We have not been able to give in detail many of the happenings in our town but we trust the reader will have a conception of the trend of rural life in our community over the last One Hundred and Twenty-Five Years.

Yes, we feel that we are progressing along with the towns and cities near us – not in population, but in moral and spiritual values and culture. No, the Tennessee Valley Authority cannot take credit for having made us Princes out of Paupers, as they would like to do. But it has been through our ingenuity and integrity and through the belief, faith, and help of God that we continue to live and love each other.

In closing, may I say I hope someone will pick up this thread and carry it on throughout the coming years? In describing my community, these lines from an old song come to my mind: “It’s the dear hearts and gentle people who live in my home town” who give us courage to go on.

Acknowledgements

We would like to tank those who have so willingly helped us in securing information for this story. They are:

Mr. Owen Cox

Mr. and Mrs. C. C..Sherrod Mrs. Ethel Cox Smith

Miss Maude Harper Mr. Clyde Wilburn Mrs. W. E. Jeffries

Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Johnston l-‘Ir. and Mrs. McGhee Robinson Mrs. B. M. Robinson

Mrs. Louisa Graves Mr. Hugh McDade Rev. A. J. Rowland Mrs. Anderson Warren Miss Dorothy Warren Mrs. Earl Jones

Mrs. Raymond Jeffries Mrs. Fred Elmore

Rev. Blanche Coker Fouche Dr. H. A. Prater

Mrs. Ross O’Conner Mr. James Prater Manley J. Henson Adam Finger

In 1847 the Masonic Lodge built the two-story brick building, still standing and functioning as the Masonic Hall. There being no school house, the first floor of the hall was used for that purpose. It is thought that some of the teachers were: Lake Cox, Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence, Miss Henrietta Cox, Mrs. Adria Currnnings Richmond, Mr. Haggard, and possibly some of the Gillespies.

About 1892 a one room building was erected on the vacant lot ad­ joining Mr. George Moore and now covered by the lake. Mr. Nathan Coker, grandfather of Walter Coker (now Director of Recre,c1tion in Blount County) was one of the school directors at that time. The school was not continued there many years, but was moved to the property now owned by Ralph C. Jones. Some of the teachers of this one room building were Mrs. Adria Cummins Richmond, Mayme Gamble, and Mrs. W. D. (Orlean George) Hammontree.

The building now owned by Ralph C. Jones was a two room building where several people, now living in Louisville, attended school. Among the teachers were: Mr. Luther Miser, Mr. John Cupp, Mr. Feezel, Mr. George King, Miss Maude Harper, Miss Margaret McCall, Miss Una V. Payne, Miss Harriet Foust, Miss Hettie Brooks, and Miss Mary Friar. Water was carried from the “town spring” and passed up and down the aisles with a single bucket and dipper.

In the fall of 1918 a four room building was the new home for the children of Louisville, being ere ed on the present school site. It was to have the eight grades of elementary work and two-years high school. From 1927 – 1934 the first grade was housed in the Masonic Hall. In 1932 the High School was discontinued. In 1934 a primary room was added. The following are some who taught in this building: Mr. Luther Miser, Irene (Moore) Wilkinson, Margaret (Cates) Sherrod, Jennie Evelyn (Anderson) Blackburn, Perry DeBusk, Reed Rowan, R. O. Biggs, Myrtle (Williams) Kidd, Carl Abernathy,

Hugh Clabough, Crarence Barnett, George Ross, Marie (Jordan) Bryant,

beginning of the school year 1947. This building was built just a few feet t north of the one destroyed by fire. Besides the eight class­ rooms were two modern washrooms, a Principal office, and a modern lunch room in the basement. Frauk Cox, Dona Campbell, Clara Cox, Trula Keene, Elixabeth (Anderson) Prather, and Maude Harper were the first teachers in this building. Others have been: Myrtle (Coker) Wilkinson, Caster Templin, Roy Bridges, Robert French, Chester Snodderly, Willie Mae (Prater) French, Mildred (Sturgeon) Stevens, Velma (Brown) Prater, Pearl Moser, Keith Whitehead, Mary Morton, Margaret (Coulter) Hamil, and Charlene (Hamil) Patterson. The present enrollment of our school is 254.

A Colored school was started soon after the Civil War. Its first teacher waa a white man, Mr. Cox. It was first taught in a church, later a small building was erected on the church lot, near the Southern Methodist Church, for the school. This was used until

it was about ready to fall down. The present Rosenwald School was erected, not far from where the old one stood, about 1931. The Women’s Club raised funds and built a room at the rear of the school to be used as a Club Room. There the Club, the P.T.A., and other organizations for the colored people held their meetings.

Among its teachers were Dr. Prater of Memphis, Bishop Wallace, Mrs. Wolfe, Presiding Elder Branner, Mrs. McMahan, Mrs. Dixon, Olive Wallace, Elmira Montgomery, Mrs. Vinie (Cox) Warren, Mrs. O. C. Wallace, Octavia (Warren) Hord, James Russell, and Mary Craig.

The coming of the lake resulted in all our colored people relocating and there being no need for a school for colored children, the building was not replaced. All children living in our lying sections are transported by bus to the Lincoln School near Chandler Station.

The Southern Methodist Church was built in 1853 on the lot near the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Harper. Many good ministers have stood behind its sacred desk. Those I would mention are Rev. J. D. Wyrick, who served in the first part of twentieth centry, and Rev. Paul Worley, now instructor of Religious Education at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia) from 1932 – 1936. We would like to honor the :memory of Rev. A. N. Jackson, Sr. (a retired Methodist Minister) who served us so well as superintendent of our Sunday School for several years. His favorite hymn “Blessed Assurance” was sung nearly every Sunday in our Church. This church building was torn down and the new church was built from these same bricks in 1943 where it now stands. It is known as St. Mark’s Method.ist Church since the Methodist Episcopal (Northern) and Southern Methodist Churches merged in the latter part of the 1930’s. Permit us to mention Russell Leedy, B. M. Ketchersid, John Greer, Robert Regan and John Wikle as the ministers of the new Church. C. C. Sherrodd and Robert D. Campbell have very capably served as Sunday School Superintendents.

The Northern Methodist Church which stood on lot adjoining property of Mrs. Everett Hubbs was burned about 1916 as a result of being struck by lightning. No building was rebuilt on this spot, but the lot continued to be used as a cemetery until the graves had to be moved in preparation for the waters of Fort Loudon Lake. The Louis­ ville Camp meeting of the Holiness Association was born Oct. 1894. It was in 1902 that the first meeting was held in the tabernacle which had been erected where it now stands on the property adjoin­ ing that belonging at present to Mr.Richard George. Rev. A. A. Wiles held his first meeting. Names that will be long remembered in those annual Camp meetings are Mr. & Mrs. R. L. Cox, Rev. Blanche (Coker) Fouche, Mrs. Yearout, Rev. & Mrs. Ephraim Dunlap, Miss Josephine Dunlap, Misses Jennie and Annie Anderson, Mr. Clabe George and Mrs. Clemens. In 1950, at the end of the forty-ninth annual meeting, the Campground was deeded to the East Tennessee District Church of the Nazarene. Nazarenes for miles around still come to gather annually for this old-time Camp Meeting.

In May 1947 Midway Baptist Church was built near the Tabernacle, this church started with 9 Charter Members but a present has 184 active members. Ministers serving this church have been R. E. Jinks and A. J. Rowland.

March 24, 1951, saw the organization of the Church of God with 8 Charter Members. Its first church building stands opposite the Post Office, Soon the congregation out grew this building and in June 1953 they moved to their new church home on a lot adjoining the property of Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Quillen, Jr., Their membership now totals 84. Dan W. Underwood, son of Dan Underwood mentioned in the first part of history, served as pastor until the summer of 1955. James Robinson, son of Mr. & Mrs. Bart Robinson, is the present pastor.

In 1954 Light Pink Baptist erected their Church near the Old ight Pink Quarry. Their pastor is Neil Palmer.

May I mention that while we had our colored people living in our Community, they .supported the colored Methodist Church, the “Mary Louise Essler” Presbyterian Church and a Holiness Church. The Presbyterian members moved their membership to the 2nd Presbyterian Church in Maryville in 1943. The Methodist members moved their church on the hill just above the property of Richard Hatcher.

We are proud of our churches for we know that here lies the hope of civilization.

Standing proudly on the banks of Big Tennessee river in what is known as the Holston College community are some old but beautiful homes dating as far back in pages of time at 1802.

In the days before the building of Fort Loudon Dam, when one crossed the river at Lowes·Ferry, coming from Knox County, a pay ferry powered by huge oars, one entered this community. The old white Colonial home on the bank of the river was the home of Buffalo Jim Prater, mentioned earlier in this book. A dirt road lead past the beautiful old Gillespie home, the oldest in the Community, built of native stone in 1802. It is now owned by Mr. Manley Henson the 9th owner. It was through a window in the living room that Mr.Humes, mentioned before in the Louisville community was killed by a hatchet thrown through a window. The hatchet was thrown by a slave that Mr. Humes had whipped that day. The slave was hanged from an elm tree near the old stone springhouse, which still stands at the edge of Fort Loudon Lake. As one passes on in a south­ westerly direction past the homes of Dr. H. H. Prater, D.V.S., and Rhea Armstrong the latter at one time a part of the Gillespie farm, one may see three beautiful homes and old Holston College.

The Oscar Prater home, now owned by his daughter-in-law, Rosamond, was built in 1831 of hand molded and baked brick. The unique thing about the Prater home, is that even tho it has stood on the same spot for nearly a Century and a quarter, it has been located on the banks of the Holston & Big Tennessee rivers, and now has the waters of Fort Loudon Lake lapping, spread around it.

Mrs. Prater had the land grant to John & Matthew Russell signed by, the Governor of the State of Tennessee, Sam Houston, in the year of our four Lord 1828 and of the American Independence 53rd year.

Across the Lake from the Prater home is Old Holston College standing silently in a beautiful grove of Giant Oaks. This College was established in 1851 as Ewing & Jefferson College, named for Fivis Ewing, leader of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and Thomas Jefferson.

This old College became Holston Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The College was only a boys College to begin with but later after the Civil War, girls were admitted. When the Civil War came the College was closed to be reopened after the War 1869. Rev. John Ritter of Johnson City and for many years it was a splendid College. After the College closed, it was used as a grammar school until 1922 when a new grammar school was built.

Holston Presbyterian Church was organized with Harrison Russell as its first pastor. The missionary society was organized in 1885, with Eva Doak grandaughter of Sameul Doak, Lynn Lackey, Laura Keller, Fanny Russell, Bl,<J.nch Henderson, Mrs. Mary Matlock, Gourley & Pink Henderson as Charter members. Solon Mccroskey was pastor of the Church at this time. There were four men among the Charter Members, namely, Mr. T. W. Queener, S.C.N. Doak, P. W. Keller and Colvin M. Russell. Mr. William Y. Warren helped solicite funds to be used both in the church and the school. Some of the pastors have been J. S. Potter, D. M. Kerr, J. C. Ritter, Dr. John M. Alexander,W. J. Shelton, Issac Hessler, George Brown and Floyd Watt, under whose pastorate it closed in 1950.

The Home that is now owned by Harrison Construction Company joins the Church property. This was originally owned by the Russell family and built in 1845. The home now owned by Dr. Bowen is a lovely old brick with all walls two feet thick and built with hand made brick this home was built by Mr. Billy Henderson about 1840.

In this community we still have descendents of these pioneer families. Mrs. Ross O’Connor and Sa ly Phelps are daughters of Eva Russell and great granddaughters of Samuel Doak, H. A. and J. Prater are sons of Buffalo Jim Prater. 

Even the Fort Loudon Lake covered much of the good farming land this community is still a good farming and Dairy section, with a beautiful setting on Fort Loudon Lake.

Standing proudly on the banks of Big Tennessee river in what is known as the Holston College community are some old but beautiful homes dating as far back in pages of time at 1802.

In the days before the building of Fort Loudon Dam, when one crossed the river at Lowes·Ferry, coming from Knox County, a pay ferry powered by huge oars, one entered this community. The old white Colonial home on the bank of the river was the home of Buffalo Jim Prater, mentioned earlier in this book. A dirt road lead past the beautiful old Gillespie home, the oldest in the Community, built of native stone in 1802. It is now owned by Mr. Manley Henson the 9th owner. It was through a window in the living room that Mr. Humes, mentioned before in the Louisville community was killed by a hatchet thrown through a window. The hatchet was thrown by a slave that Mr. Humes had whipped that day. The slave was hanged from an elm tree near the old stone springhouse, which still stands at the edge of Fort Loudon Lake. As one passes on in a south­ westerly direction past the homes of Dr. H. H. Prater, D.V.S., and Rhea Armstrong the latter at one time a part of the Gillespie farm, one may see three beautiful homes and old Holston College.

The Oscar Prater home, now owned by his daughter-in-law, Rosamond, was built in 1831 of hand molded and baked brick. The unique thing about the Prater home, is that even tho it has stood on the same spot for nearly a Century and a quarter, it has been located on the banks of the Holston & Big Tennessee rivers, and now has the waters of Fort Loudon Lake lapping, spread around it.

