Interstate 40

Interstate 40 is one of the United States' largest highways. It connects Wilmington, North Carolina and Barstow, California. The highway runs through eight states, and seven major cities. In total the highway covers 2,554 miles. Interstate 40 was constructed in 1957 as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's Intestate Commerce Program. The goal was to build roads large enough, straight enough, and fast enough to move commercial goods and military personnel. The majority of the highway is two lanes, either direction. When passing through a large city, the highway will usually open up into four on either side. From Arkansas to California Interstate 40 follows the old Beale's Wagon Road. This road was built around 1857 and covers approximately 1,000 miles. In Tennessee, Interstate 40 connects all three major cities. The portion of Interstate 40 that runs through Tennessee is 455 miles long, making it the longest portion of the highway to run through any state. Most of the Tennessee portion of Interstate 40 follows the Old Walton Road. Tennessee is also famous for having difficult terrain that made construction of the highway complicated. In the Cumberland Plateau and Great Smoky Mountain regions, extensive rock blasting had to be preformed, which led to rock slides. Tennessee has arguably the grandest entry, going east, of the entire Interstate 40 route. The Hernando De Soto Bridge, crossing the Mississippi River, brings visitors into the state. The section of the highway between Memphis and Nashville is known as the "Music Highway." The portion of Interstate 40 that goes through Tennessee was one of the first to be completed. The portion of the highway between Nashville and Harriman follows the route of the old Tennessee Central Railroad. The newest portion of the highway was completed in 1980, and runs between Raleigh, North Carolina and Wilmington, North Carolina. Interstate 40 is one of the United States' greatest feats of engineering. It has made nationwide travel, and commerce much easier.

Map of Interstate 40

Sign in Barstow, California telling how many miles to Wilmington, North Carolina.

The Hernando De Soto Bridge that connects Tennessee to Arkansas.

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The State of Franklin

The State of Franklin was created in 1784 due to frontiersmen such as John Sevier and William Cage growing increasingly dissatisfied with North Carolina government. The newly formed United States Congress wanted to use North Carolina lands, to pay off their debts that had built up during the Revolutionary War. Options included selling the land to the Cherokee, or to a foreign power such as France or Spain. The vision for Franklin was to be a separate, secure, and independent state. They wanted to create the state, to prevent Congress from selling the land. On August 23, 1884, the State of Franklin was officially created, with John Sevier elected governor. In December of 1884 the leaders of Franklin set to work creating a constitution. As part of their constitution, they stated that doctors, lawyers, and preachers could not be involved in the legislature. Jonesborough became the capital city. The proposed constitution was defeated in referendum, and Franklin decided to operate under the North Carolina Constitution. On May 16, 1785, delegates got together and submitted a petition for admission as the 14th state of the Union. Seven out of the thirteen states voted to admit Franklin to the Union. Under the Articles of Confederation, the vote was less then the two-thirds majority, and the request for statehood was denied. According to primary source documents, the delegates submitted the name of the state as Frankland. The spelling would later be changed in order to honor Benjamin Franklin. The hope was that they could persuade Franklin to take their side and help them attain statehood. Franklin declined, saying that he was in Europe and was unaware of what was going on. Following the failed attempt at statehood, Franklin declared themselves a de facto independent republic. They moved their capital from Jonesborough to Greeneville, to be further away from North Carolina. In December 1785, the legislature met, drafted, and signed into law the Holston Constitution, which was modeled after that of North Carolina's. Governor John Sevier proposed that a flag be created, but one was never designed. The State of Franklin later opened up courts, and established five new counties. A barter system was adopted as their economic plan. The fact that they did not use a physical currency, led to confusion, and slow development. The legislature also made peace treaties with the Cherokee and Chickamauga Indians. By 1786, the United States government was beginning to come out of their financial difficulties. More and more settlers that were living in, and also those that would have been interested in moving to Franklin chose instead to settle in North Carolina. This resulted in back taxes, as well as the lack of a militia for Franklin. The leaders of North Carolina offered to waive all the back taxes if the leaders of Franklin would rejoin them. When they refused, the North Carolina militia was sent, commanded by Colonel John Tipton. The militia reestablished courts, jails, and government in Jonesborough. There were now two governments competing side by side. The leaders of Franklin continued to move west, forcibly taking Indian lands along the way. By the end of 1787, loyalties were divided. Some of the leaders wanted to rejoin North Carolina, and others wanted to remain independent. The North Carolina government later seized property belonging to Franklin leaders. This did not sit well with John Sevier and others, who raised a militia of approximately 100 men. Sevier and his men would engage the North Carolina militia in a ten minute battle at the home of Colonel John Tipton, resulting in three casualties. Sevier and his men later withdrew to Jonesborough, where they were thrown in jail, but later swore their allegiance to the United States. The North Carolina militia had to go back to Franklin and prevent Indian raids, that had resulted in the failed government forcibly taking their land. The State of Franklin was no more.

