Near Butler in Johnson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Old Butler ⎯⎯⎯ Watauga Academy
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 10, 2020
1. Old Butler Marker
Inscription.
Old Butler, also, Watauga Academy. .
Old Butler. The Old Butler site, which was located three miles southeast of here, is under Watauga Lake. Settled before 1770 by John Honeycutt, it was named for Judge R.R. Butler in 1868. The town, originally a farming, milling and mining community, became a shipping point for lumber, iron ore, and trade goods when the railroad arrived in 1902. Floods plagued the area, and the 1940 flood caused TVA to build Watauga Dam, permanently flooding Butler and the surrounding area in 1948.,
Watauga Academy. In 1871, L.L. Maples established Aenon Seminary, located three miles southeast of here, now under the waters of Watauga Lake. The seminary's name was changed to Holly Springs College in 1886, and it became the Watauga Academy in 1906. By 1933, Watauga Academy was a public school. Professor James Hamilton Smith was an early prominent leader of Aenon Seminary. A graduate of Watauga Academy, Congressman B. Carroll Reece was a member of its first graduating class in 1911. Bricks removed from the Watauga Academy were used to construct the sanctuary of the Virginia Avenue Methodist Church, in Bristol.
Old Butler
The Old Butler site, which was located three miles southeast of here, is under Watauga Lake. Settled before 1770 by John Honeycutt, it was named for Judge R.R. Butler in 1868. The town, originally a farming, milling and mining community, became a shipping point for lumber, iron ore, and trade goods when the railroad arrived in 1902. Floods plagued the area, and the 1940 flood caused TVA to build Watauga Dam, permanently flooding Butler and the surrounding area in 1948.
Watauga Academy
In 1871, L.L. Maples established Aenon Seminary, located three miles southeast of here, now under the waters of Watauga Lake. The seminary's name was changed to Holly Springs College in 1886, and it became the Watauga Academy in 1906. By 1933, Watauga Academy was a public school. Professor James Hamilton Smith was an early prominent leader of Aenon Seminary. A graduate of Watauga Academy, Congressman B. Carroll Reece was a member of its first graduating class in 1911. Bricks removed from the Watauga Academy were used to construct the sanctuary of the Virginia Avenue Methodist Church, in Bristol.
Erected by Tennessee Historical Commission. (Marker Number 1A 138.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:
Location. 36° 20.844′ N, 82° 1.548′ W. Marker is near Butler, Tennessee, in Johnson County. It is on State Highway 67 half a mile south of Rainbolt Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 16931 Highway 67 West, Butler TN 37640, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, the State of Franklin, and the Antebellum South.
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, October 10, 2020
3. Old Butler / Watauga Academy Marker
Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1947
4. Old Butler / Watauga Academy Marker
Butler Confectionery Drug Store and barber shop on Main Street.
Courtesy Tennessee State Library and Archives, 1920
5. Watauga Academy
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on October 14, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,458 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 14, 2020, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