Mrs. Prater had the land grant to John & Matthew Russell signed by, the Governor of the State of Tennessee, Sam Houston, in the year •·· four Lord 1828 and of the American Independence 53rd year.

Across the Lake from the Prater home is Old Holston College standing silently in a beautiful grove of Giant Oaks. This College was estab­ lished in 1851 as Ewing & Jefferson College, named for Fivis Ewing, leader of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and Thomas Jefferson.

This old College became Holston Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The College was only a boys College to begin with but later after the Civil War, girls were admitted. When the Civil War came the College was closed to be reopened after the War 1869. Rev. John Ritter of Johnson City and for many years it was a splendid College. After the College closed, it was used as a grammar school until 1922, when a new grammar school was built.

Holston Presbyterian Church was organized with Harrison Russell as its first pastor. The missionary society was organized in 1885, with Eva Doak grandaughter of Sameul Doak, Lynn Lackey, Laura Keller, Fanny Russell, Bl,<J.nch Henderson, Mrs. Mary Matlock, Gourley & Pink Henderson as Charter members. Solon Mccroskey was pastor of the Church at this time. There were four men among the Charter Members, namely, Mr. T. W. Queener, S.C.N. Doak, P. W. Keller and Colvin M. Russell. Mr. William Y. Warren helped solicit funds to be used both in the church and the school. Some of the pastors have been J. S. Potter, D. M. Kerr, J. C. Ritter, and Dr. John M. Alexander,

In this chapter we will confine ourselves to no certain period of time but talk in a rambling way of people, conditions, and events, from the beginning, even down to the present time, 1922. By this we will be able to correct errors and fill in omissions in the previous chapters. We will endeavor in this chapter to tell some­ thing of the Churches, Sunday Schools, day schools, and of the people who conducted them. Also of the state officers, who at different times administered the affairs of the state and county in the 10th Civil District. There has only been two organized Churches in Louisville in the past – the Presbyterian and Method­ ist. The Presbyterian Church has long been discontinued and it’s place of worship was burned down a few years since,·caused by lightning. At that time it was owned by the Northern branch of the Methodist Church. In the old pre-war days there was a large shed on the lot just south of the Church and used by the Presbyterians for meeting services.

We have no information as to any of the preachers of the old time church. The Methodist Church came with the beginning of the town and is the only organized body here to­ day. The present brick Church built in the year 1853 is standing on the site of the old original wooden church, built in the early part of the 19th century. This old church house was moved to a point just aouth of where the present Church now stands and was used for many years as a school house and a public meeting place for entertainment. There were some grand old preachers in charge of this class in olden times, such as the Rev. Geo. Eakin and Rev. Axley, fondly called Father by their congregations, both men of wonderful power. Then Rufus M. Stevins, R. N. Price and William Rodgers, also, were preachers on the Louisville circuit in Ante­ bellum days.

A circuit rider had no easy joy in those days, I assure you, only making their rounds once a month, during the war period. There was only an occasional service held. The first official preacher of the present Church after the war was the Rev. H. C. Neal, who went through many Then Jacob Smith, who likewise bore many heavy burdens in those troublous days. Then Rev.’s George Gray, George Stewart, G. I<. Green, John C. Runyon, and many other good men had a hand in helping to build up the Church that had been so ruthlessly trampled down during the war and imm­ ediately after. We will not forget John Hunt, a grand old preacher of the Baptist faith, who often preached in Louisville and spent a lifetine working in the cause of Christianity. The Sunday Schools like the Churches were shut down a short time during the war. But shortly after the Methodist School was opened again under the leader­ ship of Joseph Brown, Superintendent and Henry C. Saffell, teacher of the Bible Class; Miss Mary Finley, C. M. George, Kern Heartsill, C. Love, and others as teachers. This school has been in operation ever since and very successfully. C.R. Love was Superintendent of this school for 28 years and was very much attached to it, as well as to the Church. The evening Union Sunday School in the Presby­ terian Church was organized after the war by the Rev. Issac Emory, the old Sunday School Missionary with John J. Faulkner, Supt.;W. Cummins, J. T. Cummins, Nathan Coker and others as teachers.

The first Justice of the Peach of the 10th District that we have knowledge of was Wm. Rankin and Wm. Colburn and from then on down as well as we ,can remember , ere – James Henry, Wm. Henderson, Wm. Anderson, Wm. Brickell, I. W. Kirby, Dr. J. C. Gillespie, Elwood Harold, A.H. Love, E. Goddard, P. P. Miser, Squire Maxey, C. M. George, Geo. Laking, and A. N. Jackson and probably others of which we have no information. Some of the constables we remember were as follows – Jack Brown (Long Hollow), Hugh Jenkins, W. T. Heart­ sill, Nelson Bond, Jim Singleton, Wm. Morton, and Jim Smith. Some of the doctors were – Madison Cox, J. T. Love, G. H. Chaffin, J. C. Gillespie, 0. D. Laird, S. H.. ault, A. B. McTeer, N. T. Krous, Wm. Douthitt, and others. School teachers were Dr. John Parker, James Cox, Miss Rachel Cox, Miss Mary Ernest, Miss Narcissus Finley, F. c mmins, Hugh M. Binham, George W. Ja kson, Wm. Bowman, and others.

As some of the readers are enthusiastic baseball fans (as is also the writer) we want to tell something of the now National game as it was played in Louisville in the olden days. Baseball evolved from the old game of Town ball. We will not undertake to de cribe the game of Town Ball, but will say it was similar, to an extent, to baseball. The first club of baseball organized in Louisville was called the “Hunkedories” and consisted of a 1st and 2nd nine, and when a match game was to be played with another team the best players of both nines were selected. I don’t fully remember all the players or where they played; but W. F. Cummins was the Captain of the 1st nine and was the catcher. Tom Gideon was pitcher. Other players of the 1st nine were Shug McCullough, Hugh and Harve Gideon, George Phelps and others. Ike Preston was Captain and catcher of the 2nd nine. Jack Brown was pitcher; Dick Love – 1st Base, Jo Heartsill – qnd Base, Tobe Rhea – 3rd, Bill Barnes – Short Stop, Bob Snapp – L.F., Jim Warren – C.F., Little Sam Saffell – R.F. , (there were two Sam Saffells, designated as big and little Sam and were cousins). In those days of baseball no gloves were worn by the players. The catcher didn’t even have a mit or a mash. The ball was pitched and not thrown as today. If the batter missed the ball and the catcher caught it on the 1st bound the batter was out, the same if a foul ball was caught on 1st bounce. When a player came to bat and called for a certain ball, the pitcher did his best to give him a good slow ball right where he wanted it and a pitcher that gave balls that the batter couldn’t hig soon lost his job, and home runs were a very common occurrence. I remember so well how we got out of the habit of pitching good balls. We had a match game with a team from the University at Knoxville and we felt very con­ fident that we could win from the city boys, but they didn’t follow out id as of pitching good balls. Their pitchers was a small man by the name of Jim Lowry and he pitched a swift ball – anywhere from the knee to the shoulder and their umpire would call a strike on our batter even though it wasn’t where he wanted it, and of course we were not trained to hit that way.

They gave us a good dubbing. We were very indignant that they played so unfair a game, but it put us wise to the way other clubs did. We commenced to train Jack Brown, the pitcher of the 2nd nine.

Jack was a big strong fellow and soon came up to requirements and when we played the return game at Knoxville. We beat them with seven runs to spare. This game was played between Gay and State Streets, where large business buildings now stand. What a change there has been since 50 years ago and baseball has kept step all along. The old name “Hunkiclories” alone remains, and even today there is a team in Louisville with that name. The writer of this is the only one of the old original Hunkidories living in Louis­ ville at this time. Most of all of them are dead.

Fifty years ago the vicinity of Louisville was a veritable hunt­ sman’s Paradise. Wild geese, wild ducks, and pigeons were in ab­ undano:e during the fall and winter months. Wild pigeons were as plentiful as black birds are now. The writer has seen them flying over the town so thick that they would make a shadow:.on the ground, and large droves of them going to roost in the woods often would break imbs off the trees. Squirrels, rabbits, and partridges were in abundance. The river and creeks were full of fish of all kinds. Fishmen had no trouble in catching all they needed. Some of them were old time fishermen, namely, Andy Dunn, John Titlow, Jack Allen, Shade Tow, Bill Good and Jess Smith.

The building of the railroad through Louisville was an event of no little importance to the people of the town. A great future was predicted for the town and surrounding country. When it was learned that a railroad was to be constructed from Knoxville to Marietta, Ga. and that the route was being surveyed, a committee of citizens from Louisville and Friendsville were appointed at a mass meeting held in the Methodist Church and instructed to interview George R. Eager, the promoter of the enterprise, and c’all his attention to the Louisville and Friendsville route. Mr.Eager told his committee that they would get a competent engineer to go over the route and if his report was favorable he would have his engineers survey it.  K. Payne was/selected and agreed to by all concerned. Prof. Payne went over the route and reported thst it was all right and a good route. The railroad engineers then surveyed it and the route was adopted by the promoter and work commenced. Every one was jubilant over our future. The writer with some other parties took a two mile grading contract – commencing at the mill pond and end­ ing two miles below. The day work was begun here in the town was a holiday and everyone turned out to do honor to the occasion. Squire Alvin Logan, Daniel Dyer, and H. T. Cox did the first work. Mr. Logan digging up the first wheel barrow of dirt. Mr. Cox shoveling it in the wheel barrow, and Mr. Dyer rolling it off. After the ceremonies were over there were 40 to 50 men put to work on the cut near the pond. This was in the year and the road was completed in the next year.

The steamer ”Walter Love” was built in Louisville in the year 1890. The lumber was bought from local mills, and local workmen did the work, except the foreman, W. H. Rothe, who was brought here from Kingston to superintend the work. Louisville was the home port of this boat until sold to Alabama parties and taken to that trade.

The machinery of the Love was taken off the old steamer “Water Lily”, whose home port was Louisville, also, as was the steamer “Tellico” and “Clinton B. Fisk”. In olden days it was no uncommon sight to see large rafts of logs and flat boats going by on every tide. The boats were loaded with salt, grain, hay, lumber and almost every­ other commodity, destined for southern markets, and steamboats pass­ ing almost daily. The warehouses of the stores and at the river loaded to capacity with corn, wheat, oats, baled hay, bacon, and in fact with almost everything raised on the surrounding farms, and even for many miles back in the country, brought by the merchants of Louisville and paid for in cash or merchanidse.

But all this is as a “tale that is told” and we are still in hopes that “Dame Fortune” will again visit us and tha-t our town will once more get in step with the rest of the business world.

In the month of March, 1867, the worst flood ever known in the Tennessee valley swept down the Tennessee River, doing damage into the millions. All the lowlands near the river were inundated and the water backed even for miles up the valley and low places. The river at Louisville rose to the height of forty-two and one-half feet. To make it plainer to the reader what that height means -will say that the water stood eight inches deep on the floor of the Methodist Church and C. R. Love (Dick) ran a canoe up through the isle of the church in one door and out of the other and the sights seen on the river were a wonderful sight. Houses, barns, haysheds, railroad bridges, lumber, logs, and in fact, almost everything that would float went by.

Now, the cause of this extraordinary tide was that there had been heavy snowfalls during the past month, and the mountains to the north and east were fully covered with snow. The weather turned warm, and heavy rains began to fall, melting the snow, and the whole thing turned loose at once, almost like a cloudburst, and a number of houses in the town were tied to nearby trees to keep them from floating off. All the fences were swept away. There were no wire fences in those days, and the wooden fences were all lost. Kennedy’s warehouse at the river went off. Saffell’s warehouse was only saved by the weight of the grain stored there, which was all ruined. When the waters abated, and the mud dried up, which was nearly two weeks, the people in the overflowed district had a serious job getting their houses and outbuildings righted and building new fences, and putting things in shape again to get down to business. Shortly after this, several new families came to our town. Aaron Love rented the Williston Cox farm and moved on it. Besides his wife, Mrs. Lucinda Love, there were three sons and five daughters. Aaron Love was a good farmer and a model citizen. His wife was a fine character and they enjoyed the friendship and confidence of the entire community. His oldest daughter, Nannie, married J. E. Heartsill, a son of Abram Heartsill. Mary Love married Abe Henderson, a son of Squire William Henderson, Robert H. Love married Nannie George, a daughter of J. M. George, previously mentioned in this work, and she is still living in Louisville, having survived her husband many years. The writer is proud to number them among his old-time friends. Soon after the Civil War.-Allen Underwood came to Louisville from Greene County. Among his children were John, Jim, and Tom, whom the writer was intimately acquainted with. Two grandsons, Frank and Dan Underwood, are still living in Louisville. Also one granddaughter, Mrs. Bart Robinson. Among others we call to mind were James W. Barnes, Andrew J. Dunn, Paton Gamble, William Colburn, Charles McGlaffin, James Tallent, and James W. Ferguson. Before leaving the old-time families, the writer wishes to beg to pay tribute to the memory of one of Allen Underwood’s grandsons, Robert Underwood, a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Underwood, who lost his life in the cloud burst at Harriman, Tennessee. But before being swept away by the angry waters.

