Historic Union County

The Cradle of Country Music

The Appalachian Mountains are filled with lore and legends. Legends that originate in places where civilization has only carved a foothold in the wilderness, where the beasts in the woods are a very real threat. When darkness falls they have the upper hand and the forest belongs to them. All my life I've heard about the Wampus Cat, sometimes called a Catawampus. Granny would say "Don't go out at night. The Wampus Cat will get you." Just what is a Wampus Cat?

The first automobile I remember was our 1920-something Essex. I remember it as a big car. I guess when you are five years old all cars looked big. It had four doors. Doesn't that make it a big car? I thought it was in league with the Cadillac. I was wrong. According to my research the Essex was considered “a small car and affordably priced.” It boasted piano-hinged doors which were exceptionally strong. By 1929, the Essex was third in sales behind Ford and Chevrolet. Wow! And I thought it was a gunboat of a car. Our Essex was black in color. Weren't all cars black back then?

There's a new face seeing patients at Willow Ridge Center in Maynardville. The long-term care and rehabilitation center, operated by Genesis Healthcare, welcomed new medical director Dr. Nancy Witherspoon (pictured above, at left) in December, and she's spent the last two months getting to know the patients and residents at Willow Ridge.

Both Witherspoon and Willow Ridge executive director Rebecca Mills agree that it's the small-town feel that makes Willow Ridge unique.

We’ve all wondered at times where certain “sayings” originated and who came up with them. Right? Maybe it’s just me. Either way, I’m going to share. You’re welcome.

With the windy weather of March heading our way “Go Fly a Kite” is one of those sayings that comes to mind and one that I personally have often sat and pondered.

Do you like pancakes in the wintertime? I like pancakes anytime. But I am particular about my pancakes. Do I have a pancake story for you? You betcha!

When I was first married, pancakes for breakfast was the usual fare. I didn't use a mix. My pancakes were the real thing – from scratch. I thought they were pretty good. My husband thought so, too, but to spoil the complement he would add, “I sure do miss Mother's pancakes and milk gravy.” I heard about her fabulous pancakes and milk gravy over and over and over again.

Each year the Martin Luther Miller Historical Society meets in Knoxville, Maynardville, and those more curious go down Norris Lake in the vicinity of the Clinch River prior to the impoundment of Norris Lake. I’m always invited to this history brain picking. The adventurers depart Beach Island Boat Dock bright and early the third Sunday every July to document the Global Position System (GPS) readings of some historic places and to pause a little while to honor those early settlers that carved their niche in what would become Union County, Tennessee.

I think probably everyone “sizes up” people when they first meet them. For years, I thought this ability was a special gift handed only to me. I can remember bragging over and over in my younger days, “I can size a person up within the first five minutes of having met them.”

One day somebody replied, “Don’t you think just about everybody can do the same thing?” When I thought about it, I decided this person was probably right, and another of life’s huge letdowns was revealed—the gift of first impressions was not unique just to me.

With area Arbor Days at hand I thought it appropriate to reflect on how intertwined our lives are with trees. We not only use forest products multiple times every day, but their constant presence is inspiring enough to be used in literature, poetry, and music. A centuries old form of writing to teach wisdom is the proverb, a brief statement that expresses a general truth. The Bible is full of them, and they are used by about every culture on the planet. A way to juice up a proverb is to use figurative language, like: “He is like a tree planted by streams of water…”.

Do you save seeds? From the time of Noah and before, people have saved seeds. They saved seeds, swapped seeds, inherited seeds, sold seeds and, yes, maybe even stole seeds. We still do. The rage today is over heritage tomatoes. Those seeds had to be kept year after year for them to still be around today.

I remember when we saved tomato and cucumber seeds. We avoided the hybrid ones They wouldn't reproduce true to form. It was like saving hollyhock or petunia flower seeds. After a couple of years, their flowers turned to a washed out pink shade.

The fourth property in Union County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places in March 2010, was the Hamilton-Tolliver Complex located 4-miles north of Maynardville. This place is near and dear to my heart because it has been owned and occupied by both sides of my family, the Hamiltons and the Tollivers. The complex is comprised of a saddle-bag style log house, store building, dairy, smokehouse, milk house, and site of the Norris Dam Brand Tomato Cannery. The property exhibits significance in the history of the area in both agriculture and commerce from 1825 to 1974.

Do you want a quick and easy dish for supper tonight? Here is one for you: “Corned Beef Hash.” Don't turn up your nose yet. It can be delicious, not like that awful canned stuff you tried years ago. But don't buy the corned beef brisket, either, that you see advertised at umpteen dollars a pound at the grocery store. It is not only expensive but it takes forever to cook. There is a better way.

If you've met Union County Commissioner Janet Holloway, you might know her as a kind, thoughtful woman, full of smiles and good cheer. While all of those are true, this business leader and politician has a deeper story to tell, one of perseverance and hard work, even in the most trying circumstances.

I have a memoir teacher – I will pass She has me read my memoir Aloud, before the class. Shows me how to write a story true, With homework only I can do; A story from my past.

The turn of the century has brought many changes to American culture and the common-sense world we once enjoyed. One of the most controversial and large-scale changes is the political correct landscape that everyone must cultivate. Political correctness is everywhere. It drives the media, and the media drives it. It determines what flags we fly, when we fly them and how we fly them. Political correctness attempts to censor entertainment, dumb down education and criticize patriotism and religion.

Gwen’s Playhouse moved again! Saving History One Piece at a Time. August 5, 2008 was a special day for Ruth Gwen Hubbard Sharp because her playhouse found a new home where it can be enjoyed by thousands as they come to visit the Smithsonian Affiliate Museum of Appalachia each year.

Monday is wash day. Everybody knows that. It always has been. I remember, when I was little during the Great Depression of the 30's, what it was like for Mother. Dad didn't help. After all, it was woman's work. I was too young to help, but I did watch. This is what I remember.

Mincey’s Musings Year One, Week Nine

On Sunday afternoon, February 18, 2018, my Sunday School class from Loveland Baptist Church went to the East Tennessee Historical Society’s Museum of East Tennessee History, located at 601 Gay Street in Downtown Knoxville. For any reader who has never been there, I highly recommend the trip. If you love local history, you will not be disappointed.

You may not have realized it, but if you look up on a clear day you will likely see a man-made cloud somewhere in the sky, trailing behind jet aircraft high up in the atmosphere. Contrails, short for condensation trails, are formed from the water vapor found in aircraft exhaust as a byproduct of fuel combustion. Natural clouds form from the same process of water vapor condensing in cool air as it rises, so technically contrails are clouds, just from an unnatural source.

I found a poem in an old book written about something else. The poem supported the woman's right to vote, I think. Although the word wasn't mentioned, suffragette came to mind. I wasn't sure how to spell it so I looked it up. My dictionary said the word “suffrage” came partly from a word meaning “intercessory prayer” and partly from one meaning “to vote.” Does that mean that when a woman votes she is exercising intercessory prayer? That's funny. Let me tell you why.

Well, it did not take long for someone to ask for more details about the can of worms we opened up last week, regarding antichrist! First, let me get one piece of literary etiquette out of the way, by noting that, The Rest of the Story is a registered trademark of Paulynne, Inc. I always loved listening to Paul Harvey tell the story behind the story, usually about some well-known person in history. I listened from my early childhood in the 60’s all the way until the program ended in 2009, shortly after Mr. Harvey’s passing.