Franklin County is bounded on the north by Coffee County, northeast by Grundy, east by Marion, south by the State of Alabama, west by Lincoln, northwest by Moore, and contains about 500 square miles, one-fourth of which lies on the Cumberland Mountain and its western escarpment.

The topography of the county is greatly diversified, a portion of it lying on the Cumberland Plateau, a portion in the valley of Elk River, a portion on the Highland Rim and a very small portion in the Central Basin. The rim is in the Devonian formation, the basin in the Silurian, the Cumberland Tableland in the carboniferous. The carboniferous strata are the surface rocks of the Highland Rim and the tableland. The soils of the rim are the siliceous or flinty, found in the basin on the inner half of the rim and calcareous, found on the outer half, which is a red clay. The soil of the basin is almost entirely calcareous; that of the table-land is the sandstone soil. The limestone of the rim is the coral or St. Louis formation, while that of the basin is the Nashville group. The latter is a blue limestone; the former is gray, or grayish and blue. The rim is about 1,000 feet above the level of the sea; the tableland about 2,000; and the basin about 700.

The mean annual temperature of table land is 54°, of the rim 57°, of the basin 58°. The soil of the Cumberland Tableland is thin and sterile, but well adapted, on account of its climatic advantages, to the raising of all kinds of fruit. Along the western base of the mountain is a wide belt of land with a dark clay surface and red clay subsoil, furnishing a fine agricultural land. Then come the valley lands of the Elk River, which flows through the county from northeast to southwest. West of the river lie the barrens, so-called, which afford considerable pasture, but the soil is thin and not good for agriculture. In the western portion of the county, and running down the river, is found the black shale formation with its "rock houses," or alum and copperas caves, in which are often found native alum and copperas. There are several coves, among which Farmers' Cove, Lost Cove, Round Cove and Sinking Cove lie upon the table-lands, and are wholly shut in by the mountains, beneath which their waters find outlet. Buncombe Cove lies along the base of the mountain and is almost shut in by an outlier. It is watered by the head waters of Bean Creek. There are several other coves, among which is Roark's, one of the largest in the county. The most fertile lauds are found in these coves and in the valleys of the Elk and its tributaries. The best timber is found on the mountain slopes, and consists principally of oak, ash, chestnut, beech, poplar, cherry and walnut. The barrens are covered mostly with a light growth of scrubby oak. The Elk River and its tributaries furnish the principal drainage of the county. Mineral springs are abundant, the most noted of which are Hurricane Springs, Estill Springs and Winchester Springs. The former of these springs is a noted summer resort, where thousands of pleasure-seekers make their annual visits. There are also many noted cave springs which furnish pure free-stone water.

There is an extensive marble bed upon Elk River, commencing about five miles below Winchester, and extending down the river ten miles and five miles on either side. The marble is of excellent quality and consists of gray and red, clouded with green porphyry and various shades. This vast mine of wealth has only been slightly developed. Coal has found to exist in great quantities near University Place, and at Anderson, Keith's Spring, Maxwell and other points, but, as yet, it has not been mined to any considerable extent.

Many beautiful cascades and waterfalls and caves are found upon the mountains. Natural scenery in the county is extensive. Viewing the mountains from Winchester, their grandeur arises to sublimity. And standing upon the mountains and overlooking the grand valleys of the Elk and its tributaries, with Winchester and its church spires in the foreground, one is led to exclaim with the poet:

"God hath a being true,
And that ye may see
In the fold of the flower,
The leaf of the tree;
In the wave of the ocean.
The furrow of land;
In the mountain of granite,
The atom of sand!
Ye may turn your face
From the sky to the sod.
And where can ye gaze
That ye see not a God"

The settlement of the territory now composing Franklin County began with the beginning of the present century, when all was a vast wilderness, inhabited only by Indians and wild animals. It was a hazardous undertaking to come here in that day and open up a new county west of the mountains where the light of civilization had never shone, and where neither schools, churches, mills, factories, nor any conveniences existed, such as the pioneers had been accustomed to. None but brave and courageous men and women could ever have accomplished such a dangerous and hazardous undertaking. The early settlers came mostly from Virginia and the Carolinas, and some from Kentucky and Georgia. It may be truthfully said that with the exception of those who have settled since the war the inhabitants of the county are nearly all descendants from the best families of "Old Virginia" and the Carolinas. It is claimed that Maj. William Russell, who settled on the Boiling Fork, near Cowan, and Jesse Bean, who settled on Bean Creek, both about the year 1800, were the first two settlers in the county. This is quite probable, as these two families are prominently mentioned elsewhere in the organization of the county, the first court being held at Maj. Russell's house, and Mr. Bean being one of the commissioners to locate the county seat. Bean Creek took its name from the Beans who settled thereon.

