Oliver Springs in Roane County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Guerillas and Foragers

War in Oliver Springs

Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 7, 2020

1. Guerillas and Foragers Marker

Inscription. Although the residents of Oliver Springs did not suffer from the effects of combat during the war, other factors soon took a toll. Like much of East Tennessee, Anderson, Morgan, and Roane Counties voted against secession. The conflicts between Union and Confederate sympathizers, however, soon resulted in extensive violence and distrust. Looting and foraging were common occurrences, and isolated farm families bore the painful brunt of guerilla warfare. As the war progressed, foraging soldiers from both sides moved through the area and stripped farms of livestock, food, and other provisions.

At different times during the war, Union and Confederate authorities used the Oliver Inn, which was located a mile and a half south of here, as a hospital. Fortunately for the town's postwar resurgence, the springs continued to attract visitors. The inn was sold to a succession of owners before burning down in 1892. Investors built a grand hotel in 1895 at the springs a mile away to provide high quality accommodations to guests from far and wide. Accessible by rail since the 1880s, Oliver Springs became a nationally popular attraction

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

for visitors drawn to the healing springs, until the elegant hotel burned in 1905.

(sidebar)
Drawn to the nearby mineral springs, settlers established the town of Oliver Springs, named for landowner and postmaster Richard Oliver (1800-1861). Oliver bought hundreds of acres in this area to capitalize on the appeal of the springs' medicinal qualities. About 1830 he built a 35-room brick inn near the present-day Norwood Middle School. By 1860, his personal estate was valued at a vast $17,450. He died on May 31, 1861, as the war begun.

(captions)
Foraging for hay - Courtesy Library of Congress
Confederate raiders, Century Magazine (ca. 1880)
"Mountain Region of North Carolina and Tennessee", 1864 - Courtesy Library of Congress
Guerillas meeting with scouts Courtesy Tennessee State Library & Archives
Oliver Springs - Oliver Springs Historical Society

Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Tennessee Civil War Trails series list. A significant day of the year for for this entry is May 31.

Location. 36° 2.712′ N, 84° 20.715′ W.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, November 7, 2020

2. Guerillas and Foragers Marker

Marker is in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, in Roane County. It is at the intersection of Walker Avenue and Winter Gap Road, on the left when traveling west on Walker Avenue. Marker is located in front of the Oliver Springs Public Library. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 610 Walker Ave, Oliver Springs TN 37840, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee

and in Greater Knoxville.

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,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Southern Railroad X574 (within shouting distance of this marker); Ticket Booth (within shouting distance of this marker); O.S. Engine #2 (within shouting distance

Paid Advertisement

of this marker); L&N Cowcreel Branch (within shouting distance of this marker); The Rose Terrace House (approx. ¼ mile away); Oak Ridge Schools (approx. 4.4 miles away); The Robertsville Community (approx. 4½ miles away); Oak Ridge Turnpike Checking Station (approx. 4½ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oliver Springs.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Oak Ridge (was approx. 4½ miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2020. It was originally submitted on November 8, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 502 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 8, 2020, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.