Erected by the Town of
Altamont, in memory of
the boys from Grundy
County, who gave their
lives in the service of
their country.
World War I
Fults, Henry Hargis, Marion Dolph Kilgore, George Lusk, Harvey Patton, Harris . . . — — Map (db m150463) WM
Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest's brigade, having left Chattanooga July 9, bivouacked here enroute to his capture of Murfreesboro. The Brigade then consisted of the 8th Texas Cavalry (Wharton), 2nd Georgis Cavalry (Lawton), and Woodard's Kentucky . . . — — Map (db m25919) HM
One of the many Swiss immigrant families who made this area home.
This foundation of the old Greeter Homeplace provides the backdrop for a fascinating story of early European immigrants who came to this area in search of a better life. The . . . — — Map (db m297617) HM
To the memory of all men, women, and children from Grundy County that contributed to the
defense of their homeland during the War for Southern Independence
Reverse: Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be . . . — — Map (db m150461) WM
In memory of LTJG William (Billy) E. Stulce U.S. Navy from Daisy, Tennessee, who gave his life in the performance of his duty on the 18th of September 1945.
While flying on a routine mission LTJG Stulce's F6F Hellcat fighter plane caught . . . — — Map (db m150464) WM
[Center]
Erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars & the American Legion posts of Grundy County in memory of the Grundy County servicemen, who gave their lives in the Korean & Vietnam conflicts.
Greater love has no man than this, . . . — — Map (db m150465) WM
A Distinguished Home for a Distinguished Gentleman
This was the home of Levi Vernon Woodlee, an important political figure in Grundy County. Woodlee served in the Tennessee General Assembly as a Representative between 1897 and 1899 and as a . . . — — Map (db m297616) HM
A center for 19th Century commerce
This is the site of an early grist mill on Firescald Creek that was later converted into the Greeter familys first lumber milling operation. Foundations still remain of what was once a busy venture for . . . — — Map (db m297675) HM
An Elegant Mansion and an Eccentric Heiress
This 12-room, two-story home a mansion by local standards was built in 1885 by H.B. Northcutt, grandson of Grundy County pioneer Gen. Adrian Northcutt, who was born in 1799 and established a . . . — — Map (db m297676) HM
Altamont was established in 1848 as the Grundy County seat thanks to the efforts of Gen. Adrian Northcutt, a local farmer who served for ten years in the Tennessee legislature. The first county courthouse was in Northcutts original home, a small . . . — — Map (db m297614) HM
1/4 mile southeast. In 1837 several log structures were built and later joined together. Later buildings of handmade brick were added. Enlargement to present form was made by Col. John Armfield in 1857. In antebellum days the courtyard was the scene . . . — — Map (db m25917) HM
It all began with a Chalybeate Spring
Beersheba Springs was the first European settlement on the Cumberland Plateau. A chalybeate [mineral] spring was discovered along the ancient Chickamauga Trace in 1833 by Beersheba Cain (pronounced . . . — — Map (db m297678) HM
Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest's brigade passed here enroute to its junction with additional units, to be followed by a further advance on the Federal garrison and stores at Murfreesboro. Leaving Chattanooga on July 9, the brigade here consisted of the . . . — — Map (db m283118) HM
Described as "Tennessee's foremost woman writer of fiction." she used the pen name Charles Egbert Craddock for over thirty years. The Tennessee mountains and the Civil War were used as the settings for her novels and short stories, and she gathered . . . — — Map (db m290183) HM
All Gave Some, Some Gave All
Raymond C. Eubanks, Jr.