Bob saved more than two score lives. Bob Underwood was a hero, and the people of Louisville honored his memory. The writer, especially, would call up the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred L. McCarter, old-time citizens of the town. Alfred L. McCarter was a hard-working, industrious, kind-hearted citizen, and sympathetic, always ready to help in time of need. The same can be said of his sister, Margaret, wife of James Underwood. They were children of Jerry and Nancy McCarter, who lived in Louisville prior to the Civil War.-Dr. Sam H. Gault came to Louisville to practice his profession in the early 70’s and lived here for many years. Besides his wife, he had three children, one son and two daughters. He moved from here to Rogersville where he lived until death. E. G. Copey and family came to Louisville also, in the early 70’s. They originally came from New York State. Mr. Copley went into the marble business. His quarries were the ones at “Sheep Pen Bluffs”. Mr. Copley continued in this business until his death. He was a kind-hearted, sympathetic man and had many friends. The same can be said of all his family. Michael Miser moved to Louisville from Shady Grove, Blount County, bought a piece of land where Mr. Ballew now lives and built a home. He had three daughters and two sons.

The writer remembers Jerry Miser as one of his best friends of the olden days. Mary Miser married James Jefferies, a son of Thorton Jeffries, Jim Jeffries is still living and is totally blind. Phoebe Miser married Charles Logan, a son of Squire Alvin Logan, who was a respected citizen of Louisville for many years. These Miser married Jo Miller and we understand she is living at Melrose Springs. John L. Faulk near moved to Louisville from Jefferson County. He and a man by the name of Brooks went into the leather goods business, making harnesses, saddles, horse collars, etc. They had the shop in a building that stood on the southwest corner of the J. T. Love property on River Street. They had a fine business, as the farmers depended almost entirely on homemade things in those days. William Faulkner was the Superintendent of the Union Sunday School in the old Presbyterian Church for several years. He moved from Louisville to Maryville and entered the merchandise business with Mr. Walker under the firm name of Walker and Faulkner. John Wilburn came to Louisville in the early ’70s. He had two sons, William and Taylor, who are still inhabitants of the old town and are respected by all who know them. This applies, also, tb their families. Dr. E. Goetz moved to Louisville in the late 60’s. His family consisted of his wife and three daughters from a previous marriage. Their names were Matilda, Nettie, and Sophia. Dr. Goetz was a splendid physician, having studied his profession in Germany, where he was born. Dr. E. Goetz, Jr., who died recently in Knoxville, was born here in the house that Dr. S. S. Kittrell now owns. Another of the old-time families was J. B. Cummins. J. B. Cummins was an Alderman of the town back in the 50’s; was also Town Marshall at one time. His wife was a fine character and much respected. Mr. and Mrs. Cummins had three sons and three daughters. W. F. Cummins was a partner in the firm of J. B. Cummins and Son for a number of years and later on, taught the public schools in Louisville with Hugh M. Bonham and his assistant. He was at one time Superintendent of the Union Sunday School. He finally left Louisville and went to Knoxville, where he established the first music house in Knoxville, if not the first in East Tennessee. He finally went west and died in San Francisco a few years later. John Taylor Cummins married Adria Rogers, who lived about three miles below the town. Rev. Rogers was one of the old-time Methodist Circuit Riders of Antebellum days and was a Missionary to the Cherokee Indians and was serving such when they were sent to their homes in the “Indian Territory”, now Oklahoma. John Taylor Cummins died a few years ago and left a wife, four daughters, and one son. Another daughter of J. B. Cummins, Mary Cummins, married William J. Brown, son of the old-time blacksmith Jo Brown, previously mentioned. Will Brown was a personal friend of the writer and a good all-round citizen. He died several years since. His death was caused by cancer. Sarah Francis Cummins married John C. Snapp, a son of Samuel Snapp. who moved to Louisville from the upper part of the state shortly after the Civil War. Sam Snapp had a large family of boys and girls and added little to the pleasant society of the young people of Louisville.

John Snapp died in Bradley County a few years ago.   In the early 70’s there were three stores in Louisville. In the old Cox storehouse on Main Street, J. B. Cummins & Son were in the old Finley stand on the corner of the lot now owned by John R. Kennedy; this was at one time before the Civil War and occupied by Steel & Bros. This store building was on River Street. Samuel Snapp sold goods in the old Foster building on River Street. This building stood where John Harper’s store now stands. H. C. Saffell kept the river warehouse on the wharf and did a splendid business, receiving and shipping freight via steamboat. Jo Brown and Jo Cox (col) were the blacksmiths. J. M. George and James K. Orr were the wagon makers. A Heartsill had a furniture shop in the building now known as the Junior Order Hall. The mill at the east end of town was operated by Marion Thomas, a splendid, miller and a splendid citizen. I would like to dwell on Marion Thomas and his family, but space forbids it. George Ramsey operated the distillery on Lackey’s Creek on the property now owned by Mr. Smith. There were several saloons in the town.

Transportation on the river was at low tide in the early 70s; only an occasional boat came up to take the grain that was being accumulated in Saffell’s warehouse. The merchants had nearly all their goods brought in by wagons. In the spring of 1875, another tide swept the Tennessee Valley, doing, if anything, more damage than the big tide of 1867 because the improvements along the river were • very much in. an excess of 1867. And there were more building fences to destroy. This dreadful tide lacked two feet, being as high as the 1867 tide, reaching only to the height of 40^ feet here at Louisville, and drifts of all kinds swept by, the face of the tide being covered with it for several days and nights. Houses in the low part of town were again washed off their foundations and only saved from floating off by strenuous exertions. All fences were again lost. Saffell’s warehouse was saved again by heavyweights of rock. The writer well remembers this tide as he was nineteen years old at the time. He and Bishop Cummins did a fine business salvaging lumber and lots that circled in the backwater from the raging current further out, and others did the same thing. There have been a number of high tides on the river since the above dates, but none to compare with the great tides of 1867 and 1875. During the years 1875 and up to 1880, In the month of March 1867, the worst flood ever known in the Tennessee Valley swept down the Tennessee River, doing damage up into the millions. All the lowlands near the river were in undated and the water backed even for miles up the valley and low places.

The river at Louisville rose to the height of forty-two- and one-half feet. To make it plainer to the reader what that height means -will say that the water stood eight inches deep on the floor of the Methodist Church and C. R. Love (Dick) ran a canoe up through the isle of the church in one door and out of the other and the sights seen on the river were a wonderful sight. Houses, barns, haysheds, railroad bridges, lumber, logs, and in fact, almost everything that would float went by.

Now, the cause of this extraordinary tide was there had been heavy snowfalls during the past month, and the mountains to the north and east were fully covered with snow. The weather turned warm and heavy rains began to fall, melting the snow, and the whole thing turned loose at once, almost like a cloudburst and a number of houses in the town were tied to nearby trees to keep them from floating off. All the fences were swept away. There were no wire fences in those days and the wooden fences were all lost. Kennedy’s warehouse at the river went off. Saffell’s warehouse was only saved by the weight of the grain stored there, which was all ruined. When the waters abated, and the mud dried up, which was nearly two weeks, the people in the overflowed district had a serious job getting their houses and outbuildings righted and building new fences and putting things in shape again to get down to business. Shortly after this several new families came to our town. Aaron Love rented the Williston Cox farm and moved on it. Besides his wife, Mrs. Lucinda Love, there were three sons and five daughters. Aaron Love was a good farmer and a model citizen. His wife was a fine character and they enjoyed the friendship and confidence of the entire community. His oldest daughter, Nannie, married J. E. Heartsill, a son of Abram Heartsill. Mary Love married Abe Henderson, a son of Squire William Henderson, Robert H. Love married Nannie George, a daughter of J. M. George, previously mentioned in this work, and she is still living in Louisville, having survived her husband many years. The writer is proud to number them among his old-time friends. Soon after the Civil War.-Allen Underwood came to Louisville from Greene County. Among his children were John, Jim, and Tom, who the writer was intimately acquainted with. Two grandsons, Frank and Dan Underwood, are still living in Louisville.

Also, one granddaughter, Mrs. Bart Robinson. Among others we call to mind were James W. Barnes, Andrew J. Dunn, Paton Gamble, William Colburn, Charles McGlaffin, James Tallent, and James W. Ferguson. Before leaving the old time families the writer wishes to beg to pay tribute to the memory of one of Allen Underwood’s grand-sons, Robert Underwood, a son of Mr. and Mrs. John Underwood, who lost his life in the cloud burst at Harriman, Tennessee. But before being swept away by the angry waters. Bob saved more than two score lives. Bob Underwood was a hero, and the people of Louisville honor his memory.

The writer, especially, would call up the memory of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred L. McCarter, old-time citizens of the town. Alfred L. McCarter was a hard-working, industrious, kind-hearted citizen, and sympathetic, always ready to help in time of need. The same can be said of his sister, Margaret, wife of James Underwood. They were children of Jerry and Nancy McCarter, who lived in Louisville prior to the Civil War.-Dr. Sam H. Gault came to Louisville to practice his profession in the early 70’s and lived here many years. Besides his wife he had three children, one son and two daughters. He moved from here to Rogersville where he lived until death. E. G. Copey and family came to Louisville also, in the early 70’s. They originally came from New York State. Mr. Copley went into the marble business. His quarries were the ones at “Sheep Pen Bluffs”. Mr. Copley continued in this business until his death. He was a kindhearted, sympathetic man and had many friends. The same can be said of all his family. Michael Miser moved to Louisville from Shady Grove, Blount County, bought a piece of land where Mr. Ballew now lives and built a home. He had three daughters and two sons. The writer remembers Jerry Miser as one of his best friends of the olden days.

Mary Miser married James Jefferies, a son of Thorton Jeffries, Jim Jeffries is still living and is totally blind. Phoebe Miser married Charles Logan, a son of Squire Alvin Logan who was a respected citizen of Louisville for many years. These Miser married Jo Miller and we understand she is living at Melrose Springs. John L. Faulkner moved to Louisville from Jefferson County. He and a man by the name of Brooks went into the leather goods business, making harnesses, saddles, horse collars, etc. They had the shop in a building that stood on the southwest corner of the J. T. Love property on River Street. They had a fine business, as the farmers depended almost entirely on homemade things in those days. William Faulkner was the Superintendent of the Union Sunday School in the old Presbyterian Church for several years. He moved from Louisville to Maryville and entered the merchandise business with a Mr. Walker under the firm name of Walker and Faulkner. John Wilburn came to Louisville in the early 70’s.

He had two sons, William and Taylor, who are still inhabitants of the old town and are respected by all who know them. This applies, also, tb their families. Dr. E. Goetz moved to Louisville in the late 60’s. His family consisted of his wife and three daughters, by a previous marriage. Their names were Matilda, Nettie, and Sophia. Dr. Goetz was a splendid physician, having studied his profession in Germany, where he was born. Dr. E. Goetz, Jr., who died recently in Knoxville was born here in the house that Dr. S. S. Kittrell now owns. Another of the old-time families was J. B. Cummins. J. B. Cummins was an Alderman of the town back in the 50’s; was also Town Marshall at one time. His wife was a fine character and much respected. Mr. and Mrs. Cummins had three sons and three daughters. W. F. Cummins was a partner in the firm of J. B. Cummins and Son for a number of years and later on taught the public schools in Louisville with Hugh M. Bonham and his assistant. He was at one time Superintendent of the Union Sunday School. He finally left Louisville and went to Knoxville where he established the first music house in Knoxville, if not the the first in East Tennessee. He finally went west and died in San Francisco a few years since. John Taylor Cummins married Adria Rogers, who lived about three miles below the town. Rev. Rogers was one of the old-time Methodist Circuit Riders of Antebellum days and was a Missionary to the Cherokee Indians and was serving such when they were sent to their homes in the “Indian Territory”, now Oklahoma. John Taylor Cummins died a few years ago and left a wife, four daughters, and one son. Another daughter of J. B. Cummins, Mary Cummins, married William J. Brown, son of the old-time blacksmith Jo Brown, previously mentioned. Will Brown was a personal friend of the writer and a good all-round citizen. He died several years since. His death was caused by cancer. Sarah Francis Cummins married John C. Snapp, a son of Samuel Snapp. who moved to Louisville from the upper part of the state shortly after the Civil War. Sam Snapp had a large family of boys and girls and added no little to the pleasant society of the young people of Louisville. John Snapp died in Bradley County a few years since.

In the early 70’s there were three stores in Louisville. In the old Cox storehouse on Main Street, J. B. Cummins & Son were in the old Finley stand on the corner of the lot now owned by John R. Kennedy; this was at one time before the Civil War and occupied by Steel & Bros. This store building was on River Street. Samuel Snapp sold goods in the old Foster building on River Street. This building stood where John Harper’s store now stands. H. C. Saffell kept the river warehouse on the wharf and did a splendid business, receiving and shipping freight via steamboat. Jo Brown and Jo Cox (col) were the blacksmiths. J. M. George and James K. Orr were the wagon makers. A Heartsill had a furniture shop in the building now known as the Junior Order Hall. The mill at the east end of town was operated by Marion Thomas, a splendid, miller and a splendid citizen. I would like to dwell on Marion Thomas and his family, but space forbids it. George Ramsey operated the distillery on Lackey’s Creek on the property now owned by Mr. Smith. There were several saloons in the town.