This picture gives a good idea of which portion of present day Tennessee made up the State of Franklin.

Replica of the Capitol building of the State of Franklin in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Colonel John Tipton's home and farm are now a state historic site.

Be sure to come back next week for another installment of Moore Historical Consulting's Throwback Thursday series. Whether its genealogy, preservation, or anything in between, Moore Historical Consulting is here for you. Put me to work for you today!!

Robert Byrd Capshaw

     Robert Byrd Capshaw was born on October 13, 1855 in Warren County, Tennessee. He was the youngest of three children born to James W. and Mary Capshaw. Not much is known about the activities he was involved in as a boy. The Capshaw family lived approximately ten miles north of McMinnville, in a community known simply as Capshawville. The area had been settled by Capshaw’s grandfather James, who had served in the American Revolution. The population of the community was 150. Capshaw’s father served as the justice of the peace, as well as a farmer. His older brother James H. served as postmaster, jeweler, and dentist. He had also served in the Union army during the Civil War. Upon turning eighteen, Capshaw left Warren County and went to Cookeville.
     It was in Cookeville, where he became acquainted with Judge B.M. Webb, under whom he read law. While studying law, he taught school in order to support himself financially. Once being admitted to the bar, he set up a practice in Cookeville. His office was located just west of the courthouse square, where Highland Hardware now stands. If you were an aspiring lawyer, you studied under Robert Byrd Capshaw. His law practice would grow to become the biggest in the city, and made the name Capshaw famous.
     Just a few months after his ten year anniversary of coming to Cookeville, Robert Byrd Capshaw met and married Alice Whitson, the daughter of Jeremiah Whitson. This forever linked the Capshaw and Whitson families. The couple had a total of three children. Their names were Estle, Coran, and Hulon. The family home was located on East Broad Street where the public library is today. Alice Capshaw was known to give music lessons at her home.
     In 1915, Dixie College, now Tennessee Tech University was established. Among the members serving on the board to get the school started was Robert Byrd Capshaw. The school began as a Christian College associated with the Broad Street church of Christ. Capshaw was an elder in that church. In addition to his duties in the church, he was also very active in the Lion’s Club and the Democratic Party. He was eventually elected justice of the peace for the entire city. He was also active in farming, as he owned hundreds of acres in the center of town.
     On February 20, 1928 Robert Byrd Capshaw passed away during surgery on his stomach. According to his death certificate, the cause of death was stomach cancer. He was seventy-two years old. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest practicing lawyer in Cookeville. He had been a member of the bar for over fifty years. Throughout his career as a lawyer, he treated others the way he wanted to be treated. He was always ready and willing to give advice, legal, or not, to anyone who asked. He had become one of the most well respected citizens not only in Cookeville, but in the state of Tennessee. He was honored posthumously with an elementary school, bearing his name, that was built on fourteen acres of his farm. He was entombed, along with his wife and three children, in the Cookeville City Cemetery. The last member of the “Old Bar” had died, but his impact on his community has been felt by many generations.

The Capshaw Home on Broad Street.

Capshaw Family Grave

Original Capshaw School Building, built in 1939, razed in 2002.

Current Capshaw School building, built in 2002.

The remaining acreage of the Capshaw Farm was developed into residential neighborhoods.

Be sure to come back next week for another installment of Moore Historical Consulting's Throwback Thursday series. At Moore Historical Consulting, I have all your heritage management, historic litigation, and preservation needs covered. Put me to work for you today!!