Sergeant U.S. Army Vietnam PH
March 6, 1947 - December 23, 1967
Hershal L. Tate
Sergeant First Class Korean War
January 3, 1922 - January 12, 1951
Frank W. Smith . . . — — Map (db m297683) WM
Beersheba Springs quickly gained recognition as a summer resort town after Beersheba Port Cain of McMinnville discovered a mineral spring here in 1833. Soon after, a tavern and some cabins were added, and the area became popular with travelers . . . — — Map (db m297680) HM
Established in the early 1900s, Creighton & Sons General Store was owned and operated by three generations. It was a Sears building delivered to Coalmont on the “Mountain Goat” train and assembled on site. The first storekeeper was . . . — — Map (db m167626) HM
The Methodist Episcopal Church, as it was known at that time, was established on August 18, 1916. The Sewanee Fuel & Iron Company conveyed one acre of land to the church. Dedicated in the spring of 1917, the church's original founders included W. M. . . . — — Map (db m167623) HM
Apparently named for a commune in the canton of Glarus, Switzerland, it was founded by Peter Staub, native of that locality, and 100 Swiss families who bought land here, on April 11, 1869. Since 1880, normal increases in population and the desire . . . — — Map (db m151965) HM
One of the original Swiss settlers of Gruetli in 1869, Melchior Thoni become one of the most famous woodcarvers of Tennessee, executing carvings in the old Governors Mansion and the altar of Christ Church in Nashville. About 1880, among his many . . . — — Map (db m283342) HM
Leaving Switzerland for a Better Life
In the mid-1800s, the Anton Stoker and his family were among
many Swiss emigrants who were looking for a better future.
Switzerland was among several European countries suffering
from famine, failed . . . — — Map (db m308491) HM
In the mid-1800s, Switzerland was one of several
European countries suffering from famine, failed crops and
overcrowding. Captain Eugen Plumacher, the commissioner
of emigration to the United States, and Peter Staub, a Swiss
emigrant living in . . . — — Map (db m308492) HM
The Northcutts Cove Chapel is the oldest standing meetinghouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the Mormons) in the Southeastern United States. The building was constructed and paid for by local members, friends, and . . . — — Map (db m150455) HM
Grundy County
Established 1844; named in honor of
Felix Grundy
of Virginia. Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court; Rep. in Congress from Tenn. 1811-1814; U.S. Senator 1829-38. Attorney Gen. in President Van Buren's Cabinet. At the time . . . — — Map (db m150469) HM
In 1932, Myles Horton and Don West founded Highlander Folk School, located ½ mile north of this site. It quickly became one of the few schools in the South committed to the cause of organized labor, economic justice. and an end to racial . . . — — Map (db m150471) HM
The Monteagle Sunday School Assembly was founded in 1882 by the Sunday School Convention of Tennessee. At the time, a number of states had these congresses, often called Assemblies, all of them modelled after the Chautauqua Institution in New . . . — — Map (db m265240) HM
MSSA differed from other Chautauquas and is significant is that it was ecumenical from the beginning. Known as the Chautauqua of the South, it has conducted annual assemblies for religious and educational programs without interruption since 1883. In . . . — — Map (db m56195) HM
The Amphitheatre, facing south on the hill north of this marker, was completed for the opening of the first assembly on July 17, 1883. It was built under the supervision of William Webster, landscape engineer of Rochester, New York, who came to . . . — — Map (db m231155) HM
In the 1880s, a grand resort hotel stood on this property. The first version of the "Mont Eagle Springs Hotel" was built by investors from Nashville. That hotel burned in 1929, but was quickly replaced. The second version of the hotel was built by . . . — — Map (db m265235) HM
On October 11, 1838, the last group of 650-700 treaty party Cherokees (so-called), led by conductor John A. Bell, also Cherokee, left Ft. Cass in Charleston, TN, headed for their new homes in the West. With them was U.S. Army LT. Edward Deas, . . . — — Map (db m167640) HM
Monteagle's settlement history began with a 5,000-acre land grant to John Bostick in 1792. In 1855, construction began on the Mountain Goat Railroad, extending first from Cowan to Sewanee, then through what would become Monteagle, and on to Tracy . . . — — Map (db m265239) HM
The Dawn Redwood trees (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) found here are some of the oldest known trees in the world. The species has been found in fossils dating back 100 million years ago and was once native to most of North America. It was thought to . . . — — Map (db m231157) HM
Palmer, originally known as Tate's Village, was incorporated
in 1925 and renamed in honor of Clarence William Palmer
(1850-1919), who owned much of the land upon which the
town was established.
