Rogersville, But What’s a Name?
The evolution of receiving, keeping, and changing names can be complicated, but some of us experience it multiple times throughout our lives.
Linville Wilderness Gorge, Tanawha Trail, & Stack Rock
Linville, North Carolina is an unincorporated community inside the Pisgah National Forest and the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was founded in the 1880s and known back then as the Clay or Porcelain town in Avery County. Linville is about 45 minutes southeast of Johnson City and an hour or so northeast of Asheville. The…
Greeneville, with an E.
National Allied Publications founder Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was born in Greeneville, TN in 1890. Eventually his company became DC Comics, and Wheeler-Nicholson would be forever credited as the pioneer of American pulp comic books. My song for this entry is not a metal song but it is featured on the soundtrack for DC’s newest project, Dark…
Dammed If You Do; A Story About Wrestlers, War, Beans, and the Dam Town of Dandridge
Historic Dandridge is the second oldest town in East Tennessee and it was graciously saved from flooding during the construction of TVA’s Douglas Dam. Dandridge was founded in 1783 when its first white European settlers began carving their miserable new lives into the flanks of Appalachia. Prior to that crew, the Chiaha tribal settlement…
Douglas Dam; Another Key Player in Supplying WWII with Hydroelectric Power
Franklin D. Roosevelt was a busy man back in the 1940s but let’s talk about one of his most legendary and long-lasting New Deal Programs, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), and the Douglas Dam. Today’s theme song is brought to you by Midlake: In 1941, President Roosevelt coordinated funding and construction of the Douglas Dam…
Ozone Falls; Seoni of the South in Tennessee’s Jungle Book Waterfall
Ozone Falls State Natural Area is located near the town of Crab Orchard in Cumberland County, Tennessee. It was officially established in the 1973 with just fourteen acres, but the land mass tripled in the following two decades. Visiting was a quick and easy stop off the highway en route from Knoxville to Crossville, and…
Fort Dickerson’s Civil War Earthen Fort and Turquoise Quarry
Just beyond the Henley Street Bridge in downtown Knoxville, you can visit one of many old Civil War forts in the area. Fort Dickerson is an extremely well-preserved earthen fort built in the early 1860s by Federals/Union soldiers to protect Knoxville from the Confederates. The fort was named after Captain Jonathan C. Dickerson who…
Morristown; Home of a Bear-Grinnin’ Hero, The Evil Dead, and the Last Two-Story Sky Mart in the USA
Crockett was famous for a great number of accomplishments including his alleged ability to fight bears by flashing his grin, but my favourite story is when he passionately spoke out against Andrew Jackson’s cruel and horrific Indian Removal Act.
Greenback Castle; a Religious Fanatic’s Spooky Junk Shrine
There is an odd sensation of being watched here, perhaps just by a protective neighbour in hiding or by some other innocuous being.
One would not think that the House of the Almighty could harbour any foreboding spirits, but this vast geographic area was once a main centre of ancient Native American tribes.
Hendersonville; the Mystical Mountain Town of Apple Country
Downtown Hendersonville, North Carolina has a high concentration of things I like; cozy cafes, bookstores, bars/restaurants with literary themes, coffee shops, boutiques filled with crystals and witchy stuff, farmers markets, Art Deco buildings, and museums, all within a handful of city blocks.
Traveling Light through the Mountain Town of Weaverville
Vance was widely praised for being ahead of his time by making huge strides in infrastructure development and socio-political reforms, but he continuously used his political power to fight against civil rights and the abolition of slavery, and his family still owned slaves so I’m not buying it.
Fort Southwest Point, Ironworks, and other Relics of Roane County
Welsh immigrants came to Roane and nearby Scott County in the 1800s by way of Pennsylvania, with hopes to join the iron and coal industries. Enjoy this sidequest of fascinating lore about the mining industry, its use of forced convict labour that displaced these miners, and a few of their triumphs.
Fernweh 