Samuel Miller and his wife, nee Elizabeth Montgomery, were both born in this county, the former in 1801 or 1803, and the latter, who is still living, in 1803. The parents of these persons were, of course, among the very early settlers. The families of Larkin and Hunt, settled on Bean Creek, about 1806. The Beans who had previously settled there, established, in 1813, a gunsmith shop and powder mills in two caves on Little Bean Creek, the remains of which can still be seen. David Larkin, hearing of the massacre of two children by the Indians, one night in 1813, mounted his horse and rode to the place: Finding no one about the house, he endeavored to arouse someone by calling, but the lady of the house, thinking him one of the Indians, would not come from her place of concealment. The next morning the bodies of the children were found and buried. James Russey, grandfather of James Russey, proprietor of the Ballard House, in Winchester, and William M. Cowan, Christopher Bullard, James Cunningham, George Taylor, Samuel Norwood, James Dougan, John Bell, John Cowan, George Davidson, John A. S. Anderson, William P. Anderson and James B. Drake, were all prominent early settlers, who came to the county about 1800 or soon thereafter.

The following were early settlers with date of settlement accompanying their names:
Edward Finch, 1808, from South Carolina, settled on what is known as the Anna Finch farm, near Winchester. He brought with him Lewis Finch (colored), who was then four years old, and is now living.
William Lucas, 1808;
George Grey, on Crow Creek, 1809;
Alexander Faris, 1813;
Robert and Isaac T. Hines, 1813;
Joseph Miller, from Georgia, 1815;
John B. Hawkins, 1817;
Isaac VanZant, 1817, settled on the farm where his son Isaac now resides;
Matthew R. Mann, 1819, afterward engaged in cotton spinning;
Thomas Gore, Sr., 1833;
William L. Sargent, 1839;
Col. Davie Crockett was also one of the early settlers of the county, who came soon after the war of 1813 and settled in a "face camp," on Rattlesnake Spring Creek, near Salem. Here he married the Widow Patton.

It is said that he attracted much attention at the early camp-meetings, as all were anxious to see him. He remained in the county only a few years. George Grey settled on Crow Creek in 1809, and built a cabin and planted some corn.

An old lady by the name of Londey, and member of Grey's family, was ill and in bed on an occasion when a party of Indians approached with evil designs. The family seeing the "red skins" approaching fled into the mountains, leaving Mrs. Londey in the house. The Indians carried all the goods out of the house, placed the invalid lady on a bed a safe distance from the house, then burned the latter, cut down the corn, and fled without doing further damage.

Mr. Grey then moved upon and improved the farm now owned by Isaac Grey, about three miles from Winchester. John A. S. Anderson and William P. Anderson, assisted by George Grey, made most of the early surveys of land, especially the Government survey, whereby the lands were surveyed into sections of 640 acres each.

In May, 1809, while J. A. S. Anderson, assisted by George Grey and James B. Drake, was surveying a Government line, he discovered "a remarkable cave and a remarkable spring." They had with them a dried beef tongue, which Mr. Anderson threw into the water, and it sank beyond all recovery. Thereupon they named the spring "Tongue Spring," hence the name of Tongue Spring Creek. On May 25, 1809, they planted some corn and deadened some timber, and camped on Rattlesnake Point, and "bark was their food." On May 30 they came upon an Indian camp, "and shouted around them and advanced, and the Indians absconded and left their meat and one horse," which, as Mr. Anderson said, the party got, "the horse to ride and the meat to eat." There were nine Indians in the camp. Rattlesnakes were then abundant and "monstrous," as related by Mr. Anderson. On one occasion, when he was obliged to undress his feet to enable him to walk over the slippery rocks, he stepped his heel on the head of a rattlesnake, discovering which he made his escape unharmed. The foregoing facts about the surveying party are taken from Mr. Anderson's field notes made at the time, and now in possession of Mr. Isaac Grey.