Transportation on the river was at low tide in the early 70s; only an occasional boat came up to take the grain that was being accumulated in Saffell’s warehouse. The merchants had nearly all their goods brought in by wagons. In the spring of 1875, another tide swept the Tennessee Valley, doing, if anything, more damage than the big tide of 1867 because the improvements along the river were • very much in. an excess of 1867. And there was more building fences to destroy. This dreadful tide lacked two feet, being as high as the 1867 tide, reaching only to the height of 40^ feet here at Louis Ville, and drifts of all kinds swept by, the face of the tide being covered with it for several days and nights. Houses in the low part of town were again washed off their foundations and only saved from floating off by strenuous exertions. All fences were again lost. Saffell’s warehouse was saved again by heavyweights of rock. The writer well remembers this tide as he was nineteen years old at the time. He and Bishop Cummins did a fine business salvaging lumber and lots that circled in the backwater from the raging current further out, and others did the same thing.

There have been a number of high tides on the river since the above dates, but none compared with the great tides of 1867 and 1875. During the year 1875 and up to 1880 the transportation business took on new life.

The Cincinnati Southern Railway was built and numerous boats plied the river running between Knoxville and Cooper’s Landing on the Emory River, carrying large numbers of passengers and immense cargo of freight between the two points. These boats touched at Louisville and stimulated business very much. Among the boats that ran in this trade were the steamer “R. M. Bishop”, “Knoxville City”, “Harry Helen”, and others, but when the road was completed the river business again went below part. And very seldom a steamer came this far up. The merchants of Louisville and farmers along theriver often had trouble getting their grain and produce to market. The outlook for good local transportation looked so promising that two young men of the town -Jas. E. Heartsill and A. H. Love decided. to-enter the field. They went to Knoxville bought two large gunwalers, brought them to Louisville by water, and had them counterhewn and put into a freight boat to be operated by manpower (Poles and Oars).

The building of this boat was done by two old veteran carpenters, Alfred McCarter and Jim Nipper. This boat was destined to run between Louisville and Concord in the general freight business and, if necessary, to other railroad towns and did occasionally go to Knoxville and Lenoirs. Now this adventure proved very successful, indeed, doing a fine business and making good money for the owners. We want to mention some of the crew that worked on this freighter. Hugh Singleton, Ed Coker, Wm. A. Tallent, Issac Rader, Hugh McCarter, Sam and Wash Nipper, and good-hearted kind Tom Smith, one of the writer’s best friends of olden days. These men were all white men and had all been dead for many years. J. E. Heartsill having other work that demanded his time sold out to A. H. Love, who continued the business until he and F. W. Keller, who then lived at Holston College, bought the little steamer “Tellico” and put her in the run from Knoxville to Rockwood Landing. We hope at a later date to write an appendix to this work on “Steamboating on the Tennessee River” and we will touch on this again. There were only two stores in operation at Louisville at this time. Sam Snapp having sold out and moved to Texas, a new firm was organized by C. R. Love, J. C. Keller, R. A. Keller, and F. W. Keller, under the firm name of F. W. Keller and Co. They bought a general stock of merchandise and occupied the old Finley stand, J. B. Cummins and Son having moved across the street in the brick building owned by Jas. A. Jeffries. The firm of F. W. Keller and Co. was in operation for about a year, being succeeded by Love and Keller (C. R. Love and F. W. Keller), who in turn were succeeded by C. R. and A. H. Love.

1. E. Johnston and family moved to town from the country and went in the goods business in the old Foster storehouse under the firm name of R. E. Johnston and Son (Jas. M, Johnston). This firm later on was merged with the Love store under the firm name of Love and Johnston (J. M. Johnston and C. R., Love); R. E. Johnston and A. H. Love retiring from their respective firms, A. H. Love opened up a store in the Saffell warehouse on the wharf and in addition he operated the steamer “Water Lilly” and later on the steamer “Walter A. Love”.

Back in the 80’s and 90′ the marble business was in full swing at the quarries near Louisville. The “Bond” and the “Great Bend” quarries in Knox County opposite and near Louisville were running. T. Copley’s quarries were at the “Sheep Pens” on the river. These different quarries employed a large number of men who mostly lived and traded in Louisville. The steamer “Water Lilly”, owned by A. H. Love and under the command of the veteran pilot’s. H. Wilkinson (Sim) made daily trips to Concord towing barges loaded with marble. At Concord the marble was delivered to the Southern Railroad and taken to its destination.

I wish to speak of some more old families that lived near Louis ville and who were identified with the interests of the town, Cyrus S. Cox lived about three miles west of the town. His wife was Nancy Myers, another old time family, they had three daughters and five sons. The daughters were Mary, Anna, and Bessie; the sons were Melville, George, Charlie and Jack. The last two named are living in Texas. Another son of Cyrus and Nancy Cox lives on the Lowe’s Ferry road on the old Issac Wright farm and is one of our prominent citizens. He carries the old Cox name James Ambrose Cox. His wife is the daughter of James H. Henry (Little Jim) and grand daughter of B. F. Owens, one of the founders of the town, Samuel Thompson Cox, the oldest child of Ambrose and Mary Cox married Ann M. Cox and lived many years in the old Cox homestead, and there was not a more delightful home in all the Southland than theirs. The writer pauses here to say there were few, if any, better woman that Ann M. Cox, a pure, gentle, Christian character, loved and respected by all who knew her. She was a direct descendant of John Sevier, the first Governor of Tennessee. A son of this union was John Benson Cox, who now owns and lives in the old Ambrose Cox homestead. Issac Rader came to Louisville shortly after the Civil War and lived here for many years. He married Mary Hill, a daughter of Susan Hill. Ike was renowned for his ability in hauling heavy timbers and logs. It was no uncommon thing to see him driving a team of three to four yoke oxen at a time, doing heavy hauling. He was a number of des cendants living in the vicinity at this writing.

Ed, Nathan, and Alex Coker and three sisters came to Louisville back in the early 70’s. Ed was so badly injured on the steamer “Water Lily” while trying to get the boat off a shoal at “Tomotly Island” on the Little Tennessee River, that he died soon after. He was the mate of the boat and a good steamboat man. Nathan is still living at the old home which was entered by Jack Cox, one of the first sdttlers of Blount County.

1. W. George lived four miles east of town on the Russell Ford Road. He was one of the fine old Southern gentlemen you have often heard of; kind.and courteous to everyone and one of Blount County’s best citizens. His wife was a Badgett, another fine old family. He had three sons -Joseph, Issac, and Burhl; and two daughters -Alice and Adria. Alice married L. S. Steele and a son of Mack Steele, at one time a prominent merchant of Louisville. Adria married John C. Cox son of H. T. Cox, another old time merchant of the town. There are only two of these fine old time southern families living at present. Burhl and Adria. The writer’s memory dwells fondly on the beautiful days of long ago, when Ike, Burhl, Alice, and Adria George were his schoolmates in the old town hall at Louisville.

Frank F. Keller owned a large tract of land on the north bank of the river opposite Louisville. His wife was a Crozier, one of the prominent families of East Tennessee. He had five sons -R. A.,

1. C., W. S., T. W., and Barton; and one daughter -Mary. Mary Keller married Homer G. Mead. As mentioned before R. A. Keller married Martha Wallace, a daughter of Wayne Wallace at one time a citizen of Louisville. W. S. Keller married Ann Matlock, and after her death, Miss Matilda E. Goetz. J. C. Keller married Miss Amy Lopsley of Alabama. She is now living in Miami, Fla., J. C. Keller died in Miami several years since. T. W. Keller married Miss Laura Lackey, a daughter of John W. Lackey, one of Blount’s best citizens. Barton Keller married Miss Sally McClung of Knoxville and, after living several years on his land in Keller’s Bend, moved to New Mexico, where he and his wife are still living. The writer dwells with tender memories for his friend and associate Thomas W. Keller, after many years business relations with him. He always found him fair, honest and true. He died suddenly in Maryville a few years since; and a noble Christian character passed away. Quite a number of other old times. families lived near Louisville in days gone by, but we have no specific data concerning them, but later on in another chapter we may be able to call them up.

Wm. A. Robinson (Bert) moved to Louisville back in the 80’s and lived here until his death, not so many years ago. His first wife dying, he married Martha Smith, a daughter of Jas. Smith, previously referred to. Bert was a kind-hearted, genial fellow and a good all-around citizen. He had two children by his first wife -Columbus (Lum) and Lena; and three sons -Jim, Jo and Bart and two daughters by his second wife. Jim and Bart are citizens of Louisville at this writing. James S. Bonham and family were old time citizens of the town, but as they have all passed away we only call them up in memory. but as they have all passed away, we only call them up in memory.

The cause and the beginning of the war is a matter of history, and we will not touch on either, but our whole southern country was involved and Louisville had to carry her part of the burdens of the useless and cruel conflict. All able-bodied men were called to the front from our town and vicinity, some to the Federal Army and some to the Confederate, being pretty well divided. The old men, women, and children were left at home to hold things together as best they could. Four long years of nerve wracking anxiety, sorrow, and pri vations. Anxiety for the loved ones at the battlefronts; anxiety as to where the sustenance was to come from to sustain the lives of the helpless ones at home; sorrows for those who had fallen in battle, or were prisoners in the enemy’s camp. We will undertake to tell something of these privations and troubles as the chapter grows.

The people of Louisville had no easy time, I will assure you, during these four years of strife. Sometimes hardly knowing what they would have to eat on the morrow, or where their shoes and clothes would come from to protect them when winter was at hand. But brave hearts and willing hands surmounted all these troubles, and in the end were ready to receive the Dove with the Olive Branches.

The sustenance proposition was not so acute in the first year or two, as it became later on when the armies commenced marching through. They drew on the country for all surplus supplies that had been stored away, and there being no producers left at home to plant and reap, conditions became very serious indeed during the last two years of the war.

There are only six other persons besides the writer, as far as he knows, that were living in and near Louisville during these trying times. They are Mrs. Emma Johnston, James L. Smith, John Smith, Mr. and Mrs. David Finger, and R. L. Cox. Of course, there are other older people living here today, then the ones mentioned, but they were not living in Louisville at the time we are writing of.

David Finger is the son of Henry Finger, deceased, who was one of the old-time citizens of our town. Henry was killed by a heavy timber falling on him, while repairing the mill race that carried the water of Lackey’s Creek to the old mill, about one hundred yards down the creek from where the present mill now stands. Henry Finger was a hard working, good citizen, and his untimely death Page 18 was mourned by all his friends. The wife of David Finger was the daughter of John Tallent (Honest John). John Tallent spent his life in and around Louisville and had no enemies. In his old days his nseperable friend was his dog, “White Doy”, by name and you would never see one with out the other. John and Jim Smith were the sons of Joseph Smith, another old timer. Joseph Smith was foully murdered by a band of raiders who claimed to affiliate with the southern army, but the fact is they belonged to no army, they were simply “Renegades” that followed in the wake of the regular armies to loot and murder. John Gourley was murdered in his own home by just such a gang, claiming to be with the union forces. A man by the name of Jeff Hinton killed John Gourley in cold blood, but was never punished for it.

I have wandered off a little in search of witnesses to bear me out in what I may tell of those troublesome days. We will now return and take up first, the sustenance item. Corn bread, corn mush, corn batter cake, lye hominy and hoe cakes. Yes, corn was King, and the meal barrell in the kitchen corner with the old time meal sifter was very much in evidence in all homes. There were probably a favored few who had some flour hidden away up in the attic or somewhere, but not many. And fortunate, indeed, were those who could have hot biscuits for Sunday dinner. There was little wheat to be had at any price. Wheat was used in another way that may seem odd today. It was parched brown and ground in the coffee mills and used in the place of coffee. Sweet potatoes were also used for home made coffee, and if one felt that they must have their coffee sweetened, they reached over and got the home made molasses. What do you suppose we would do today, if we had to resort to such things? My, wouldn’t we fuss?

Then another article that was absolutely necessary in all our cooking gave out, and none to be had, for love or money. Salt, just common salt, and to overcome this serious condition the people who had smokehouses -do you know any thing about the old time smoke houses? Well, when days were good, the people, after salting their meat down for while would take it out of the salt, and hand it up in the smokehouse to further cure it. They would build a fire on the dirt floor in the center of the smokehouse and keep it burning for days and days and the salty grease would drop from the meat down on the dirt floor. This operation had been going.on for ;many years and the smoke house floors were thoroughly saturated with the salty drip • from the meat above. Now, to obtain salt, these smoke house floors were dug up and the dirt boiled down in kettles the salty water drawn off and again boiled down til all the salt water was extracted. It wasn’t a very nice thing to look at, but it was salt and served to fill the place of the better article. Another common article of diet in war times was homemade cheese, and it was fine eating, too.

