Near Adams in Robertson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Port Royal
War Brings Upheaval and Change
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 2, 2026
1. Port Royal Marker
Local women organized a Ladies Aid Society to provide needed supplies to Company E of the 0th Tennessee Infantry, primarily comprised of Port Royal men. Most of them were captured or deserted at the fall of Fort Donelson on the Tennessee River in February 1862.
After Federal occupation in February 1862, many of the African American men of Port Royal ran away to Clarksville to join the United States Colored Troops at Fort Bruce on the Cumberland River, an act which asserted their freedom. After the war, the same men and their families became active members of the Port Royal community as shop owners, craftspersons, ministers, and leaders.
Port Royal slowly declined in the postwar years as railroads took business formerly conducted with flatboats and the tobacco market moved to
this page online
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War Divides the White Community
A US military trial for murder was held on the second floor of the building in front of you On July 26, 1863, area residents George Whitehead and Cornelius Peacher murdered Simpson Rosson. Peacher was a Confederate guerilla and fled the scene, though he was later caught. Whitehead was quickly arrested and tried here. The precise reasons for the murder remain murky, but all three belonged to this masonic lodge, which was rumored to be supporting Peacher's guerrillas with money, and that fact may have brought the men to odds. Whitehead was imprisoned, but Peacher's only punishment was to be expelled from the masonic lodge This incident shows how the pressures of war could divide Tennessee communities.
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Luke Fort fled Port Royal slavery to join the 101st USCT in 1864 at 28 years old. After the war, he became a minister in nearby Guthrie, KY. From Harriet Parks Miller, Pioneer Colored Christians, 1910
Luke Fort's enlistment record. Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration
Erected by Tennessee Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 2, 2026
2. Port Royal Marker
Location. 36° 33.236′ N, 87° 8.536′ W. Marker is near Adams, Tennessee, in Robertson County. It is at the intersection of Old Clarksville Springfield Road and Port Royal Road (Tennessee Route 238), on the left when traveling west on Old Clarksville Springfield Road. Marker is located at the Port Royal State Historic Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3300 Old Clarksville Highway, Adams TN 37010, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee, in the Highland Rim, and in Greater Nashville. 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
Photographed by Tom Bosse, October 2, 2026
3. Port Royal 1859 General Store
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Town of Port Royal (a few steps from this marker); Stores of Port Royal (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Port Royal (approx. 1.1 miles away); Renfroe's Station (approx. 3.3 miles away); Joseph Buckner Killebrew (1831-1906) (approx. 4.2 miles away); Red River Church (approx. 4.7 miles away); Bell Witch (approx. 4.9 miles away); Fort Redmond (approx. 4.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Adams.
Another marker is no longer nearby. 1859 Masonic Lodge & General Store (was a few steps from this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Port Royal State Park. Tennessee State Parks (Submitted on October 10, 2026.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 10, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 8, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
