Clover Bottom Mansion

The Clover Bottom Mansion is one of the oldest homes in Tennessee. It was constructed on land along the Stones River, in present day Donelson, Tennessee. The land that the mansion sits on was claimed in 1780 by John Donelson. Donelson was the father of United States First Lady Rachel Jackson. Donelson eventually sold the property to Dr. James Hoggatt. The Hoggatts built the current structure in 1858, as the center piece of their 1,500 acre plantation. The name "Clover Bottom" was given to the plantation due to it being located in the "bottom" land of the Stones River. The mansion was constructed using the ornamental Italianate architectural style. This architectural style is similar to the McGavock family's nearby Two River's Mansion. The Clover Bottom Plantation was home to approximately sixty slaves. One of the slaves, John McCline, was ten or eleven when he joined a group of Federal troops passing by, becoming a teamster for them. During the Civil War, troops from both sides set up camp on the grounds of the mansion. On one occasion, when Nathan Bedford Forrest and his men camped at Clover Bottom, the Hoggatt family threw them a barbecue of ham, and corn bread. In 1886 the Hoggatt family sold the mansion and surrounding grounds to Andrew Price. Price had been a four term Congressman from Louisiana. Price had deep roots in Tennessee, and Clover Bottom was a way for him to reclaim them. He and his wife restored the home, and added multiple outbuildings, in order to house thoroughbred race horses. These horses were entered in races at the nearby race track. The Price family owned the Clover Bottom Mansion until 1918, when it was sold to the Stanford family. The Stanford's owned the home until they sold it to the State of Tennessee in 1948. The State used the  mansion as a State Trooper outpost, and also for the Tennessee School for the Blind. By 1980, the historic home had fallen into a state of neglect. The home sat that way until 1994, when the offices of the Tennessee Historical Commission were relocated there. The THC restored the home and all of its outbuildings. Interpretive material, and walking trails were also added to make the site visitor friendly. The THC also provides tours of the bottom floor of the historic home by appointment. The Clover Bottom Mansion is a true historic preservation success story.

The Clover Bottom Mansion as it looked during the Civil War.

Restored slave cabins at Clover Bottom.

Historical Marker at Clover Bottom.

The McGavock family's Two Rivers Mansion bears a strong architectural resemblance to Clover Bottom.

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Earl Webb

Earl Webb was born on September 17, 1897 in White County, Tennessee. Not much is known about his early life, except that he worked in the coal mining industry. He is most famous for his professional baseball career. He entered the MLB in 1925, after four years in the minors, with the New York Giants, as a right fielder. He switched to the outfield, from pitcher, and would play the position for the entirety of his seven year career. He only played in four games, recording one plate appearance in each. He did not record a base hit in that season. In the 1926 season, Webb was sent back down to the minors, staying there for a full year. He eventually returned to the MLB, after he was acquired by the Chicago Cubs. In 1927 and 1928, he hit .301, and .250 respectively. Following the 1928 season, he was drafted in the 1929 Rule 5 draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He did not play in the MLB during the 1929 season. He was released by the Reds, and claimed off waivers by the Washington Senators. Just a few days after being claimed by the Senators, Webb was traded to the Boston Red Sox. It would be with Boston that he would have his career best years. In his two seasons with the Red Sox, he hit .323 in 1930, and .333 in 1931. The 1931 season was his best. It was in that season that he set the MLB record for doubles in a single season, with sixty-seven. That record still stands today. In a surprising move, Webb was traded during the 1932 season, to the Detroit Tigers. He would spend the next two seasons with the Tigers, but he never achieved the same great statistics as he had in Boston. His batting average never climbed over .300. During the 1933 season, Webb was released by the Tigers, and picked up by the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox, would be the final MLB stop for Earl Webb. He retired following the 1933 season. He finished his career with a .306 batting average, 56 home runs, 155 doubles, and 333 runs batted in. Webb's career is unique because he played for both Chicago teams, and was drafted twice. He passed away on May 23, 1965 in Jamestown, Tennessee. Earl Webb has sadly been lost in the pages of baseball and Tennessee history, but has made great contributions to both, that are still being felt to this day.

Earl Webb in action with the Chicago Cubs.