You never see it anymore, but for several years after the war it was quite an article of commerce, and could be bought at any of the stores doing business in the town. A cheese press was no unusual. sight at almost any of the country houses. Some maple sugar could be had during the sugar season, but not enough to solve the sugar problem. And after the war was over, it also became an article of barter. But now the sugar groves are a thing of the past. How clothes and shoes had to be supplied. There were no stores or factories running, and the old spinning wheels and looms were resorted to. Home made jeans and cotton chocks were all the go. Aunt Nancy Brown, out in Long Hollow, with her dye pots, logwood, madras, and indigo furnished the colorings and Mrs. Charles Spillman (the mother of our old friend. Bud Spillman) did a fine business in cutt ing and making men’s clothes. They didn’t fit so very well, but they were warm. And for shoes and boots one had to get the leather as best they could. The tan yard on the branch running from the town spring was in operation a part of the time and furnished all the leather possible, to supply the shoes.

Bart Milligan, out near Middlesettlement, did the rest. Bart was a kind, genial, old gentle man, and was a good citizen. But all the worries griefs, and privations were bravely met by a brace people and the burdens were mostly on the women on both sides of the question, and we pay tribute to the southern women, who wore the homespun dress. But the troubles I have been telling you about were not all we had, by all means. The war was taken advantage of by unlawful people, who terrorized over, and mistreated and stole from the good people and made their lives unhappy, indeed, with the threats of violence and sometimes putting it into effect. The writer saw two old defenseless men brutally beaten and kicked about on the streets by ruffians and it might have turned out badly with another one if a good-hearted old negro hadn’t come to his assistance. Smokehouses, barns, and chicken coops were broken into nightly. They were not afraid to do these things for there was no law to punish them, and the better citizens had to submit or take it worse.

There was one family that I want, especially, to mention. I don’t remember their names or where they came from. But they lived in the Jim Timple house that stood near where the parsonage now stands. They sure did give the people a lot of trouble. There were two or three men in the group and they got their living by stealing at night. The smokehouses and chicken coops suffered, also the woodpiles. But this wood stealing came to an abrupt ending.

They got hold of a stick of wood that had been loaded for them, and the next morning, while getting breakfast, this stick started bombarding them and threw the mush pot, cornbread, and bacon all over the room. Shortly after this, one night, in the home of one of our citizens, the chicken roost was being robbed, and someone got a lot of bird shot scattered around them. They left the town in a few days, to the great relief of all. I have only given this as an isolated case. There was something ugly going on nearly every night. Every few days a band of raiders would dash in to the town and create consternation to the people who were on the opposing side. We called them “Texas Rangers”, but we don’t know if they ever saw Texas, but they certainly did ride fine horses and were very handy with their guns. The first place they made for was the ferry, in order to cut off anyone who might want to put the river between them and danger. One of these raiding parties captured Horace Foster, a very active Union man, and mentioned in Chapter 3 as Mayor of the Town. He thought for sure his time had come. It is said that he tried to escape from them by running through Cox’s mill pond, but they caught him and he was brought back home with a bullet in his leg.

The first regular soldiers that ever came this way was General Jo Wheeler’s Cavalry. He, with his staff, was riding at the head of the column. They were passing through nearly every day. He was on one of his famour raids. We, who adhered to the Southern Cause, were very much elated when our soldiers were in control and were passing through our town, but things soon changed, and our friends on the Union side had their innings. I was only a boy about eight years old when I first saw the Union soldiers (we called them Yankees) and you may rest assured that I was very much distressed when I heard that the yankees were coming. I got into my little head that they were coming for me and when I saw the head of the column come into view around the turn of the road, near the Samuel Saffel house, with the Stars and Stripes swinging in the breeze, and so many men in blue coats,

I sounded the retreat and back I fell through the alley and on past Jo Smith’s blacksmith shop; and on out into Williston Cox’s grove, and entrenched myself behind a big oak tree, so as to be safe from the enemies fire. I remained in my stronghold quite awhile, but they didn’t seem to care to attack, so I gathered up all my reserve courage and commenced to advance from tree to tree. I stalked them until I had gotten to the west side of the grove at the end of Gilbert Street. There I had a full view of them, standing all over the street in front of the Foster and Finley storehouses, and I even saxo a lot of little boys among them. Then I ordered an advance all along the line. The enemy seemed to be off guard and didn’t realize the danger, and we got right up among them before they realized what had happened and one of the big fellows put his hand on my head and said, “Sonny, I’ve got a little boy about your size away up in my northern home”.

We capitulated. The Yankees were sure enough men, even if they did wear blue clothes. The next regular troops to come to our town was Howard’s Division of Sherman’s Army. They camped here for several days, not only in town but all over the surrounding country. Their campfires at night were a wonderful sight. They caused no trouble to the citizens of the town and paid for what they got. Guards were placed at all important spots, especially at the wells and springs to see that the water supply was properly taken care of. There was a guard at the home place of the writer, guarding the well under the “Old Oak Tree”, and Mother seeing him turn the soldiers away without water went out and remonstrated him. He was German. His answer was “Madam, dere is no water in your veil at all”. They had drawn it dry, the only time it was ever known to be done. It couldn’t stand the attack of Sherman’s army. The people of the town did a very nice business with the soldiers, selling them cakes and pies and swapping them for sugar, coffee, and tobacco. They paid liberally in new money to us.

We called them “Yankee Shin Plasters.” They were in denominations of five, ten, twenty-five, and fifty-cent pieces, all on paper. There were no nickels in those days and very little silver.

The money that we had been using before the advent of the Union Army, was the Confederate paper money, in like denominations as the Union money. Along toward the close of the war this money, to a great extent, lost it’s purchasing power, and soon loj-f its value altogether, except with a few stronger Southern adherents, who still had a hope that their cause would win. After Sherman’s army left, very few soldiers came through our town, and when the word finally came that General Lee had surrendered, there was great rejoicing among those who adhered to the Union side and correspondingly sad hearts to those who had pinned their faith to the “Lost Cause”. But their troubles were not over, as the entire state went under the carpetbag rule. For several years after the war their rights were often treated roughly by bad people. But we will not dwell on the subject, nor itemize any of these cruel attacks, but treat them as a bad dream and pass on to other subjects.

The town’s mail facilities were poor indeed during the war and not much better after. For a time, our mail came from Maryville by horseback, only twice a week. Later, the government authorized a star rouge from Unitia via Friendsville and Louisville to Concord. This also was a horseback route, twice a week, and the arrival of the mail carrier was quite an event of the mail day.

1. B. Cummings was the first postmaster after the war, and if you didn’t want to get fussed at by him, you had better be there and answer when your name was called. If you weren’t there and went in later for your mail, he took his time in giving it to you, especially if he was busy with something else.
2. B. Cummins and their son, W. F. Cummins, opened up the first store after the conflict, in H. T. Cox’s storehouse on Main Street, but after a while, moved to the brick store on River Street. H. T. Cox and J. L. Cox put a stock of goods in the H. T. Cox building. Both of these did a good business, especially Cox and Bros. They bought all the produce the farmers had to sell paying cash and merchandise. Their barter trade was very fine, indeed. H. T. Cox and Bros., bought most of their goods in Baltimore and had them shipped to Concord and hauled them from there to Louisville in wagons. J. B. Cummins and Son bought in Knoxville and hauled them in wagons, also.

Now to throw a little salt into the work, I will tell you of some of the eccentric people that came to Louisville to trade. One of these was an old Negro named “Sol” Taylor. He lived up above town on the Grindsfield Taylor farm in a little hut all to himself, having very little intercourse with the other negroes. He wore women’s clothes and ear rings. He had a hard looking face, but there was no harm in “Sol”, but the boys gave him all the room he needed when he came to town. Another peculiar character was Buck Neely, who lived up the river, at Post Oak Island. Buck’s main occupation was fishing and raising, tobacco, which he brought to Louisville to trade for needed household supplies.

Buck’s ambition never got much above his chewingtobacco and toddy. He had a large family and they lived in the most primitive ways imaginable. They were as much at home in the water of the Bi*#” Bend River as they were out in the woods. I have seen Buck’s boys swimming on cold winter days and on other times have seen them out in the middle of the river swimming through’the waves of passing steamers. Jerry Dodson lived down below town, just where I don’t remember. Jerry would come to to-wn to trade, driving his old home made wagon. He had only one ox, but he had a cow which he would yoke together with the ox and do his hauling. You could always tell when he was nearing town by the beating of his drum. He carried it with him wherever he went and it furnished the boys with a lot of amusement. Jerry was very much in evidence in “Muster Days”. Now, there is something that I overlooked. Muster Days, we call it drilling now.

Every three months all the men between the ages of 18 and 25 years that resided in the vicinity of Louisville were required to meet there and drill, preparing for future wars. There were no state guards then, and once a year they met for all over the country at Maryville, for a general muster. General Lowe had charge of these citizen’s soldiery and was very proud of them. General Lowe lived on the north bank of the river at Low’s Ferry, there Admiral Farragut was born. (The writer was in charge of the steamer “Onega” that carried Admiral Dewey from Knoxville to Lowe’s Ferry when he unveiled the Farragut monument.) General Lowe was a tall commanding man, very precise and very polite, and was one of the fine old Southern gentlemen that you read of. The Lowe family was one of the best of our country. James A. Prater lived on a large farm on the south bank of the river at Lowe’s Ferry.

He was a large man and his friends familiarly called him “Buffalo Jim”. He had a large family of boys and one girl. His home was always open to his friends and there was not a kinder or more sympathetic man in Blount County than Jim Prater. Wherever there was sickness or trouble in the neighborhood he was always on hand, helping and comforting the unfortunate ones. The reader will remember that in the beginning of the chapter, he The reader will remember that in the beginning of the chapter, he mentioned six other persons who were in the town during the war,

and knew of the troubles and trials enumerated, Mrs. Emma Johnson (Mary Emma Love) grand-daughter of Ambrose Love, one of the first settlers here, was one of the six. She was the wife of James M. Johnson, deceased, at one time a prominent merchant of Louisville. He was a good citizen and had many friends. Mrs. Johnson died very suddenly on January 5, 1922, and there is no one better fitted to write a tribute to the memory of this noble woman than the writer of this work. She was a kind and gentle woman, doing good to all who came her way; a fine Christian character and a pure woman, who will be mourned by her many relatives and friends. The town of Louisville lost one more of its old-time citizens.

And now, again, before this work is complete, I am called upon to chronicle the passing away of two more of the six above-mentioned. Mr. and Mrs. David Finger have answered the call. They are two fine old people. No truer man ever lived than Dave Finger. Truly, the old landmarks are being cut down.

Blount County was organized in the year 1795 while, what is known now as the State of Tennessee was under a Territorial form of Government, with William Blount as Governor, and was called The Territory Southwest of the Ohio River; and Blount was the eighth county in line after the territory was formed. It was sometime between the beginning of the year 1795 and the first of the nineteenth century that Robert and John Gillespie and Samuel Saffell entered a boundary of land at the junction of Lackey’s Creek with the Holston River on the north side of the county, adjoining Knox County, which was organized in 1792 (Blount County was cut off Knox County). The Knox County line comes to the low water mark of the river on it’s south bank and Blount County has her jurisdiction over the waters of the Tennessee River. We. have no means of knowing just how much land the Gillespie’s and Saffell’s entered, but the dividing line between the two entries was the meadows of Lackey’s Creek. The first street or road to the river was cut through the timber on the Saffell land and is the street that now runs in front of the Methodist Church and in a northwest direction from Church Street to a point on Lackey’s Creek, north of where John Jeffries now lives, westward to the river. This road was cut by the Gillespie Bros., so that they could haul the output of their iron works to where it could be loaded on flatboats and taken to the lower river country and sold to merchants and farmers along the river. The Gillespie iron works were on Lackey’s Creek at the point where Cox’s mill dam now is; and the public road to Maryville was a part of and ran over this dam. The iron ore used by the Gillespie’s was obtained on the Ambrose Cox farm, about three miles west of the works and from a mine up near Little River, somewhere near Russell’s Ford and was hauled in wagons to the works.

As there was no stone coal available in those days, it was smelted by the use of charcoal iron. It was made ready for shipment by hammering it out in large bars. These ironworks were run for several years, but owing to the fact that the ore had to be hauled so far in wagons and that competition became so acute from iron works in the upper part of the State., who were able to produce iron cheaper that could the Gillespie Bros., they closed the work down, sold out their land and moved to other parts.

The valley just back of the hill was called, in olden days, “Tar Kiln Valley”. It was in this valley that the Gillespie Bros., burned the charcoal to use at their iron works, and here it was that the settlers got their tar to use on their wagons. In those days tar was the only lubricant used on the old homemade wagons, and every wagon carried a tar bucket on it’s coupling pole. Oxen were used almost exclusively to pull the wagons and to do all the heavy work, such as hauling logs, lumber, and doing the heavy breaking up of the soil.

