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 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

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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 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Rice 18th Century Grist Mill (here, next to this marker); The Caleb Crosby Threshing Barn (here, next to this

Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 18, 2024

2. Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn

marker); Trigonia Elm (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War in Anderson County (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Norris Dam (approx. 1.2 miles away); The Tennessee Valley Authority (approx. 1.2 miles away); The TVA System of Multi-Purpose Dams (approx. 1.4 miles away); Dean Dillon (approx. 4.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Norris.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 18, 2024

3. Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 19, 2024

4. Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn Marker

Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 19, 2024

5. Caleb Crosby Trashing Barn Marker

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 154 times since then and 16 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.