Near Norris in Anderson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 19, 2024
1. Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn Marker
Inscription.
Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn. . Caleb Crosby originally built the barn and threshing machine on the north side of the Holston River, in what later was called the Crosby Settlement in Noeton community. Both are built entirely from wood by hand. Oxen generated power was transmitted by a drive shaft to the threshing machine inside the main building. Among the maze of wooden gears was one as large as a wagon wheel. The threshing barn stood from the 1830s, for about 100 years, a short distance down the Holston from where the David A. Greene Bridge now spans Cherokee Lake on U.S. Highway 25-E. Before the barn site was flooded by the lake, Powell and Bryan Crosby, grandsons of Caleb, donated the barn and threshing machine to the National Park Service. Since no such barn ever existed in the Great Smokey Mountains pre-park years, the idea to reassemble the barn within the park boundaries was rejected. Officials recognizing the value of the barn, kept the dismantled timbers sheltered and in good condition for 34 years until which time they were donated to the Tennessee State Park system. The barn was reconstructed at its present site in 1978.
Caleb Crosby originally built the barn and threshing machine on the north side of the Holston River, in what later was called the Crosby Settlement in Noeton community. Both are built entirely from wood by hand. Oxen generated power was transmitted by a drive shaft to the threshing machine inside the main building. Among the maze of wooden gears was one as large as a wagon wheel. The threshing barn stood from the 1830s, for about 100 years, a short distance down the Holston from where the David A. Greene Bridge now spans Cherokee Lake on U.S. Highway 25-E. Before the barn site was flooded by the lake, Powell and Bryan Crosby, grandsons of Caleb, donated the barn and threshing machine to the National Park Service. Since no such barn ever existed in the Great Smokey Mountains pre-park years, the idea to reassemble the barn within the park boundaries was rejected. Officials recognizing the value of the barn, kept the dismantled timbers sheltered and in good condition for 34 years until which time they were donated to the Tennessee State Park system. The barn was reconstructed at its present site in 1978.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Agriculture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1978.
Location. 36° 12.787′ N, 84° 4.364′ W. Marker is near Norris, Tennessee, in
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Anderson County. It is on Lower Clear Creek Road east of U.S. 441, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 495 Lower Clear Creek Rd, Norris TN 37828, 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 148 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 21, 2024, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