Now the reader should bear in mind that this entire country, was at that time covered with a virgin forest. The writer remembers well where woods and groves stood, now are cultivated fields. The town site of Louisville had to be cut out of this dense forest. The fields had to be cleared, roads made, and dwelling lots laid off; and our forefathers had no easy job getting things ready for the coming generations. One of the first roads cut through the forest was the one to the settlement of Maryville. This road was near the lines of the present road to Maryville via Cox’s mill, and Dr. Madison Cox’s farm, and from Louisville west to the north of the Samuel Saffell house (now owned by Williston N. Cox) and across through the woods in the direction of Lowe’s Ferry and on to a junction at Campbell’s Station two miles northwest of Concord, with the stage road from the upper settlements to the settlements at Nashville on the Cumberland River. In about the year 1800 three brothers–John (Jack), Nathaniel H., and Ambrose Cox and two sisters–Nancy Cox and Elizabeth Saffell settled in and near Louisville. John Cox obtained land on the Maryville road and built a house where Nathan Coker now lives; and the old house is still standing and in very good repair. Ambrose Cox entered the land now owned by the Jenkins family, but later traded it for the land where John B. Cox (a grandson) now resides. Nathaniel H. Cox went into the goods business and built a dwelling and storehouse on the lot now owned by R. J. Parsons; the old store building has only recently been torn away and Mr. Parsons is living in the N. H. Cox dwelling house. This house was during the stagecoach days a regular stopping place for the stagecoach and persons travelling by private conveyances were also entertained at this Wayside Inn. Nancy Cox built a house opposite and across the street from the N. H. Cox residence and lived there alone for many years.

A highly respected but eccentric character close after the arrival of the Cox’s, came the Henry’s, Warren’s, George’s, Wallace’s, Jeffries’, Whittenberg’s, Burum’s, Gilbert’s, and many others as the years went by. We will endeavor, as this work proceeds, to take up these old families and as far as possible, give a genealogy of them, for a generation or two, for we think this will be necessary to have to make the work as complete as possible.

Samuel Saffell was born in 1777 and died 1850. His wife, Elizabeth (a sister of N. H. Ambrose, and Jack Cox) was born in 1783 and died 1861. His original entry of land contained as near as can be estimated,. about one section or 640 acres, but this later on was divided up among his children and some of it sold. Saffell built his home near a large spring on his land and on the main stage road that was then being cut through the timber. Williston M. Cox’s home now stands on the site of the original Samuel Saffell home. He had five sons–L. B., H. C. C. P., Fletcher, and Hale. Fletcher Saffell moved to Sevier County; Hale Saffell moved to Morgan County; and in 1867 Laerner B. Saffell moved to California, going by ship from New York around Cape Horn; Henry C., and C. P. Saffell lived and died in Louisville and on a part of their father’s original entry.

There are many people living in Louisville, today, who remember Henry and Paley Saffell, H. C. Saffell owned a large warehouse on the wharf and did a fine business for many years before and after the Civil War. We will tell more about the business when the Steamboat Period is reached. C. P. Saffell owned and operated the ferry and about thirty years ago inaugurated the first wire ferry at this place. He called his boat “The Flying Cloud”.

In that period of time prior to the advent of the steamboat, it was a serious problem of getting the necessities in this, then, far western country. All merchandise had to be hauled in wagons from Baltimore, Maryland, at a cost of from five to seven dollars for one hundred pounds, and large wagon trains were dispatched once a year to Baltimore for this purpose. They were under heavy guard as robbers and Indians were still giving trouble to the new settlers. Later on this hauling was done from and to Winchester, Virginia, the terminus of the Baltimore and Harper’s Ferry Rail road. As before stated, Nathaniel H. Cox was the first merchant. He had eight children–three sons and five daughters. His sons were H. T., Williston, and J. L. His daughters were–Magnolia, Hester, Lenora, Cordelia, and Tennessee. J Nathaniel H. Cox was born 1780 and died 1837. His wife, Elizabeth, was born 1796 and died 1880. During her old days, in talking of old times, she said when they first moved to Louisville there were only two other houses here, one a blacksmith shop and a hut occupied by Indians. Before proceeding, the writer wishes to pause and offer tribute to the memory of this most estimable old lady. After the death of her first husband, N. H. Cox, she married Dr. G. H. Chaffin, a physician who came here from North Carolina to practice his profession. “Aunt Betsy Chaffin”, as she was familiarly called loved, and was loved by all who knew her.

Ambrose Cox was born 1789 and died 1836. His wife Mary Cox was born 1794 and died 1855. The death of Ambrose Cox was caused by a heavy timber falling on him and breaking a leg, from which he never recovered. This occurred on the farm of Dr. Issac Wright at a barn raising. James A. Cox, a grandson, now owns and lives on the old Dr. Issac Wright farm. Ambrose and Mary Cox had nine children–five sons and four daughters. His sons were Samuel T., Henry, John B., Cyrus S., and James B. His daughters were Elizabeth, Ursule, Martha Jane and Sarah. Ambrose Cox bore an irreroachable character. Mary Cox, the wife of Ambrose Cox,’was a daughter of James Ray, who was born in 1741 and died in 1836, age ninety-five years. He, with most of the Ambrose Cox family, are buried at Middle settlement.

John Cox (Jack) and wife, Susan, had two sons, Henry Madison and James K.; and one daughter–Nancy. Most of the older people living around Louisville went to school to James K. Cox. He was one of the real old time instructors. He used the old Blue Back Spelling book, Davis Arithmetic, and the Smith Crammer. He was a college graduate and was very thorough in his method of teaching.

Dr. Madison Cox spent many years as a practicing physician, and finally retired to his large farm on the Maryville road, and lived there until his death.

Nancy Cox married a Singleton; after his death, Henry M. Burum. They lived just east of the town in a large old style brick house that was destroyed by fire not so many years ago. Nancy Burum enjoyed the love and respect of the entire community. She had three sons and two daughters. Her sons were, John I., Henry M., and Ote. Her daughters were, Susan and Nannie. There are only two of the Burum family living today, Henry M., and Nannie Burum Wright.

Before passing to other subjects would like to say to the descendants of Nathaniel, Jack, and Ambrose Cox, that you may well be proud of the reputation that your ancestors leave. They were not only good energetic business men, but their general character was above reproach. Soon after the coming of three Cox brothers, John F., and James

Henry came to Louisville for the purpose of embarking in the merchandise business. They built a two story building on the Main Street; used the lower part for their store and lived up stairs. This building is still standing and is about one hundred years old. Miss Kitty Cox now owns and resides in this old landmark. The Henry Bros., continued their business at this stand for several years. Finally, they sold their property to H. T. Cox and built another residence and store on River Street and operated at that stand for a number of years. They sold their property and store to H. Foster and John F. Henry moved to Knox County, a few miles above Knoxville. While living in Knox County he was elected to the State Senate and became Speaker of that body. He again moved to Blount County and built a fine residence on his farm about two and one half miles up the river from Louisville. He again was elected to the Legislature, this time to the Lower House. The lot on River Street where Henry Bros., built their residence and store house, now belongs to John L. Harper. All of the original buildings were destroyed by fire, a number of years ago.

The writer was personally acquainted with Mr. and Mrs. John F’. Henry and their daughter, the mother of the Rev. A. N. Jackson, but hasn’t words in his command to express to the.reader the many virtues of these grand old people of other days. The same can be said of a large number of these grand old pioneers that built the foundation of our town.

Now before this chapter is closed it will be best to tell something of these old time settlers who lived here in “Ante-Bellum” days. This will be a little hard to equalize because we have date at hand for some families, while for others we will have to give such information as we can remember.

Barton L. Warren was born 1800 and died 1892. In addition to being a farmer, he operated a tan yard near his home, east of town. Mr. Onks now owns a part of the Barton Warren farm and the homeplace. The large brick house was built in 1848. We know very little about his success in the tanning business but he was a good farmer and an all around good citizen. I have no information regarding the wife of B. L. Warren, but they have a large family of children. The writer was well acquainted with three of them–M. B. (Benton), James S., and Octavia. Benton Warren married Euphemia Mead and they have four children living. James S. married Georgia Gaddis but we have no data as to their family.

Henry T. Cox married Lucy A, Nance and there was born to them five daughters and two sons that the written was and is personally acquainted with. Two of his daughters are still living. Again the writer will pause to offer tribute to a fine character -Lucy A. Cox, the wife of H. T. Cox. She was a remarkable woman, kind, gentle, and sympathetic, everybody’s friend.

The Jeffries family is another one of the old time families. Thorton Jeffries was born 1795 and died 1845. His wife, Ann G. Jeffries was born 1803 and died 1866. They had four sons, Martin, William, Marcus, and James. The writer has no information concerning any other member of the old family, excepting one daughter, Jeanette who married John Giddeon. But there is a large number of descendants of Thornton and Ann Jeffries living to commemorate their memory.

Williston M. Cox, son of N. H. Cox, married Mary Jane King and there were born to this union two sons. King and Richard L. King Cox died while a boy. There were four daughters, Annabel, Carrie, Eliza, and Fannie. Williston Cox bore an irreproachable character and had the respect and esteem of the entire community. During the Civil War he was foully murdered by a young man whom he took to be his friend. Williston Coxhad a number of descendants who respected and revered his memory. R. L. Cox, of our town, is a son of Williston Cox, deceased, and living now on his farm just north of Louisville.

The writer would be glad to take up and dwell upon the memory of old pre-war families that have not yet been mentioned, but his information concerning them is so meager that it would be almost an impossible task, but in Chapter 3, which begins at the incorporation of the town in 1851, the names of a large number of them will be called up as they appear in the record of the Town Council of that date and more will be told of the business affairs of those by gone days.

Chapter Two

In this chapter we will take up the physical features of the town, consisting of its streets and alleys that were laid off and dedicated to the public by the original land owners, and who sold the lots to persons who were seeking homes here in the first settlement of the community. Later on we will compare these physical features with the ones existing at this date. We also tell of some of the different kinds of occupations that the early settlers engaged in.

The town seems to have been laid off at different periods of time. In the first period there were only four streets, running east and west. The main street, which was the stage road, was sixty feet wide, and began at a point near Arthur Kennedy’s mill on Lackey’s Creek at the east end of the town, and ran in a westerly course to a point near the Samuel Saffell home at the west end of the town and was called Main Street; the first and only street south of Main Street was a thirty foot street and ran parallel with Main Street, from a point near the old W. T. Johnson house, to a street running north and south, between the properties now owned by R. J. Parsons and C. C. Quillen; the first street north of Main Street was also
a thirty foot street, commencing at the B. F. Wilkinson lot (Now owned by Mr. Lawson) to a western terminus, at the land of Learner B. Saffell (Now Quillen’s property); the second street north of Main Street was a twenty foot street, called Church Street, and it’s eastern terminus was at the Asken property just east of where the Presbyterian Church used to stand. Its western terminus was River Street, near where Mrs. Emma Johnson once lived.

Now between these streets was a space left of one hundred and fifty feet, which was cut up into building lots of approximately one half acre’ each, with a sixteen foot alley between each two lots. A thirty foot street running north and south between each two lots (two lots constituting a block), excepting between the Masonic Hall and the Colburn property (now belonging to Mrs. Adria Richmond) and the Cox and Wallace property, now owned by Mrs. S. H. Wilkinson, was a sixty foot street, running from Church Street to Hill Street, near where the depot now stands.

The second addition or subdivision of the town begins at the branch that runs down through the L. B. Saffell property in a north course to the Williston Cox land, known at the present time as the “Love Subdivision of the town of Louisville”. The streets in this addition are three in number and run in a northwest direction to the river. The main street known as River Street was sixty feet wide and terminated at the river wharf; the street to the northeast of the River Street was a thirty foot street, commencing at Church Street and ending at H. C. Saffell’s mill on Lackey’s Creek, near the river and was known as Gillespie Street; the street to the south west of River Street was also a thirty foot street and ran from the said branch to the river and was known as Saffell Street.

Now another important asset of the town was it’s river wharf and this was the most valuable asset it possessed. Here, over this wharf, nearly all of the shipping business was transacted in steamboat days, and the trade was something immense and will be dwelt on ter. It belonged to the people of the town and was made use of by the people for pleasure, recreation, and profit. A town’s riparian rights are indeed it’s most valuable asset, and most towns having those rights are very jealous of them.

