Historic Union County

Spreading the good news of Union County

Descendants of Lotillie “Tillie” and Merry New Year “Mollie” Chesney Johnson, as well as descendants of Gordon “Gordie” Johnson and the Esker Johnson families, gathered the evening of March 25, 2008 at the B&G Grill for a wonderful family reunion. After the buffet, the crowd was treated to entertainment by Lois Johnson and her cousin, C. J. Morgan. Many of you will remember Lois, Horace Maynard High School Class of 1959. Lois is the daughter of the late Fred and Iretta Butcher Johnson.

Fall Creek Apiary was started by Richard and Pat Hunt. They are beekeepers and own 8 hives, which hold about 60,000 bees each. They are originally from Florida and moved to Tennessee to retire. They harvest their honey from spring to July, to bring delicious, local honey to our market. They hope to continue increasing their bees to have a total of 25 hives. Stop by their tent at the market and you will meet Richard and their son John. They would love to educate you on beekeeping and honey.

Affidavits being accepted for Road Commissioner in the 6th district.
Please pick up necessary papers at Union County Clerk's Office.

Affidavits being accepted for County Commissioner in the 2nd district.
Please pick up necessary papers at Union County Clerk's Office.

I was just thinking about Irene today and wanted to include this audience in reading what I wrote about Irene back in 2008.
Irene Tolliver Hamilton celebrated her 90th birthday at a grand party given by her daughter, Betty Hamilton Bullen, on Sunday afternoon, October 26, 2008, at the Optimists Building in Maynardville.

A partnership between Union County government and the Union County Chamber of Commerce has reaped rewards this summer. In April, Union County Mayor Mike Williams' office and the Chamber applied for an asset enhancement grant from the Tennessee Department of Economic Development, a grant program aimed at helping counties identified as "distressed" by high unemployment rates, low per capita incomes and other factors.

Howdy! I will be offering some of my favorite recipes for awhile. I am Shirley McMurtrie and I have been in Tennessee about 30 years. East Tennessee is just about the best place to live. The climate is great, the country music is great and, best of all, the people are great. This is home.

It was the year 2000 when Chantay Collins first held Summer Reading at Maynardville Public Library. The program, aimed and keeping kids reading during the summer months, started with just 20 kids. This year, participants will top 300, and those kids have clocked more than 10,000 hours of reading so far.

“It’s just snowballed,” said Collins, who is the director of Maynardville Public Library. “We went from having it in the library to next door in the Senior Center because we have so many kids.”

Research can just be trying for years, but oh, the JOY when you finally find the answer. I don’t know how often folk trip into downtown Knoxville, but I find it increasingly difficult to find convenient parking. I think the convenient parking in downtown Knoxville is terribly expensive.

Does he need one of my kidneys? That was my first response when I heard that Aaron, a man I had only met a couple of times, was in kidney failure and was on the transplant list. Can God put something on your heart that quick?

Five years ago, Preservation Union County set out to restore historic Oak Grove School in Sharps Chapel. And now that labor of love is nearing completion as Preservation Union County board member Betty Bullen hopes to hold an open house at the completed building before the end of summer 2017.

The Luttrell community was shocked to learn that on Saturday morning, April 16, 1904, Lyde Hubbs and his son, Parlin Hubbs, were killed in a tragic collision of the hack, in which they were riding, and passenger train, No. 6. The train tracks were owned by a company called KCG & LRR, and train No. 6 was due to arrive in Knoxville at 9:10 am. Just as the hack reached the tracks the train slammed into the team of horses and both horses were killed instantly having been carried a considerable distance down the tracks.

Weight loss is a subject that seems to be in center headlines recently. The reason for this, is so many disease processes lead back to the foods and drinks that we consume daily.

True…we are genetically predisposed to certain illnesses, but overall what we consume and environmental factors play a huge role in our health.

The City of Plainview recognized three UCHS graduates for their outstanding achievement at the June meeting of the Board of Alderman. Mayor Gary Chandler and Vice Mayor Richard Phillips rewarded Seth Beeler, Samantha Sutton, and Destini Thomas with a plaque and a $500 scholarship.

Seth Beeler, a valedictorian, will attend UT Knoxville in the fall to major in pre-medicine. He plans to eventually study optometry. Seth participated in the UCHS Health Occupations Program and did his clinical internship with Dr. Tommy Louthan of Halls Vision Clinic.

Union County property owners will see their taxes drop in the 2017-2018 fiscal year, even though Union County Commission approved a budget June 12, with expenditures topping last year’s budget by more than $1.7 million. Union County Mayor Mike Williams said the tax decrease is probably attributable to the recent property reappraisal. The property tax rate will drop from $2.17 to $2.1399 for every $100 of taxable property.

That’s what the man at my door said two years ago. I'm your donor, God told me to give you a kidney. I had only seen this man a few times before he showed up at my door late one night.

Nine months before this night, I lost both kidneys due to vasculitis, an auto immune disease. I had been working for Union County School System and school had just started back. I was feeling sick and thought I had picked up a bug until I started passing blood in my urine. I went to the doctor and by the time we found out what was going on, it was too late. I had lost both kidneys.

Union County has many historic sites, and it will take years to even try to identify and mark all of them. It’s a work in progress. In 2016, with the help of Roads Superintendent David Cox, Preservation Union County has been able to get signs placed for three more sites: Ailor Mill, Union County’s only Hanging Site where Clarence Cox and John Stanley were hung on December 22, 1894, and Lost Creek School. Thank you Mr. Cox and your crew. I’ve previously written about these sites, but for our young people who may not have access to the Union County history books, I’ll write again.

City Recorder position for the City of Luttrell. High school education required; preferably an Associates degree in business with 5 years of office experience. Must be a Certified Municipal Finance Officer or the ability to obtain certification within twelve (12) months of hire and possess a valid Tennessee driver license. Send resume and cover letter to: City of Luttrell, P.O. Box 82, Luttrell, TN 37779

Our office number is 865-992-0870 if you need additional information.

Linda Merritt
City Recorder

What has existed on one site, in two different counties, in three buildings with three different names, and is 175 years old?

Have It Your Way–Cornmeal Dumplins or Cornmeal Mush

I recently dropped by the Union County Museum where friends had brought lunch. Wanda Byerley was kind enough to fix a plate for me. Barbara Ailor Hooks chocolate pie was to die for as was Polly Shope Joran’s Corn Meal Dumplins. I don’t know who cooked the Pinto Beans, but they were really good also.
What I didn’t know is that Polly is an expert on the subject of Corn Meal Dumplins. She’s collected seven recipes. What I told her is, “Never mind the other six, I want the one you used today." Here it is:

For those interested in becoming a member of Sons of the Revolution or Daughters of the Revolution, you may be interested in knowing that more information is becoming available every day with much easier access. Lots of the old books are being indexed. Recently, a cousin visited Washington County, Maryland, where our German ancestors, the Heiskells and the Steidingers, lived after coming to America. One of the Steidinger daughters married Adam Ott and here is his Revolutionary War Commission and Record. Col. Adam Ott is my great-great-great Uncle.