The area thrived during the early 20th Century . . . — — Map (db m308490) HM
Established 1844: named in honor of Felix Grundy of Virginia. Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court; Rep. in Congress from Tenn. 1811-1814. US Senator 1829-38. Attorney Gen. in President Van Buren's Cabinet. At the time of his death in 1840, . . . — — Map (db m26596) HM
The beautiful but rugged landscape of the Southern Cumberlands created a transportation nightmare for both Union and Confederate commanders as they struggled to move men and supplies through the area. The Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad provided . . . — — Map (db m181105) HM
On Jan. 20, 1864, Confederate Partisan Rangers led by Col. John M. Hughes, 25th TN Inf., and Maj. Willis S Bledsoe, 4th TN Cav., attacked Union forces of the 20th Connecticut, Co. B, under Lt. Col. William B. Wooster.
At Howard & Benham's . . . — — Map (db m277094) HM
You're a witness to history!
This photo, taken from the exact location where you are standing, shows CCC Boys lined up for roll-call, as well as a bugler, company officers, a flagpole and at least six buildings in the background (look . . . — — Map (db m276811) HM
Dams, Lakes, Trails, Towers, Walls, Wires, Roads
It was not uncommon for CCC companies to pick up and move, they were mandated to relocate wherever their work required, and by 1935, Company 1475's principal assignment was in the southern . . . — — Map (db m277179) HM
Alfred Montgomery Shook was born on a farm five miles south of Winchester, Tennessee. When he was thirteen he moved to Winchester to live with his Uncle, Allen Shook, who was Winchester's postmaster and also owned a drug store. In order to earn his . . . — — Map (db m277177) HM
Arthur St. Clair Colyar played a major role in the raising of Tracy City like a phoenix from the ashes of the Civil War to an industrial giant of the late 19th century. Born In Washington County near Jonesboro, he migrated at age of nine with his . . . — — Map (db m277155) HM
The butterfly, created by Artist Jamey O.
Chernicky, is a study in motion and balance. He also created the bird feeder south of the terrace. It was installed in 2023 by Jose Santisteban who laid the sandstone apron into which the stem of the bird . . . — — Map (db m277426) HM
Portable buildings with a permanent Impact
Here, based primarily on photographic evidence, is thought to be the first of a row (extending to your right) of four barracks.
Inspection reports from 1935 indicate there were four barracks . . . — — Map (db m276808) HM
Beersheba Springs was the first white settlement on the Plateau. A chalybeate spring was discovered there in 1833 by Beersheba Cain of McMinnville, after following a trail up the Mountain from Tarleton Valley. She had accompanied her husband on a . . . — — Map (db m277419) HM
Hard work required good "grub..."
The camp's Dining Hall, or "Mess" (a military term adopted by the CCC, perhaps because the camp's administrative leaders came from the U.S. Army) was one of the largest buildings in the camp. Feeding 200 . . . — — Map (db m276989) HM
Perhaps the earliest recorded transaction in the vicinity of Beersheba is an entry of 150 acres for William Dugan in 1826 "in the Horseshoe known as Charley's Camp" said to be on the south side of Little Laurel Creek of the Collins River.Ή According . . . — — Map (db m277417) HM
The Episcopal Church was slow to start in Tennessee with the first congregation dating from 1827 and the first Bishop, James H. Otey, consecrated in 1834. At the beginning of the Civil War there were only 27 clergymen and 1500 communicants in the . . . — — Map (db m194424) HM
From a humble start in a woodshed, an enduring legacy
Christ Church is the oldest continuously operating Episcopal Church on the South Cumberland Plateau.
"The appointments and surroundings were not all that could be desired, but the . . . — — Map (db m277583) HM
Keeping the CCC Boys clean...