Now the comparison, and comparisons are odious we know, but we are writing history now and the truth must be told. Take the street known as Hill Street, running east and west near the depot, it’s western terminus is closed for nearly five hundred feet, take Gillespie Street running in front of the Church, it is closed to the public for it’s entire length; then Saffell Street running be tween Kittrell’s and Kennedy’s, half of it is closed to the public; then River Street, it’s north terminus running down to the Wharf, closed to the public, and the wharf which we should prize so highly, we have no privilege there except as they are guaranteed by private parties. The writer would like to examine the abstract of titles by which the above property is held. Now someone may say these things should not be included in the history of the town (and the history would look better if they were not there), but coming gen erations are entitled to this information and this history is for them as well as for the present generation..
Now to bear me out in what I have said regarding the streets, alleys, and wharf of the town, I will quote from the record book pf the Town Council back in the days when the town was incorporated. On Page 29, at a regular meeting of the Council on the 10th day of February 1854, there were present H. Foster, Mayor; M. L. Feffe teller, W. T. Johnson, R. S. Cummings, Abram Heartsill, and W. M. Steele, Aldermen. Among the business that was transacted at this meeting was an order to open up the street from the Methodist Church to the river. This was done and the street remained open and in public use until after the bi^ flood of 1875, when all the fences in that section of town were swept away. On Page 31 of the records of the Town Council is the following report of the Street Committee:

“We, the undersigned committee, beg leave to make the
following report. Having obtained the services of J. D.
Wear, County Surveyor, he proceeded to run and ascertain
the correct boundary of the street running from Cox’s
store to the river, beginning at Forster’s brick shop,
thence fifty feet northwest to a stake-on the bank near
a slab house, thence same course to the river to a stake
immediately below the mouth of Lackey’s Creek; thence
sixty feet southwest to a notch in the wharf (giving the
width of the street); thence a parallel line with the first
line to a stake on the top of the bank; thence a continued
parallel line, immediately in front of L. B. Saffell’s
brick house near the tan yards to Streele and Bro. Store
House. All of which is respectfully submitted this 29th
day of April 1854.

Wi M. Steele, M. L. Teffeteller, R. S. Cummings

Committee

In the year 1828 the first steamboat that ever navigated the Holston River came up and created a wonderful sensation throughout the entire country.’ It was named the “Atlas’.’ and was the pathfinder for the other steamers that soon commenced to operate on this, then almost unknown, river. Now this was a very important event to the people of Louisville. It meant they were connected with the markets of the outside world and that they could ship their products, that theretofore was almost an impossibility, and that the merchandise that before this time had to be hauled in wagons from Baltimore, Maryland could be bought in New Orleans and brought to the Louisville wharf by boat. There was great rejoicing among the inhabitants of the town and surrounding country when it became known that the upper Tennessee and Holston Rivers were navigable streams. Many other boats came up for a share of the trade of this rich, new country, and regular lines were established between Knoxville, Tennessee and Decatur, Alabama, at the head of Muscel Shoals. From 1835 to 1845 Louisville enjoyed a wonderful boom and some of the citizens of the town even bought a boat to run’in the interest of the town, but this venture was not a success. The steamer “Jim Williams” was sunk on Little River Shoals and only her machinery was salvaged and was stored in the Saffell warehouse for many years and we have no knowledge of what finally became of it.
Louisville was now in communication with the markets of the outside world, and soon became by far the most important town on tne south bank of the Tennessee and Holston Rivers and by far the most important town of Blount County; being the seaport town of all the country between Little River and Little Tennessee River and back into the western part of North Carolina. The farmers brought their products from all over Blount County to Louisville and exchanged them for merchandise at one of the large stores that did business here in those days. There were several large stores here that did a very large business. Among them being -H. T. Cox & Bro., Gilbert Bros., Henry Bros., Byerley & Owens, Finley Bros, Steele & Bros., had a wholesale store here in a brick building that stood on the corner of the lot now owned by Dr. Kittrell, this corner was at the crossing of Saffell and Gilbert Streets. Byerley & Owens store was on River Street where J. L. Smith’s shop now stands; Finley Bros., store was on the corner lot now owned by John R. Kennedy; and Cox’s store was in the building now occupied by Miss Kitty Cox, daughter of H. T. Cox and grand daughter of N. H. Cox, the first merchant to sell goods in Louisville.

The reader will understand that this part of Tennessee was comparatively a new country and there were large number of furbearing animals roaming over it and the fur trade back in those days was very large. Trappers brought in large quantities of pelts. Other articles brought to the store were hides, tallow, beeswax, dried fruits, and last but not least, dogwood forks to be used in manufacturing saddle trees. There were three or four saddle tree factories in operation here at one time and dogwood forks were quite an article of commerce. All these different things found their way to the outside markets through the merchants and warehouses and furnished a good business for the boat lines. The tanning business was another important thing, there being three tanyards in operation at one time, two in the town and one on the B. L. Warren farm, now owned by Mr. Clyde Onks. Learner B. Saffell’s tanyard was on Saffell Street, on one of the lots now owned by J. L. Harper and another yard was on the lot now owned by Mrs. Adria Richmond, on the branch running from the town spring. The farmer brought hides to these yards and had them tanned and made into leather for their shoes, harness, etc. The owners of the yards god half of the leather for his part of the work. This was generally put in bundles and shipped by boat to other markets.

Another business that is now almost obsolete was blacksmithing. In olden days the farmers had to depend on the blacksmiths for all his farm tools. The wagons were made in the wagon shops by the black smiths. Even the fire shovels and tongs which were used by every family were made by them. There were several shops here in the town limits. B. F. Wilkinson, father of Captain S. H. Wilkinson, operated one of the northeast corner of the lots he owned, and at this writing this lot belongs to Mr. Lawson. Mr. Wilkinson operated four forges and did a fine business. Another shop was operated by Joseph Brown, a Canadian, on Cillespie Streed, on the lot now owned by Mrs. Sherrod. Mr. Wilkinson and Mr. Brown were among the very best citizens of the town. Another shop was owned by Miss Nancy Cox on Main Street where the colored church now stands. This shop was in charge of Jo Cox, a slave belonging to the owner of the shop. He was a good smith and got his share of the work. The writer well remembers Jo Brown and old Uncle Jo Cox.
In 1840 John Sparger came from Virginia and built a large wagon shop on Main Street opposite the W. T. Johnson residence in the east end of the town. Among his workmen was James George, who in after
years went into the wagon business for himself on a lot at the corner of Main and River Streets where Ephraim Dunlap now lives. Page 10 Another one of Sparger’s hands was Houston Bailey, who lived in Louisville for many years. Sparger did a large business building wagons and also ran a saddle tree shop in connection with his wagon shop. C. M. George and James K. Orr also worked for Sparger. Then the cooperage business was of no little importance. H. Foster ran a cooper shop in the brick building where James Jeffries now has his machine shop. L. D. Skinner and George Ramsey had a shop on Main Street near where Mrs. W. H. Love now lives. These shops made barrels, tubs, water buckets, churns, etc., to supply the town and surrounding country. There were several distilleries operated in the vicinity of Louisville and demanded a large supply of barrels for their output. The tubs, buckets and churns were
readily sold to the people of the vicinity. Red cedar was used for the buckets, churns, and tubs; and a brass band red cedar bucket was considered a necessity of every family. Shops for shoe making was another business carried on in the town and was largely patronized. Every one wore homemade shoes and anyone wanting a pair, of shoes or boots would go to the store or one of the tanyards, buy the leather and take it to the shoemaker to have them made. The writer only remembers three of these old time shoemakers, Obediah McKenzie, Riley and Bart Milligan.

Another vital necessity of the people in Ante-Bellum days was their clothing and, like most everything else, was homemade. The men wore jeans and the women wore linsey and cotton checks. Even their stockings were knit at home and spinning wheels and looms were in almost all of the country home. The wool to make the jeans \<!as put in shape for the spinning wheels by the women using wool cards to do the work. Also the cotton yarn was worked in the same way. For the linsey and the checks and for the chain for the jeans, dogwood, madras, and indigo was the coloring matter used to make the different colors, and a man was fortunate indeed if he could obtain a suit of store clothes.
In later years the cotton yarn could be bought at the cotton mills at Rockford owned by Dick Wilson, or at Lenoirs, Now Lenoir City.
Now before closing this chapter, the writer wishes again touch on the shipping business on the river and ober the wharf at the river front. There were, as stated before, two large warehouses on the riverfront. One was owned by Henry C. Saffell, the other by Arthur Kennedy, who owned the flour mills at the east end of town. There was a splendid wharf made of large hewn timbers bolted to each other, extending almost one hundred feet along the water’s edge, and some of the old timbers can yet be seen, but great changes have taken place. The wharf and warehouses are gone; the steamboat business is a relic of the past and the people of the town hardly realize the fact that their people owned the riverfront and all riparian rights thereunto pertaining. We have the railroad, but what benefit have we derived from its coming? We won’t say the railroad caused it, but our town is not the town it once was by several hundred percent, and we are led to wonder if things will be again as it once was.

It’s probably not a known fact that Louisville was once an incorporated town, but it’s true. In January 1851, a petition was signed up and sent to the County Court at Maryville, asking the privilege of incorporating the following boundary: commencing at the mouth of the big spring branch just above the Jack Bluff and running with the river at the mouth of Lackey’s Creek up the creek to H. Saffell’s saw mill; thence with the eastern boundary of Gillespie Street in a southerly direction to Hill Street, or the street that runs by the depot, thence in a westerly direction to a point opposite the house of Samuel Saffell; thence north to the spring, thence with the meanderings of the spring branch to the beginning at the river (now the eastern part of the boundary is not at all plain to us), It looks as if nearly all of the eastern part of the town had been left out. But this is not true; for reading further in the record, we see the first Mayor was Hiram Heartsill, and Adam Finger now occupies his home.

Also,  M. T. Johnson was one of the first Aldermen, and he lived in the old two-story house in the eastern part of the town that had been vacant for so many years. Also, Joe Hart was the first Town Marshall and Taylor Wilburn now lives in the Joe Hart property. To be officers of the town, these men would have to live within the corporation, so we will have to let it go, as the record had it, as to the lines incorporated because there has been something left out. The signers to the petition were Jas. A. Ferguson, M. L. Jeffries, Geo. Gilbert, Charles Spillman, C.H. Barnhill,  . R. Wilkinson, Horace Foster, R. S. Cummings, Jno. Jenkins, A. L. Heartsill, Thos. Barrett, Owen McDaniel, A. A. Carter, Price Terry, Joe Small, . N.. Price, M., Barnhill, John Ferguson, Joshua A. Hays, Jas. Hill, L. J. Hosten, Jas. K. Finley,  . T. Heartsill, Sam P. Viles,  Will . Cummins,  . H. Saffrell, Jas. B. Cox, John B. Cox, J. M. Rucker,  ra. Steel,  L. Heartsill, T. Johnson, and H. C. Saffell.

The members of the County Court from the tenth District at that time were William Colburn and M. Rankin. The first officers of the town were as follows: Hiriam Heartsill, Mayor; M. L. Teffeteller, H. Foster, R. S. Cummings, A. Heartsill,  . T. Johnson, G. S. Gilbert, Aldermen;  Eagleton, Recorder and Treasurer; Jos. Hart, Town Constable. The Recorder and Treasurer were required to give a two hundred and fifty dollar bond. The Town Constable had to give a two hundred dollar bond. By-Laws and Ordinances were adopted and a tax of 25q on each one hundred dollars worth of real estate or personal property was levied. Committees were appointed to .   have charge of different parts of the town’s business.

Also a patrol of five citizens were appointed by the Mayor to help the Town Constable preserve order. It must be remembered that this was in slave days, and there were hundreds of them in the surrounding territory and in the town limits, and some of them were very hard to control and gave their owners much trouble, and were very prone to run away from home, especially at night time. They would come into town and commit depredation and cause trouble with the negroes in town. This patrol was largely for the purpose of looking after runaway negroes, and they were mortally afraid of the patrol because if they were caught in town after nine o’clock at night and couldn’t show a pass from their owners, they were punished by whipping, the Town Constable having that duty to perform.

The writer only remembers one of these whippings. A negro boy belonging to Williston Cox, by the name of Frank, ran off and was at large several days, causing trouble in the community. He was at last apprehended and tied to a flag pole that stood on the corner opposite John Harper’s store. Sam Steel, Town Constable, administered 39 st??ipes to him with a leather strap, and when Frank was turned loose it didn’t take him long to cover the distance between the flag pole and the negro quarters on the Cox Farm. The first person ever hung in Blount County was belonging to Jack Cox, Charles by name. Charles’ wife belonged to Mr. Humes, who owned and lived on the farm recently owned by John Lee Griffiths. Mr. Humes built the rock dwelling house that stands  there today. For some cause, Mr. Hume had occasion to correct Charles’ wife. She reported to her husband, Charles borrowed a shot gun from Andy Tedford, who lived in a large two story house opposite the old Love homestead on River Street, loaded it with slugs and shot Mr. Humes through the window; Charles I wife holding the dog at the kitchen until the deed was done. He was arrested, tried, and hung for the awful crime. Miss Mary Boyce Temple, of Knoxville, was a granddaughter of Mr. Humes.

Andy Tedford proved himself innocent of being an accessory. Tedford and his wife, Aunt Hannah, were free negroes, and good law-abiding citizens. They have descendants living in Knoxville. The reader can readily see why it was necessary to have a good strong patrol, always ready to look after these turbulent runaway negroes that caused their owners so much trouble and tyrannized and mistreated the good negroes. Before leaving this subject, the writer wished to pause and offer a tribute to some of these good old-time colored people. Notably – Andy and Hannah Tedford, John T. Abe, Sam Henry, Jo Carroll and wife, Susan, Uncle Charles Cox and his wife, Aunt Aggie, Jonas Cox and Aunt Nettie, his wife, Uncle Claiborne Henry, Uncle Ki Cox and wife Aunt Linn, Uncle Jo Cox, the blacksmith and Aunt ; Sophia, his wife, Sam and Dennis Warren and Aunt Milly Henry. The writer was always glad to meet and greet these fine old colored people of by-gone days. They form a link between the far away past and the present. We will not forget Uncle John Bussell, a kind hearted, good old time darkey. We will note here a few of the citizens of the town that served their turns as patrols – Sam Viles, Joshua Hays, B. F. Wilkinson, John Sparger, and George S. Gilbert. B. F. Wilkinson was the father of our fellow townsman, the late Capt. S. H. Wilkinson, George S. Gilbert was an ancestor of the Sherrods who now live here in the old Jo Brown property. We may mention more of the patrols as the work proceeds.