The greater portion of the best lands in Franklin County were entered by location of land warrants and other claims granted by North Carolina to individuals for military services while the territory belonged to that State. Henry M. Rutledge was executor of the last will and testament of Gov. Edward Rutledge, of South Carolina, who in his lifetime owned a large tract of land, mostly in this county. As executor, Mr. Rutledge sold this tract, consisting of 73,000 acres, to Col. Thomas Shubrick for £535 of English money. As an individual he then purchased the whole tract back from Col. Shubrick, and the deeds of these conveyances are the first that appear on the records of Franklin County. The Rutledge lands lie mostly in Districts 8 and 9. In May, 1808, Gen. Andrew Jackson and John Hutchins, assignees of John G. and Thomas Blount, received a patent from the State of Tennessee for 1,000 acres located on the Boiling Fork, just below Winchester.

The following is a condensed list of a few early grants, entries and purchases:

July, 1796, State of North Carolina to Thomas Dillon, an assignee of the Blounts, 5,000 acres on Elk River, including Fendleton's Spring, and a large camp made by Major Ore & Co., on their way to Nickajack.

March 5, 1805, Thomas Dillon to E. Thursby, for $4,500, 18,000 acres on Elk River;

April, 1807, Henry M. Rutledge to Wm. P. Anderson and John Strother a large tract on Elk River and on both sides of Logan Creek.

1808, State of Tennessee to John Maclin and John Overton 4,935 acres, and to Nicholas Tramel 640 acres, both on Elk River.
Solomon Wagoner, Wm. Russell, Absalom Russell and John Cowan each 200 acres on the Boiling Fork.
James Cunningham and Robert Bean each 200 acres on Bean Creek.
James Metcalf 200 acres on Metcalf Creek.
Wm. Metcalf 200 acres on Elk River.

1809, State to James Patton and Andrew Erwin 1,000 acres, on Elk River.
Andrew Jackson 640 acres, on Elk River.
John Winford 640 acres, on Elk River.

We have cited the foregoing grants, which are only a few among the many, to show how a few individuals originally came into possession of so much of the best land of the county. In 1824 the State of Tennessee began to sell the remaining lands at 12½ cents per acre, and purchasers were allowed to select and enter these lands in quantities to suit themselves. The first of these entries was made by Thomas Newland, April 5, 1824, for thirty acres, the whole tract costing only $3.75. During the years 1824 and 1825 there were 508 entries made in the county for tracts mostly under 100 acres each. Entry 508 was the last one made at that price. The entries have never been permanently closed for the mountain lands, but are still being made. It is believed that all of the lands have been entered once. In many instances the original purchasers have abandoned or neglected their lands, and in this way some tracts have been entered the second and perhaps the third time. The last entry, No. 3,868, was made May 22, 1886, by Peter H. Plumer for 150 acres.

The first grist-mill in the southern part of Franklin County, was built by George Stovall about the year 1810, and as early as 1815. Districts Nos. 2 and 3 had over a dozen cotton-gins. This county at that early day was one of the leading cotton producing counties of the State. The cotton was shipped out of the Elk River on flat-boats, and thence by way of the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers to New Orleans, where it was sold for from 1¾ to 2¼ cents per pound. Peter Simmons, John R. Patrick and Dick Holder, early merchants of Salem, used to ship large quantities of cotton on "flats" from the mouth of Bean Creek to New Orleans, and then walk back through the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indian nations. In 1828 a Mr. Heiston, from Ohio, established a tan-yard on Bean Creek. He sold it to Mr. Smith, and he to Mr. Lipscomb. This was the first tan-yard in that part of the county.