Earl Webb historical marker located in White County, Tennessee

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Hamilton-Burr Duel

The duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr is perhaps the greatest, and most violent political conflict in the history of the United States. The hatred between these two men went all the way back to the Election of 1800. In this election, Burr ran as vice president alongside Thomas Jefferson. The rules of the election stated that if Burr and Jefferson tied, the tie would be broken in the House of Representatives. Sure enough, Burr and Jefferson got 73 votes apiece. The election was turned over to the House. Alexander Hamilton, who was serving as the Secretary of the Treasury, used all his influence to swing the election in favor of Thomas Jefferson. His plan succeeded, and Jefferson was elected president, with Burr becoming vice president. Hamilton defended his actions, by stating that "Burr was a dangerous man, who could not be trusted with the reigns of the government." Hamilton knew of Burr's tendencies, as a drinker, and a womanizer, and he did not want a man like that running the country. Hamilton's actions were not received well by Burr. His anger rose even greater, when he was informed of a letter written by Dr. Charles Cooper, to Philip Schuyler. Schuyler just happened to be Hamilton's father in law. The letter was later published in the Albany Register. These letters contained information about Burr's drinking and womanizing ways. Burr demanded an apology from Dr. Cooper, Schuyler, and Hamilton. Hamilton said that he was not behind the letters, but Burr did not believe him. He eventually challenged Hamilton to a duel. Hamilton had no choice but to accept the challenge, as failure to do so, would signal the end of his political career. One must understand, that during this time period, duels were very common. They were used as a way to defend one's honor. Duels, however, rarely reached the point where guns were used. The duel was set for the morning of July 11, 1804, on the cliffs of Weehawken, New Jersey. The site was chosen due to the fact that dueling was legal in New Jersey. The two men stood ten paces apart. The weapons of choice were .56-caliber dueling pistols. Each man was accompanied by "seconds" or friends that would see that the duel was carried out in a fair manner. It is unknown who fired first, but most believe that Hamilton did, intentionally missing Burr's head high. This was thought to have startled Burr, causing him to fire directly at Hamilton, hitting and killing him instantly. This duel was most likely the second or third duel involving Hamilton and Burr, but the first where shots were fired. Hamilton was taken back to New York and lived for thirty-one hours, before he succumbed to the wound in his abdomen. The New York grand jury brought murder charges against Burr. Burr fearing arrest, fled to Saint Simmons Island, Georgia. When he was notified that the case would not go to trial, Burr went to Washington D.C. and fulfilled his duties as vice president. After he finished his term, he left politics all together, and went west, where we attempted to create his own independent nation. The Hamilton-Burr Duel is one of the United States' more interesting parts of history. The true accounts, and motivations of the duel itself, may never be known.

Alexander Hamilton

Aaron Burr

The Hamilton-Burr Duel has been brought back into the public eye, thanks to the Broadway musical "Hamilton."

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Fort Boonesborough

Fort Boonesborough was established in 1775 by frontiersman Daniel Boone. Boone led a group of settlers, from Fort Watauga, over the Cumberland Mountains and into present day Kentucky. Along the way he carved out the Wilderness Road. The Wilderness Road would prove vital to other settlers looking to move west. Once Boone and his settlers reached Kentucky, they quickly got to work constructing the fort. They named it after their leader and guide Daniel Boone. Boonesborough became home to a school, church, tavern, and general store, among other things. The fort basically served as a town. Most of the settlers lived outside the fort, where they had room to grow crops. The settlers and the Cherokee got along well, but their major enemies soon became the Shawnee. The Shawnee tried numerous times to get the settlers to leave. Some of the things they did, was burn crops, and kill cattle. They hoped by doing this there would be food shortages, that would force the settlers to leave. They even took Boone captive. Daniel Boone and the Shawnee Chief, Blackfish, attempted to negotiate on numerous occasions. Each negotiation failed, and eventually Blackfish decided to attack Boonesborough. The Shawnee strategy was simple, charge the fort, scale the walls, and set fire to the buildings inside. This would have worked, if the men inside had not been such good marksmen. Boone and the men inside the fort, were able to drive the Shawnee away, with only two casualties. The buildings the Shawnee were able to set fire to, were quickly extinguished by the rain that had begun to fall. Following the attack, Colonel Richard Callaway brought charges of court martial against Daniel Boone. Callaway claimed, among other things, that Boone had made a deal while in captivity to turn Boonesborough over to the British, and Shawnee, in exchange for his freedom. This was found to be untrue, and Boone was found not guilty. Following his acquittal, Boone moved his family, to his son Israel's settlement known as Boone's Station. Life in Boonesborough continued on without the Boone family. They survived numerous Indian uprisings, and the Civil War. But by 1877, life at Boonesborough had ceased to exist. This was due to larger cities forming around the settlement. Today the fort has been reconstructed, and is now a state park. The legacy of Daniel Boone and his family continues to live on. The Boonesborough settlement is truly a prime example of pioneer life.

Map showing where Fort Boonesborough was located, and also the Wilderness Road.

Daniel Boone

Daniel Boone leading settlers through the Cumberland Mountains to set up the Boonesborough settlement.

Fort Boonesborough as it appears today.

The 1960s T.V. series "Daniel Boone," starring Fess Parker, provides the viewer with a basic idea of what life was like in Boonesborough.

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