Here, on the southern edge of Camp S-67, was the Bath House and Latrine. Most of their days consisted of doing hard, dirty, physical labor, so the nearly 200 young men of Company 1475 required plenty of room to . . . — — Map (db m276792) HM
Lilian Wyckoff Johnson viewed agricultural cooperatives as a means for farmers to achieve economic freedom. In 1915 she moved to Grundy County with a dream of establishing a cooperative which would lead to independence and sustainability for local . . . — — Map (db m277080) HM
Tennessee's Oldest Family Bakery
Founded in 1902 by Swiss immigrants John and Louise Baggenstoss, who moved to Tennessee in the 1880s, the Dutch Maid Bakery is Tennessee's oldest family-owned bakery.
The Dutch Maid was rebuilt in the . . . — — Map (db m277582) HM
(1) E.L. Hampton was born March 1, 1861 on a plantation near Winchester, Tennessee. His father was a banker and farmer. When he reached high school age he moved to Decherd with family and friends. He attended school and worked at night.
He began . . . — — Map (db m277078) HM
From Railroad Ticket Agent to Coal Company President
This house was built around 1895 by E.L. Hampton, then a ticket agent for the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad. In April of 1904, after the Tennessee Coal and Iron Company . . . — — Map (db m277584) HM
(1) Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company (TCR) was reorganized in 1882 as Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company (TCIR) after John H. Inman and Associates of New York acquired a 2/3rd interest. Einar Oswald Nathurst was made Superintendent. He was . . . — — Map (db m277176) HM
The portable steam engine and boiler on display provided power at Killian Sawmill on Old Stone Door Road in Beersheba Springs. Burl Franklin Killian is shown at the sawmill circa 1955.
Farquhar Sawmills were first built in 1956
The Farquhar . . . — — Map (db m277430) HM
(side 1)
Nearby, in the early 1870s, a crude experimental blast furnace was built by Samuel E. Jones for the Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company. Called Fiery Gizzard, the furnace was to determine if coke burned from local coal was of . . . — — Map (db m60429) HM
For the CCC, fire prevention
was a hot topic
A major part of the CCC's mission was wildfire prevention and control, although their training allowed them to be incredibly helpful in fighting all kinds of fires in the communities where they . . . — — Map (db m276949) HM
An Eclectic Home with a "Do It Yourself" Owner
The Frank White House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This two story brick house was apparently built by White circa 1890 and was reportedly used as both a residence and . . . — — Map (db m277580) HM
This Sorghum Mill was made by Goldens Foundry and Machine Co, of Columbus Georgia.
It was found on a farm in Gruetli Laager owned by Keith McBee and donated by him to Grundy County Historical Society Heritage Center. The base was designed and . . . — — Map (db m277429) HM
No way out of a slippery situation...
Directly across the perimeter road is a rectangular trough with a drain in its center. While no specific mention of this structure has been found, there is reason to believe that it was the kitchen's . . . — — Map (db m276991) HM
A Century of Essentials and Personal Service
Henry and Victor Flury moved to Tracy City from the Swiss Colony in nearby Gruetli-Laager in 1902 to establish a meat market. They butchered their own meat, which had to be sold immediately as there . . . — — Map (db m277449) HM
A vision for good
As Company 1475's Camp Superintendent, Tracy City native Herman E. Baggenstoss had a vision for what the company could do. Even in its early days, while the company was located in Palmer, Herman knew there were bigger . . . — — Map (db m276805) HM
James Cartwright Warner was appointed secretary of Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company (TCR) in 1868. Soon thereafter he was promoted to general manager. He envisioned coke as a solution for the use of slack coal mined at the Wooten Mine. . . . — — Map (db m277175) HM
John Moffat was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father was a successful businessman, a partner in the manufacturing firm of Moffat and Swan. In an economic downturn the elder Moffat immigrated to Canada with his wife and two sons. Moffat's father, . . . — — Map (db m277089) HM
Even in the age of refrigeration, the ice house still had a role.
To keep food cold, the CCC camp did have modern refrigeration, but in those days, the "ice boxes" were small, and a kitchen that had to feed 200 or more people every day needed . . . — — Map (db m276992) HM
This foundation appears to be that of a utility building, likely a laundry facility which was probably filled with washtubs, owing to the concrete floor, rusted water supply pipe, large central drain and open drainage ditch beyond the foundation, . . . — — Map (db m276795) HM
"In the years to come, Grundy County will be remembered for one reason: that Leonard Tate lived here and wrote his poetry." These words of County Judge J.L. Rollins proclaim the significance of the Poet Laureate of Grundy County.