A committee on Finance was composed of – H. T. Cox, H. Foster, and W. M. Steel. Committee on Streets – R. S. Cummings, J. O.Rays, W. L. Teffeteller. (Committeeman Cummings must not be confounded with the J. B. Cummins I family. They were of separate families and spelled their names different. T. S. Cummings was known as Smith Cummings). The Street Committee laid off the town in six different sections for repair work. Section 1 was from the east lines of the corporate limits to A. Heartsill’s shop (now Junior

Order hall); sec. 2 was from said shop to the western limits of the corporation, near Samuel Saffell’s residence, all on Main Street; sec. 3 was Gilbert Street from Saffell residence to Gillespie Street back of Horace Foster’s store (said store stood where John Harper now sells goods); sec. 4 from B. F. Owens on River Street to Cox’s store on Main Street (B. F. Owens was the grandfather of Mrs. James A. Cox. He lived at this time in a large two story building that stood on the lot where Jim Smith now lives, in fact he ran it as a hotel to accomodate passengers coming in on the steamboats and for those waiting for the arrival of boats. We are told he did a fine business); sec. 5 was all Main cross streets; sec. 6 was the street running by J. B. Cummins’ house, known as Church Street. The river wharf was separate work, as you will see by consulting the records of the town in the record book. The Board of Mayor and Alderman authorized the expenditure of one hundred and sixty dollars on the river wharf to facilitate the river trade at this place.

On the 3rd day of November 1852, H. Heartsill, Mayor, and his board of aldermen held their last meeting as officers of the town. The minutes of this meeting were signed by Jas. A. Douglity, Recorder, It will be remembered that W. W. Eagleton was the Recorder when the years work began. The next meeting of the board was on the 13th day of March 1853. Horace Foster was the mayor and the minutes were signed by T. M. Booker, Recorder; W. M. Steel, Wm. T. Johnson,

1. S. Cummings, A. Heartsill, and M. L. Teffeteller. Aldermen. Hoseph Hurt was again Town Constable. On June 10th, 1853, the board met in regular session and the following committees appointed Finance -J. 0. Hays, A. Heartsill, and M. T. Johnson; Street
2. S. Cummings, W. L. Teffeteller, and W. M. Steel. The Recorder was bonded in the sum of five hundred dollars.

The above board had charge of the town’s business until June 1st, 1854, when the following Aldermen were elected -Rob’t S. Cummings, Benj. F. Doughty, Hiram Heartsill, A. L. Gilbert, W. T. Johnson, Abram Heartsill, and B. F. Owens. The board elected Abram Heartsill, Mayor, and Price Terry was elected Town Constable; and Hiram Heartsill, Recorder, and Treasurer. It was agreed that the board meet hereafter at the schoolhouse. The Mayor appointed for the ensuing year the follow ing committees -Finance -B. F. Doughty, W. T. Johnson, and A. L. Gilbert; Street and Street Work -R. S. Cummings, B. F. Owens, and H. Heartsill. The first named of each to be chairman. The follow ing patrol was appointed for the ensuing three months -Price Terry,” Capt. John R. Hays, James W. Rudder, William R. Wilkinson, Joseph Smith, and Green Farr (Jos. Smith was the fatlner of James L. Smith who lived on River Street and John Smith who lived at Miser Station). It was during the administration of Mayor A. Heartsill that we first heard of a lock up or calaboose. At a meeting of the board on the 26th of June 1855, he appointed a committee of three as follows -Bo F. Owens, R. S. Cummings, and Hiriam Heartsill to have charge of erecting a lockup.

This lockup was built at a later date on the lot where the Methodist Parsonage now stands. It was a small building but built very strongly of heavy hewn logs and was a very safe jail. The writer remembers it well. An old crazy negro was confined in it for a long time during the war and used to make the nights hideous with his yells. Mayor A. Heartsill’s administration ended on June 8th, 1855, and a new board was elected. ‘On June 22nd, 1855 the new board met. Hiriam Heartsill was Mayor; Horace Foster, M. L. Teffeteller, H. T. Cox, James A. Steel, L. A. Gamble, and A. Heartsill, Aldermen. The Finance Committee was H. T. Cox, H. Foster, and James A. Steel; the Committee on Streets A. Heartsill, M. L. Teffeteller, and L. A. Gamble; Patrol -A. L. Gilbert, James B. Cox, James W. Stone, Wm. N. Price, and Abner L. Heartsill. James B. Cox here referred to was a son of Ambrose Cox, one of the first settlers of this country. (George Warren now owns the Abner Heartsill property). There were four of the Heartsills that figured very prominently in the affairs of the town in olden days. Hiriam, Abner, Abram, and Wm. T. The writer well remembers them all. W. N. Price has a son living in Knoxville and connected with the firm of Daniel Briscoe & Company.

On the 24th day of August 1855, on page 46 of the record book we have the last meeting of the Board of Mayor and Alderman. Until 1858 when we see by the certificate of Samuel Steel, Constable, that on the 5th day of June of that year J. M. Parker was elected Mayor and Jos. B. Cummins, Wm. T. Johnson, I. D. Carter, Sam K. Finley, James H. Henry, Aldermen; and J. L. Cox, Recorder, They took the oath of office before James (Buster) Henry, Justice of the Peace for the 10th District, Blount County. The reader will note that there is a period of three years missing from the records, This was evidently caused by the leaves of the record book being torn out and lost. Jas. H. Henry, one of the Aldermen elected for that year was familiarly known as “Little Jim” Henry and was father of Mrs. James A. Cox. The wife of “Little Jim” Henry was Amanda Owens, a daughter of B. F. Owens, who helped build the foundation of Louisville. Jim Henry was a jolly good natured man, liked by everyone who knew him.

The L. D. Carter referred to married Bell Saffell, a daughter of Learner B. Saffell, Carter was a doctor. The older people of the town well remember J. L. Cox, known as “Lafe Cox”, the Recorder, and Jos. B. Cummins, one of the Aldermen, sold goods in Louisville many years, Sam Finley was a merchant and sold goods in the old Finley store that stood on River Street and was destroyed by fire several years ago. The board then proceeded to elect one of their own members as Town Constable. Jos. B. Cummins, Sam K. Finley, and J. L. Cox were his bondsmen. Wm. T. Johnson was elected Treasurer. The board promulgated quite a few new ordinances. The Recorder, J. L. Cox, was instructed to make out a list of taxable property within the town limits and it is an interesting document at this date and will be more so as the years go by. We note some of this taxable property.

1. T. Cox was assessed for five slaves valued at $5,000.00; Nancy Cox with three slaves valued at $2500.00; Mrs. Lenora P. Smith with one slave valued at $900.00; Miss Tennessee N. Cox with two slaves valued at $1500.00; Dr. G. H. Chaffin with one slave valued at $300.00;

300. Foster (a northern man) with one slave valued at $300.00; The reader will note that the last two slaves are valued at a very low rate. Now the reason of this low valuation was because the two slaves referred to “Aunt Liliah”, belonging to Dr. Chaffin and and “Aunt Marlah” belonging to Horace Foster were very old women and were really an expense to their owners. Before leaving this page of taxable property, we would like to speak of some of the names that appear on the tax list that we have not spoken of before. James R. T. Askin lived on the lot just east of where the Presbyterian Church stood. John B. Cox was a son of Ambrose Cox and an uncle of the writer. Daniel Clotfetter lived on River Street, and just south of where J. L. Smith now lives. Wm. Colburn owned and lived on the property where Mrs. Richmond now lives. John C. Gourly was the father of Avery Gourly and Mrs. G. W. McCosh; and grandfather of Mrs. Lloyd Prater. Dr. John Singleton lived in a two-story brick house where Wm. Ballew now lives. Jas. D. Temple lived on the west part of the lot where the Parsonage now stands. Mike Conrad, Dock, and Brown Warren were free negroes and were therefore assessed a poll tax.

Thomas Barnett lived on Main Street, in the house now owned by Hubert Love. He was a tobacco farmer and also manufactured it into plug form. His tobacco press was on the lot near where the old schoolhouse stood. Another name appearing on this tax list was J. T. Love, who \<!as a physician, and next to Dr. Madison Cox, the first physician we have a record of practicing in Louisville and its vicinity. Dr. Love came to Louisville from Roane County in the early 40’s. He married Martha Jane Cox, a daughter of Ambrose Cox and their home in Louisville was on River Street. The author of this work is the only living one of this old family. The house where Mrs. Johnson lived was built by Wm. Warren, a brother of Barton L. Warren, and was the first house built on River Street. The street was not complete when this house was built.

More will be said of this family as the work proceeds. It was about the year 1855 that Jarad Mead came to Louisville from New York state and with him came two daughters -Rosa and Euphemia and his son -Homer G. Mead. Rosa Mead married J. L. Cox, but only, lived a short while and died leaving no children. Euphemia married Benton Warren and this union has already been referred to in this work. Homer G. Mead married Mary Keller, a daughter of Frank F. Keller, who owned Keller’s Bend, across the river from Louisville.

1. G. Mead’s first wife died leaving one child -Rosa Mead. After many years Homer G. Mead married Fannie H. Willinghead of New Jersey and had one child “Helen”, who is the wife of Williston M. Cox, a great grand son of Nathaniel H. Cox, one of the first settlers of the then new town. Before proceeding the writer wished to offer tribute to the memory of his old friend of long ago. Homer G. Mead was kind, true, and with all, a perfect gentleman in every respect; a good businessman and respected by all who knew him. Louisville lost a good friend in the death of Homer Mead. His widow married C. R. Love (Dick) and more will be said of this noble couple in another chapter. Jarad and Homer Mead bought the Samuel Saffell home and lands and lived there till the end. This property is still in the hands of descendants of Jarad and Homer Mead.

Returning to the Board of Mayor and Alderman and their work. We

find that on the 27th day of Augus t 1858 at a regular meeting of the board there were present -J. M. Parker, Mayor; Sam K. Finley, J. M. George, Jas. H. Henry, and J. L. Cox, Alderman.

At this meeting J. B. Cummins was put in charge of the street work at a salary of $1.25 per day and was authorized to employ such hands as he required at $1.00 per day; and also to hire such teams as was needed. The work was to begin on Monday the 30th day of August and he was to issue due bills and order against the corpor ation in payment of the work done. The J. M. George referred to previously, was the wagon maker. He was the father of Mrs. R. H. Love, Mrs. Roswell Parson and Mrs. Ephraim Dunlap of our town. The board passes an ordinance taxing all retail dealers in spiritous beverages the sum of $25.00 per year. This order was certified to by J. L. Cox, Recorder. The same board ordered the sale of certain alleys belonging to the corporation and the opening of others that had been closed by private parties.

Their terms of office expired in June 1859. Another election was held which resulted as follows -J. M. Parker, W. T. Johnson, L. D. Carter, J. B. Cummins, S. K. Finley, J. M. George, and J. L. Cox were elected Aldermen. The officers holding this election were J. M. Parker, Charles Spillmann, and Dan Clotfetter. The Clerks were T. J. Robinson and L. A. Gamble. But here the corporation seems to have ended as far as the record book is concerned. If any more meetings were held or any more work done we have no information of it. The Charles Spillman here spoken of was the father of Marion Spillman (Bud) a familiar figure on the streets of Louisville for many years. He died in Maryville and is buried in the Presbyterian graveyard here in Louisville. All the older people well remember Bud Spillman.

1884. A. Gamble was a dentist and lived where Will Henry now lives. Pasted on a blank leaf of the old record book is an interesting newspaper clipping by H. T. Cox, telling of the wonderful business done in Louisville in olden days. H. T. Cox was one of the old timers and spoke from personal knowledge of past events. The article was written and published in 1884. There is another clipp ing in the book giving an account of the 5th annual Sunday School Convention at Middle settlements. This convention was held in the year 1874. Jarad Mead was president. For the following year R. P. (Pink) Henderson was elected President; G. H. Miser, Vice-President; and C. R. Love, Secretary. The following delegates answered to their names as called -M. E. Church, South, Louisville, Mary Finley,
1885. H. Love, Sophia Goetz, Miss M. E. Goetz, and Emma Love; Union School, Louisville -W. H. Love, Dr. J. C. Gillespie, Robert H. Love, Mettle Goetz and Ellen Johnson.

The proceedings of the convention were signed by C. R. Love, Sec’y. The above articles are given because they may be of interest to some people now living in Louisville. The next chapter will commence at the beginning of the Civil War.