This vendor event was held at JNK Farms at 1685 Walker Valley Road. Lots of folks showed up to check out the various vendor booths set up in a field across from each other. A food truck, “The Hungry Hippy”, was providing refreshments. There was so much traffic when we arrived that a couple of people were providing guidance for parking…
It turns
out that JNK Farm is more than a farm.
The JNK Farm Boutique is a year around shopping destination. The website states “From our farm to your
home…a variety of home décor, painted furniture and antiques, with a great
Southern/farmhouse style. Laurie’s
efforts to buy an item she liked in this store was foiled as she decided to
check out the vendor’s booths before making her purchase. When she returned to buy the item she wanted,
there was a long, long line checking out so she gave up the idea…
FYI…the
JNK website is found at: https://jnkfarm.com/.
Here is Laurie with Suzanne from Udder Joy Farms… Suzanne and her family have been raising goats and producing various products for 15 years now. They moved to East Tennessee from California…definitely a good move!
Udder Joy
Farms markets their products in local shops, directly from their farm and via
on-line orders. Their artisanal products
include creams, soaps, an anti-itch stick, therapeutic oils, lip balm, insect
repellent, body and face scrubs…and more.
Website: https://udderjoyfarms.com/.
Once we were finished at JNK Farms, we headed over to nearby Charleston Tennessee to check out a couple of historic properties. This is the Henegar House. It’s located at 428 Market Street and it was built in 1849, making it the oldest surviving brick structure in Bradley County Tennessee. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
This
Federal style home was built on the former site of the military headquarters of
General Winfield Scott at Fort Cass.
Henry Benton Henegar was the wagon master and secretary under Chief John
Ross during the ‘Cherokee Removal’ to
Oklahoma, also known as the ‘Trail of
Tears’.
During
the Civil War, the home was used as headquarters for both Union and Confederate
generals…including William T. Sherman.
Most of East Tennessee including Bradley County had voted against secession
and sympathized with the Union.
According
to historic records, the back porch of the Henegar House was the site of a
tense conversation between Mrs. Henegar and General Sherman. The General advised Mrs. Henegar, who was a
supporter of the Confederacy, to leave the South for safety…claiming that “not
even a bird would remain” in the south once he was finished. Mrs. Henegar rejected Sherman’s advice and
they didn’t leave their home. Mr.
Henegar was a Unionist…that had to make for some interesting dinner conversations!
Our next stop was the Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Railroad Street in Charleston… The church was built in 1860 in the Greek revival style. I love those windows! During the Civil War…in 1863…Confederate forces used the church as hospital. Later, Federal troops used the building while they were stationed in the area. Fifty years after the Civil War, the Federal Government paid the congregation damages totaling $424.00. The congregation peaked at 120 members in 1890. The churchyard and cemetery is enclosed by a 1910 cobblestone wall. Many of the graves are from the 1800s…
Charleston has a population of about
697. The town began as a trading post in
1819. It was located in the Ocoee
District prior to the organization of Bradley County in 1836. It was the first white settlement in the
county and it’s one of the oldest towns in southeast Tennessee. FYI, Charleston was the first city in
Tennessee to elect a black mayor and the first city to appoint a black police
chief.
This depot…or railway facility…is located right across the road from the Charleston Cumberland Presbyterian Church. I was hoping for an old depot but this newer building didn’t fit my wishes. More on the critical history of area railroads will follow later in this post.
This cypress grove or swamp in the middle of Charleston certainly grabbed our attention. This haunting little forest is one of the very few cypress groves in Tennessee. Plans are underway to connect a walkway in the grove to a new trail behind the Hiwassee River Heritage Center.
To learn
more about the Hiwassee River Heritage Center, its programs and goals, go to http://www.hiwasseeheritage.com/.
Moving on to Cleveland Tennessee… Craigmiles Hall was built in 1878 on Cleveland’s town square. This iconic building once served as the social center of the city…with businesses on the first floor and the ‘opera house’/entertainment venue located on the second floor.
In a
related bit of history, Tennessee has its own song, titled “The Diplomat”. The song was composed by marching band king
John Philip Sousa. “The Diplomat” was
played for the first time over 110 years ago when Sousa performed it at
Craigmiles Hall.
The Banner building was built in 1854. The Cleveland Banner newspaper was founded here in that same year. Although the paper’s offices have moved, what is now called the Cleveland Daily Banner, is one of Tennessee’s oldest newspapers.
The
newspaper was founded on May 1, 1854.
The editor was a supporter of the Confederacy during the Civil War. He was arrested by Federal troops in the fall
of 1863 and the paper ceased publication.
It wasn’t out of business very long though. The former owner resumed the newspaper’s publication
in September of 1865.