Leonard Tate . . . — — Map (db m277409) HM
Life in the CCC was clearly hard work, but as you can see in the photographs on the right, life in Company 1475 also built camaraderie, allowing these young men to develop important teamwork and social skills - while having some irreverent fun in . . . — — Map (db m276806) HM
Coal, Coke and Colyar define Tracy City
The Sewanee Fumace Company, a small mining concern, was established in 1852 by Nashville entrepreneurs seeking to exploit this area's newly-discovered coal reserves.
After a troubled start, the . . . — — Map (db m276675) HM
The Tennessee Coal and Iron Company in 1883 built 120 coke ovens 6 miles east to help supply its growing iron works. The company contracted with the state, and convicts worked the ovens until 1896. On August 13, 1892, Tracy City miners, who opposed . . . — — Map (db m60428) HM
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Mary Noailles Murfree was among the best known known and most widely read American novelists. She was born in 1850 on what was to become the site of the Battle of Murfreesboro, or Stones River, fought . . . — — Map (db m277421) HM
The Mountain Goat Railroad was built by Sewanee Mining Company to haul coal from the plateau. It was completed from the Cowan tunnel to Coal Bank near St. Andrews Midway in 1856. There was not much coal there and what was there was of poor quality. . . . — — Map (db m277410) HM
A real-life version of "The Little Engine that Could"
In the late 1840s, construction of the Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad was already in progress and had reached the base of the plateau below Sewanee. In 1853, Major A.E. Barney, a civil . . . — — Map (db m277096) HM
We are mountain people.
We are a boorish set, they tell us
Hard-bitten, coarse of feature and of speech,
Shallow and brawling as the mountain streams,
With morale friable as our sandstone
All my life I have wanted to tell them:
That we . . . — — Map (db m277350) HM
Persian Gulf War
Jan. 16, 1991 Glory and honor be unto God
Honor and appreciation be to those who served for God and country.
Psalms 91:7
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come nigh . . . — — Map (db m278256) WM
Post-Civil War slavery, in the name of coal
It's hard to imagine that this tranquil landscape once resembled a scene out of Dante's Inferno. In the 1870s, 1880s and part of the 1890s, these coke ovens belched out dense clouds of smoke as . . . — — Map (db m276685) HM
The Miner's Legacy of Hard Work, Devotion To Family, Concern for Community, and Patriotism Has Had A Continuous Influence On Succeeding Generations
To Honor Them And Preserve The Memory Of Their Contribution
The Town Of Tracy City Dedicates This . . . — — Map (db m86246) HM
Pure water + corn + remote location = a valuable commodity
The production of bootleg liquor, or "moonshine," was both illegal, and a source of income for impoverished individuals in the remote canyons of the Cumberland Plateau. There are . . . — — Map (db m276708) HM
This overhead stop and go light was mounted over Main Street in Tracy City at 14th Street to control the traffic to and from James K. Shook School located on the hill between 12th Street and 14th Street.
Shook School was the stateliest landmark . . . — — Map (db m277428) HM
Monteagle Sunday School Assembly was founded in 1882 as the Southern Chautauqua, modeled on the original Chautauqua, known by the name of the lake on which it is located in western New York. The first Chautauqua was founded by a Methodist bishop and . . . — — Map (db m277149) HM
(1) E.L. Hampton, a railroad station agent at Tracy City picked up the pieces at the coal and coke operation left by Tennessee Coal and Iron Company (TCI) and formed in 1905 Tennessee Consolidated Coal Company. In that same year the Mountain Goat . . . — — Map (db m277079) HM
Infuriated with the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals (1775) wherein the Cherokee Nation ceded Transylvania (Kentucky and part of Tennessee) to the American pioneers for settlement, Dragging Canoe in 1776 led 1,000 or so braves south to the region around . . . — — Map (db m277434) HM
(front)
The Civil War on the Plateau
Confederate sympathizers in occupied Middle Tennessee were thrilled when they heard in July 2, 1862 that Nathan Bedford Forrest, with 1,400 men, had surprised the Federal garrison in . . . — — Map (db m277073) HM
Few men have the satisfaction of knowing they have made a contribution in their lifetime that will last through the ages and touch the lives of millions.
