel rails, from Shea, or Highhouse; Up
Beech Fork Creek to Gennets Camp. Gennetts Camp was named after the
Gennett Lumber Co which operated a Sawmill and first railroad up Beech Fork
Creek.
NEW RIVER LUMBER CO PICTURE.
When Blue Ridge Lumber Company ceased operations at what
was later to be Clinchmore, Andrew and Nat Gennett bought its mills.
repairs were made on the lower mill at Gennett's Camp. Small gauge steel
was laid from the mill up Round Rock Creek. Mart Newport was section
foreman in charge of laying steel, building log bridges, and maintaining the
railroad bed. Steel was also laid up the Billy Tackett branch to a point
where logs were brought down the mountain on wire cables.
The company owned a large steam railroad engine and a smaller engine,
used to pull the logging flat cars up and down the creek.
A T-Model Ford truck with rail wheels was used also.
Gennetts camp had several houses built by Richard Newport.
The company issued scrip, which could be spent only at the commissary.
Virgil Murley was store manager at that time. Ice was shipped in by rail,
and stored in a small building, which had a thick sawdust floor and walls.
Joe Cross was the superintendent and also ran the boarding house.
Roy Asbury, who rode through the mountains on horseback, delivered mail.
Doc Hatfield provided for the camp's medical needs, and Jessie Cook had
his own barber shop. Many of the company's employees at the Montgomery
Mill followed it to its new location below Clinchmore. John Finley moved
his family from a town near Crossville to work at Nicks Creek, Montgomery,
and later to Gennett's Camp below Clinchmore, Tennessee.
John Finley is buried in Beech Fork Cemetery.
The name of some of the other employees are: John Stone,
Lester Finley, Earl Washam, Charlie Phillips, Hus Marcum, Ed Younce, Homer
Warren, Harley Steward, Parnick Byrd, Tom Gibson, Jap Butler, Jake
Kennedy, Bart Marlow, Powell Marlow, Roy Jones, Levi Anderson, Gurley
Young, Jess Harmon, Aaron Phillips, Johnny Wilson, and Jessie McKamey.
Jake Kennedy, Bart Marlow, Powell Marlow, and Jessie McKamey are buried
in Beech Fork Cemetery.
About 1930 Gennet Lumber Company shut down its mill at the beginning
of the Depression, the mill, shop equipment, and two railroad engines were
sold for scrap metal.
Blue Ridge Lumber Company logged in the head of Stoney Creek. It sold out
to Gennett Lumber Company.
Ralph Welch was a contractor who cut timber and operated a bandmill for
Davison Lumber Company. The site of the operation between Clinchmore and
Beechfork (Shea, Tennessee), today is known as Welch's Camp.
According to legend Ralph Welch had several teams of large horses with large
feet, which got into the Beech Fork Cemetery, at Welchs Camp and done a
lot of damage, it was never restored to its proper condition.
Lucien Baird was one individual who played a very important part in
the New River Lumber Industry. He came from Penfield, Pennsylvania
in 1884 to look after the interests of persons who had invested in the
land and timber in Scott, Campbell and Anderson counties. For several
years, into the early 1900's, his name appeared on old deeds and county
tax records as if he were the sole owner. Lucian signed his name "L" Bird. He
seldom used his first name, he often traded a rifle for a tract of land.
He would travel over the walking paths and sled roads of the mountains,
and would stay all night in the homes of different people. The bulk of
the holdings were later sold to the New River Lumber Co., at Norma.
CLINCHMORE RR Crew 1900?
CLINCHMORE Coal Tipple
Clinchmore Mining Company, opened in 1929 and started a settlement,
after a three mile railroad was cut up the Beech Fork Creek Valley, in the
late 1920's, from Shea and ended at Clinchmore. This was a short spur line
off of the Tennessee Railroad between Oneida and Fork Mountain, Coal mining
and Timber was the industry. It had a grade school and two churchs, a
Baptist, and a Penticostal; A General Store and Post Office. Also a gravelled
automobile road, from Beech Fork RD., which ended at Clinchmore.
Moad Burress was elected as Constable Sheriff to keep the peace in the area.
Moad lived in Clinchmore; Moad is buried in Riverview Cemetery, Smokey Jct.
Moses Burress(1874-1952), PICTURE.
SEE, DUNCAN, BENJAMIN-(9b9b) Moad Burress.
Clinchmore Coal Company, Scrip Coins was given to the workers and used for
money and exchanged for cash in the Clinchmore General Store.
Clinchmore Coal Scrip was Coins of, 1.00, .50, .25, .10, .05, and .01.
COAL SCRIP TOKENS
Clinchmore Coal Co was closed down about 1950. The coal was then removed
by coal stripping, leaving ugly and dangerous highwalls around the mountains.
A heavy rainstorm cloudburst swept the area in July of 1965, completely
removing Clinchmore off the map, drowning several people. The only building
left standing was the Baptist Church, and only building remaining today 2003.
SHEA TENNESSEE
Located at the point where Beech Fork Creek enters into New River.
Beech Fork Creek was named after giant Beech Trees growing there.
Shea was always called Beech Fork, even after it was renamed, before and
after, evidently most people could not accept the name Shea.
Beech Fork was renamed, Shea, after the Shea brothers, about 1913.