Cleveland’s
downtown area, referred to as the “Cleveland Commercial Historic District, is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The listing includes a total of 65
structures, mostly built between the 1850s and the 1960s. To me these older architectural styles are
the most interesting.
Cleveland’s Southern Railway Depot featuring Craftsman style details was built ca. 1911. Not too long ago, the depot was purchased by the Southeast Tennessee Human Resources Agency. (SETHRA) Their goal was to restore the depot as per the US Department of Interior’s standards for rehabilitation. The best news from my viewpoint is that SETHRA has restored the terra cotta tile roof… On the negative side, there were so many small buses and vans parked around the depot, it was hard to photograph...
At the
onset of the American Civil War in 1860, Bradley County voted 2 to 1 not to
secede from the Union. Actually, like
the rest of East Tennessee, there was an effort to seek independent statehood
from the Confederate middle and western portion of the state. However Confederate forces seized East
Tennessee with many Unionist fleeing north or going into hiding.
It was
all about trains and rail lines… The only copper mine in the south was in
nearby Polk County and the Confederacy desperately needed this resource. Copper was brought to Cleveland, put on
trains and then distributed throughout the south. With authorization of President Abraham
Lincoln, a local minister proposed to destroy 9 strategic railway bridges. They managed to destroy 5 of them including
the nearby Hiwassee River Bridge. Unfortunately
the Union Army failed to make a timely move into East Tennessee and the
sabotage was in vain. Those involved
were arrested for treason by Confederate forces and were executed.
I included this photo of a building with figures posed in upper windows just because I thought that the idea was very whimsical. The building is just across from the former Cleveland Railway Depot.
Cleveland
Tennessee was named in honor of Revolutionary War Hero Benjamin Cleveland from
North Carolina. Part of the reason was
that many Tennesseans hoped to attract the favor of a prominent North
Carolinian family. Despite this attempt
at a form of ‘bribery’, General Cleveland was worthy of the honor. He commanded North Carolina’s militia during the
Revolutionary War with his most notable heroic actions taking place at the
Battle of King’s Mountain.
I include this photo of the building occupied by the “5 Points Café’ because I liked it’s off the beaten track location and the fact that it seemed really popular. After going on-line to check their menu, I would definitely give this restaurant a try! Website: https://www.facebook.com/5pointscafe/.
Despite
the damage done during the Civil War, Cleveland recovered rapidly. In the 1870’s, the town grew quickly and it
became one of the first cities in Tennessee to actually develop industry. The nearby copper mines reopened and by 1878,
they produced more than 12,000 tons of copper!
Other businesses included the Hardwick Stove Company, the Cleveland
Woolen Mills and the Cleveland Chair Company.
By 1890, the city supported 9 doctors, 12 attorneys, 11 general stores,
14 grocery stores, 3 drug stores, 3 hardware stores, 6 butcher shops, 2 hat makers,
2 hotels, a shoe store and 7 saloons!
This is the old Sandia Hosiery Mill…another structure featured on the National Register of Historic Places. Located at 140 Edwards Street, the mill was built in 1926. This major local employer was originally called the Cherokee Hosiery Mill and was best known for producing “Famous Baby Bootie Sock” under the Humpty Dumpty brand name. The mill also produced “Bobby Socks”. All production took place in the mill…knitting, sewing, dying, packaging and shipping. While most mills had closed by the 1990s, Sandia Hosiery Mills continued to operate until 2000…
Today the
city of Cleveland Tennessee has a population of over 45,500 residents. While the city is only Tennessee’s 14th
largest city, it is home to 13 Fortune 500 manufacturers and has the 5th
largest industrial economy in the state…
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them.
Thanks
for stopping by for a visit!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
You have been busy exploring the places! That farm boutique shop seems really nice and I would love to visit it too. The swamp in the middle of Charleston actually looks very impressive.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun little trip. I don't know if we've even driven thru Charleston.
ReplyDeleteGreat collection showing some interesting sites in E. Tenn. When families divided about the Confederacy, it often meant big trouble, ending in brothers killing brothers. Surprising that the husband and wife were able to share their beliefs publicly.
ReplyDeleteDave, don't know if my comment was posted as I was clicking on an image in this post and "lost" it. So, this might be a repeat :-( What I said before was that this post provided a(nother) reason we should visit TN on a future USA road trip. I enjoyed reading about Craigmiles Hall and the Sandia Hosiery Co. and perhaps the former hosiery building can be re-purposed as it is obviously very abandoned. It was interesting to read about the products formerly produced there, but I was not familiar with the Humpty Dumpty brand name.
ReplyDeleteDear Dave, It looks like a nice day for you and Laurie. I really find that swamp interesting. It is haunting looking. All the very best to you and Laurie.
ReplyDelete