Men of the CCC know that feeling well. The Civilian Conservation Corps was launched April . . . — — Map (db m276701) HM
During the Pennsylvanian Geological Period, the surface of the land was inundated with swamps in which fern-like plants of all sizes grew. Branches and leaves of the plants accumulated in the stagnant water and formed peat. This condition is . . . — — Map (db m277423) HM
Born in the depths of the Great Depression
...the Civilian Conservation Corps, or "CCC," was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 throughout the United States. The CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men and . . . — — Map (db m276726) HM
The Marugg Company was founded by Christian Marugg in the early 1870s in what is now Grueti-Laager. Seeing the need for a variety of farming tools, he started imparting tool components from Switzerland and Germany. These parts didn't come with . . . — — Map (db m277435) HM
The Tidman Hotel that faced Railroad Avenue was partially located on this site. It was one of the victims of the April 27, 1935 fire that destroyed all of the buildings on the north side of Railroad Avenue from Depot Street to Town Creek. The hotel . . . — — Map (db m277099) HM
The southern steel industry originates at Tracy City with extraction of Sewanee Seam coal in 1858. The first shipment of coal from the Wooten Mine occurred November 8, 1858 by Sewanee Mining Company. The Sewanee Mining Company had been chartered in . . . — — Map (db m277422) HM
was located on this site. The denomination was formed in 1810 following revival of the Christian gospel in the second wave of the Great Awakening. Settlers from Scotland and Ireland of Scott descent were mainly followers of John Calvin as embodied . . . — — Map (db m277329) HM
Soon after the Civil War, the nearly-bankrupt Tennessee Coal and Railroad Company ("TC&R") was acquired by entrepreneur Arthur St. Clair Colyar. Tracy City was created as a company town, named after company financier Samuel F. Tracy. Impressive . . . — — Map (db m277068) HM
A community that didn't want to see the CCC Boys leave
In spite of local pleas to keep Company 1475 in Tracy City, the company was moved, in June of 1938, to Camp S-80, south of Sewanee, at the northern edge of what is now Franklin State . . . — — Map (db m276993) HM
Before 1794, there were no permanent residents on the plateau. Cherokee and other Native American tribe members visited the plateau from time to time with hunting parties. This state of the plateau changed after the Major James Orr led militia . . . — — Map (db m277346) HM
Archibald Willingham Butt (1865-1912) might well be one of Sewanee's two or three most important alumni in national governmental service. A century ago he served officially as military aide to President Theodore Roosevelt, beginning in April 1908, . . . — — Map (db m277432) HM
"We are a strong enough nation to meet any other nation in war if we so desired. No one would think of charging us with cowardice for seeking peace. We are in a position to organize, and Europe is waiting for us to take the lead-all the countries of . . . — — Map (db m277433) HM
This flower garden, the centerpiece of the annex to the Grundy County Historical Society Heritage Center outdoor exhibit area, is dedicated to the memory of William "Bill" L. Beard. A member of the Board of Directors from 2014 to his death on March . . . — — Map (db m277154) HM
Here is where it all started. From this coal mine, At Tracy City, Tennessee, grew the South's largest steel producer--the Tennessee Coal & Iron Division of the United States Steel Corporation. — — Map (db m277424) HM
The Great Depression of the 1930s was particularly hard on Grundy County. According to John M. Glen in Highlander No Ordinary School 60 percent of the county's population in June 1935 were on some form of government relief.
The Works . . . — — Map (db m277414) HM
In 1939 and prior thereto the Warren Memorial Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Tracy City building on this site was used by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) for its relief programs in Grundy County. On February 10 a small group of unemployed . . . — — Map (db m277415) HM
