Manchester in Coffee County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
The Old Stone Fort and the Stone Fort Paper Co.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
1. The Old Stone Fort and the Stone Fort Paper Co. Marker
W.S. Whitman's paper mill was built prior to the Civil War. Whitman also built the gunpowder mill used by Confederate forces during the war. After the Civil War, Whitman left the area and the Hickerson and Wooten families obtained the property expanding the mills into the Stone Fort Paper Company. You will find that the mound walls survive beyond this mill and back to the trailhead.
Of the two mill foundations along the Big Duck River on this trail, one is the Main Mill (also called the rag mill or print paper mill) and the other is the Pulp Mill. The Main Mill is thought to be the one at this location and, if this is correct, the foundation closest to Big Falls represents the site of the pulp mill; pressing paper made from wood pulp rather than rag. A third mill, the Wrapping Mill, was beyond the Old Stone Fort on the lower run of the Big Duck. This mill made a brown wrapping paper.
Erected by Tennessee State Parks. (Marker Number 11.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil.
Location. 35° 29.129′
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Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee and in the Highland Rim. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once 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 walking distance of this marker: The Wonders on the Frontier (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Bark Camp Fork or Little Duck River (about 700 feet away); The Enclosed Grounds (about 700 feet away); The Uses of Water in Different Cultures (about 700 feet away); The Eastern "Gateway" (about 800 feet away); The Mound Walls Meet the Cliffs (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Old Stone Fort (approx. 0.2 miles away); Geographic Setting of The Old Stone Fort (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manchester.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
2. The Old Stone Fort and the Stone Fort Paper Co. Marker
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
3. Ruins of the main mill.
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
4. Ruins of the main mills
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, June 28, 2025
5. Ruins of the main mill
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 268 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 6, 2025, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