The Burning of Washington

The Burning of Washington occurred on August 24, 1814, as a result of the British Victory at the Battle of Bladensburg. This victory opened a clear path to Washington for the British Army. After hearing of the victory, President James Madison and other members of the United States government fled the city, taking refuge in Brookeville, Maryland. The primary target of the British was the Capitol building. After looting the building, the British had a difficult time setting it on fire. This was due to its solid stone construction. The British troops eventually gathered the furniture that had been removed from the building, and ignited it with rocket powder. The building burned, but not completely. The next structure on the British's list was the Executive Mansion, known today as the White House. President Madison had sent his wife Dolley a letter telling her what was about to happen. The First Lady acted quickly, removing all the valuables from the Mansion. The Madison's personal slave, Paul Jennings, wrote an account of the night. In it he told of how the First Lady saved a picture of George Washington. He said she had no time to get the entire portrait down, so she simply cut the picture out of its frame. Among the other things saved were numerous pieces of silver, as well as a Gilbert Stuart painting. When the British finally reached the White House, all the valuables had been removed. The soldiers set fire to the structure and added fuel to the flames to ensure it would burn the entire night. After setting the White House ablaze, the British troops set the United States Treasury building on fire. They then marched to the Department of War building and set it ablaze. The final government entity to be set on fire was the Naval Yard. The British hoped that all of these structures would burn to the ground. Less then twenty-four hours after the attack, a sudden thunderstorm hit Washington. There are reports that the thunderstorm could have been a hurricane. The storm was so strong that a tornado formed. The tornado cut a path right down Constitution Avenue. The tornado lifted up two British cannons. The storm caused the deaths of two British soldiers, and a few American civilians. The heavy rains extinguished the fires that had been set by the British. The storm was labeled "The Storm that Saved Washington." Historians believe that if not for that storm, Washington would have been destroyed, and the British would have occupied it for an unknown amount of time. By the time President Madison returned, he was feeling heat not only from the fires, but from the people of the United States. The people blamed him for the fires. Graffiti written on the sides of the burnt buildings stated "George Washington founded this city after a seven years war with England, James Madison lost it after a two years war." Madison and others were scapegoats for the Burning of Washington for the rest of their time in office. The British felt that the attack was justified, due to United States invasions into Canada. So much damage had been done, that Congress wanted to move the nation's capital to another city. The bill to relocate was quickly voted down in Congress, and work began on the Capitol building and the White House. The latter was completed in 1817, with the former being completed two years later in 1819. The burning of Washington is very significant in our nations history, as it showed the strength of the young nation to rise back up following an attack that many did not think would be possible to overcome.

The White House shortly after the British set it ablaze.

The ruins of the White House.

The ruins of the United States Capitol Building.

Be sure and come back next week for another installment of Moore Historical Consulting's Throwback Thursday series. At Moore Historical Consulting, I have all your heritage management, historic litigation, and preservation needs covered. Put me to work for you today!!

Ellis Harper

Ellis Harper was one of Tennessee's most feared Confederate Guerrillas. Harper carried out his raids in present day Gallatin, Hartsville, and Carthage, Tennessee. Harper was born in 1842, in present day Portland, Tennessee. He enlisted in the Confederate Army at the age of nineteen. He fought in the Battle of Fort Donelson. It was during this battle, that he was captured and sent to Springfield, Illinois, where he was imprisoned. It was not long until he escaped. After escaping, he came back South, and joined John Hunt Morgan's band of raiders. Morgan tasked Harper with carrying out raids on trains, burning bridges, and destroying Union supply lines. Due to his knowledge of the terrain, Morgan commissioned Harper as a major. After another brush with captivity, Harper decided to form his own band of raiders. Harper, like other guerrillas, knew his native lands much better then most. This gave him an advantage over the Union regiments in the area. He engaged himself in the same activities that he had been involved in with Morgan. Morgan would not be the only famous Confederate general Harper fought with. He and his men also served under General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Ellis Harper did not like Union sympathizers. He shot at them every chance he could. In Kentucky, a man named Harvey Travelstead went to the Union authorities, telling them where Harper was located, as well as his movements. When Harper got word of what happened, he and his men located the church where Travelstead attended, went in, drug him outside, and shot him to death. Harper later got word that a man by the name of Hensley Harris was planning to leak information on his whereabouts. He and his men traveled to the Harris home. When Harris would not answer the door, Harper busted in and shot up the house. It is unknown if he killed or captured Harris, but he did kill his three year old son. When the war ended, Harper was paroled by the Federal government. There were still warrants out for his arrest in both Kentucky and Tennessee. He feared that he would meet the same fate as Champ Ferguson had, so he and his men decided to lay low for awhile. When they knew it was safe, they continued to loot, and destroy from anybody that had Union sympathies. They limited most of these acts to Portland. The states of Kentucky and Tennessee eventually pardoned Harper. By the end of his career as a raider, Ellis Harper had killed around 15-20 people. Harper eventually got married and moved to Lebanon, Tennessee. In 1908, he was killed in a political argument. Ever since, Ellis Harper has been lost in the pages of Civil War, and Tennessee History.


At the funeral of Ellis Harper, the following eulogy was read: "He was a man of strong likes and dislikes and quick to resent an insult, for whoever offended him was sure to bring a fight upon himself. He could never forget an injury, but he was a staunch friend to those so fortunate as to gain his esteem..."




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