Among the early cotton-gins were those erected in the upper end of the county by Sims Kelly, John Oliver, Wm. Faris, Wm. O'Rear, Geo. McCutcheon and James Sharp, and one in the, Cowan neighborhood by John Holder, and one at Wm. Bledsoe's place, by Wm. Street and one were Isaac Grey now lives, by George Grey. Isaac Gillespie had a cotton-gin, tan-yard and grist-mill in Owl Hollow. At the same time gins were owned and operated in the lower part of the county by James F. Green, James Woods, Mr. Trigg and others. The owners of the cotton-gins would receive all cotton brought to them and give the farmers receipts for the amounts. The latter would then sell the receipts to the merchants for goods. About the year 1836 Franklin County raised 4,500 bales of cotton all of which was shipped on "flats" to New Orleans. During the early settlement of the county the merchants went on horseback to Baltimore to buy their goods, which were then brought in wagons from that city to their destination, being about 700 miles. Enough goods were purchased at one time to last a year; and goods were hauled on the same route through this county from Baltimore to Nashville. It is claimed that as high as 300 wagons loaded with goods en route to Nashville and other points encamped at one time on the side of the road near Caldwell's Bridge. This method of obtaining goods continued until near the year 1840, when transportation was opened up by way of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers to Nashville, after which time and until railroads were constructed, the merchants of Franklin County bought their goods in Nashville, and had them brought from thence in wagons to their places of business. The shipment of cotton on flats to New Orleans was discontinued about the same time. The Winchester Sulphur Springs were then a fashionable summer resort, and were visited annually by the wealthy planters of the South. For some years before the war a Mr. Butterworth had a cotton-mill in Owl Hollow, which was burned during the war and afterward rebuilt and again burned. Another cotton-mill was erected near Estill Springs, about the year 1851, and was destroyed by fire a few years thereafter.

Railroad
The Nashville & Chattanooga Railroad was completed through the county in 1851. It has stations within the county, at Estill Springs, Decherd, Cowan, Sherwood and Anderson. It passes through the Cumberland Mountains in this country by deep cuts, and a tunnel 2,200 feet long. The Sewanee Mining Company has a railroad from Tracy City passing by University Place, and connecting with the Nashville & Chatanooga Railroad at the base of the mountain near Cowan. This road was completed in 1858. The Decherd, Fayetteville & Columbia Railroad was completed to Fayetteville about the same time. It has stations in this county at Decherd, Winchester, Belvidere, Maxwell and Huntland.

The Falls Mill Manufacturing Company are operating a cotton-mill on Bean Creek near Salem. Whit Ransom now owns the Town Creek Mills, which were established by Anson Butterworth. These mills consist of a woolen-mill, with about twelve looms, a carding-mill and a large grist and flouring-mill, all run with water-power. They are located about five miles west of Winchester. R. C. Handley, Ben. A. Oehmig, A. J. Kinningham and Estill Bros, each own and operate grist and flouring-mills on Boiling Fork. Corn & Miller have a grist and flouring-mill on Elk River. There is also a grist and flouring mill in Sinking Cove. Grist-mills and saw-mills are found on almost every stream. There are also a number of steam saw-mills and other manufacturing establishments throughout the county outside of the village. An agricultural and mechanical society existed for a few years before the war. And along in the "seventies" the Grange movements struck the county. A number of Granges were organized, and some stores were attempted to be run on the Grange plan, but all this has passed away.

When the county was new malarial fevers prevailed to some extent. In 1843 and 1844 typhoid fever made its first appearance in the county. At first it nonplussed the physicians, but they soon learned to treat it successfully. The first cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis made their appearance in the winters of 1848 and 1849. The temperature of the climate is mild and pleasant, and never goes to the extremes of heat and cold. The people of the county are remarkably healthy. No cases of cholera or yellow fever have ever been known in the county, except one or two, which were brought here from abroad. The raising of cotton has been dispensed with, and the farmers are now turning their attention to the cultivation of cereals, grasses and live-stock. In 1855 there were raised in Franklin County 135,816 bushels of wheat, 475,293 bushels of Indian corn, 71,980 bushels of oats, 1,283 bushels of rye, and 1,110 bushels of barley. And the live-stock was enumerated as follows: 4,580 horses and mules, 7,906 cattle, 6,296 sheep, 25,379 hogs.


Source: History of Tennessee, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1886

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