Shea, is in Campbell County about sixteen miles from Caryville TN.
The first settlers came in around 1800 from North Carolina.
According to legend, the first settler at Beech Fork was a Ward, and he
lived in a huge hollow Beech Tree large enough for a house.
According to land deeds and documents, Benjamin Ward JR(1775-1836) and
wife Catherine Harmon Ward came from Valle Crucis NC, after 1820, and
settled at Beech Fork, after 1830. Benjamin Ward sold his property at
Beech Fork to his daughter and son in law; Drewry and Selah Ward Carroll,
in 1835.
BENJAMIN WARD JR TO DREWRY CARROLL(8 JULY 1835).DEED.
According to legend, Michael Ward and his son John came back from the
Civil War with horses loaded down with goods and opened a store at Beech
Fork(Shea).
Michael Ward and son John, of Beech Fork.
Around 1860 the post office here was Highhouse. The mail was carried
from Oliver Springs on horseback.
Highhouse P.O. was located up the side of the mountain on the west side of
New River, at Beech Fork Creek. The post office was in the old horse and
footpath trail across the Bootjack mountain, from Smokey Jct., to Shea.
The mail route from Oliver Springs included post offices, namely, PODOPHOLINE,
TIP, LIGIAS, in Anderson County TN; And HIGHHOUSE in Campbell CO TN.
Also to Smokey Creek, Smokey JCT., in Scott Co TN.
High House P. O. served the Beech Fork(Shea), Nicks Creek, Stony Fork,
Pee Wee and Clinchmore Area.
The Shea brothers were contract timber cutters for several years for the
New River Lumber Company, Shea, Tennessee (Beechfork) was renamed for the
Shea brothers. They cut and logged timber for Beechfork Timber Company,
which was owned by M.C. Bricker of Chicago, Illinois. Beechfork Timber
Company was later owned by Andrew and Nat Gennett. The Shea Brothers
also operated the bandmill at Blue Ridge Lumber Company.
.....................
According to legend the new modern railroad was extended very slowly over
a period of several years from Oneida TN., into the New River section of
Campbell and Anderson counties. It reached Beechfork Creek at Shea about
1912, and on to Fork Mountain, about 1917 it was finished; Closing down all
the old post offices with mounted mailmen.
Shea Brothers located a logging camp here in 1913. SHEA post office was
established in 1913, taking its name after James T. Shea, postmaster.
The mail coming in from Oneida by rail.
According to legend the last mounted mailman was Finn Ward. and the last
Postmaster at Highhouse was Samp McGhee.
Tennessee RR Crew 1913.
.......................
After 1917 all of the old post offices were closed and new ones opened up,
with the mail being carried in by the mail bus from Oneida.
The Mailbus was a passenger carrying coach which ran on the railroad,
powered by diesel fuel, or gas. The trains operated by steam.
The Post Offices south on the railroad line, up New River, were; Stainville,
Charleys Branch, Rosedale, Devonia, and Fork Mountain.
The Post offices north of Shea, going down river toward Oneida; Some were;
Smokey Junction, Norma,Winona, Huntsville, Helenwood.
....................
The railroad tracks coming from Clinchmore at Shea were built in a "Y" shape
connecting to the railroad going to Oneida and Fork mountain, so the large
steam locomotives could turn around. A huge water tank was also installed
for the locomotives. A long side track was installed for empty coal cars, and
Coaches for the workers to eat and sleep.
Robert Paris Ward(1906-1963) as a teenager, worked as a cook in one of
the coaches set up to cook in. Paris retired from the railroad in the late
1950's. Paris is buried in Beech Fork Cemetery.
.....................
In the 1930's, 40's and 50's, Shea was a busy place, it had two general
stores, a church and school house(Marlow School), a general store and post
office, a railroad depot, and section crew house, a flagging station for the
Locomotives and mailbus, which were flagged onto a side track for other
trains to pass. The labor crew also stored their tools and worked from here.
The railroad depot station was operated by Fred and Armeldia Lawson,
Fred was section crew forman. Fred and Armeldia are buried in Beech Fork
Cemetery. Melt Byrge later became the Section Crew Forman.
The Post Office and store was operated by WM(Billy) and Ironia Adkins
at one time. Billy Adkins sold out to Rans and Tinsie Kennedy and moved
to Clinton. Rans and Tinsie sold out to Aubry Mcghee, the store was then
operated by Bessie and Caleb McGhee.
In 1918, Southern Lumber Company of Nashville owned a
Bandmill and a Barrell Stave Mill at Nicks Creek, Tennessee. Mr. Mackelane
was superintendent. The mill was later moved to Montgomery, Tennessee,
between Smoky Junction and Norma.
Andrew and Nat Gennett from North Carolina bought out Southern Lumber
Company's Bandmill on Smoky Creek and a Circlemill at Bull Creek.
Bill Berry was superintendent at the Montgomery Mill. His son, Charley
Berry, was the bookkeeper. Two other sons, Wade and Dude, were
employees. Other employees were Earl Washam, Sherman Phillips, Doffes
Wright, Fred Hembree, Wiley Carroll, Bob Daugherty, Isaac Duncan, and
Fielden Newport.
BACK TO TOP
|
