Buck's College

Buck's College was established around 1850. It was named after founder Isaac Buck. The school is often referred to as Andrew's College, however the reason for this is unknown. It is thought by many that Andrew's College is the name given to the school by the Tennessee General Assembly. There is also evidence that suggests that the Buck family gave it that name. The name Buck's College was most likely given to the school by locals who simply associate it with the Buck family. Buck's College became Putnam County's first school of higher education. The Buck family moved to the area from Pennsylvania in the 1820s. It was in Pennsylvania that members of the family were provided with a college education. Isaac, was ordained a minister in the Methodist church. When volunteers were being sought to go South and establish churches, Buck answered the call. He and his wife arrived in Putnam County around 1820. They settled on what is now known as "Buck Mountain." They also purchased around 140 acres of land about a mile east of present day Cookeville. Buck and his son Jonathan established Buck's College at that site. By all accounts the school building was very luxurious for the time. It featured poplar logs, five large chimneys, a chapel, dining room, and various other amenities to numerous to name. The building was constructed in an "H" shape. Buck's College thrived throughout the decade. Enrollment numbers were high, with graduation rates to match. The school was the most prestigious in the Upper Cumberland. In 1854 Isaac Buck petitioned the county commissioners at White Plains to make the county seat Buck's College. Their request however was denied and the county seat became known as Cookeville. When the Civil War started in 1861, Buck's College, like all institutions of higher learning, closed down. However, when the war ended in 1865, Buck's College never reopened. The most widely accepted reason for this happening was the creation of nearby Washington Academy. The State of Tennessee Financial Aid, was transferred from Buck's College to Washington Academy by an act of the Tennessee General Assembly. It is unknown what the Buck's did after closing the college, but by all accounts Jonathan kept teaching in private schools in the area, while Isaac focused full time on his ministry at nearby Salem Methodist Church. The story of Buck's College is an interesting one, and it is a vital part of Putnam County history.

This picture of Buck's College, hanging in the author's office, was painted in 1974. One should still be able to make out the "H" shape design.

Drawing of how Buck's College looked during the height of its operation.

Isaac Buck

Buck's College historical marker. The school was located on present day Broad Street, across from Belle Acres Golf Course, about a mile east of Cookeville.

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The Free State of Jones

The Free State of Jones was made up of a group of Confederate Army deserters, led by Newton Knight. Knight had been a farmer prior to the war. It is unknown why he deserted, but based on a quote by Knight, "he had a right to quit when he got ready." Following the Battle of Vicksburg, desertion in the Confederate ranks grew to be a huge problem. Most of the deserters followed Knight to Jones County, Mississippi. They called themselves the Knight Company, and they lived in the swamp on the banks of the Leaf River. The men acted much like guerrillas. They stole and plundered from Confederate sympathizers and gave their spoils to Union supporters. They defended these actions by saying that it was for "taxes." The swamp became known as "Devil's Den." They enlisted women and slaves to provide food for them. Some of the slave men actually joined the Knight Company. The women served as lookouts for Knight and his men. When a Confederate force would get close, the women would sound a cattle horn. From 1863, to the end of the war, the Knight Company engaged Confederate forces in fourteen skirmishes. Knight actually sent a letter to William Tecumseh Sherman telling him that Jones County had seceded from the Confederacy. Jones County functioned as their own state. Knight served as the governor, with his most trusted confidants as his advisors. The Knight Company was unable to hide out in "Devil's Den" forever. Confederate General Leonidas Polk sent Colonel Robert Lowry to Jones County to track down Knight and his deserters. Lowry and his men used bloodhounds to track down the deserters. They were able to round up ten members of the Knight Company. Among the ten, were Newton's cousins Benjamin Franklin Knight, and Sil Coleman. It is unknown how Newton escaped, but he claimed that he "tried to escape through Confederate lines and join the Union Army, but failed." Knight eventually surrendered, at the end of the Civil War. He and his company's last raiding mission was to free children who were still enslaved. They were successful in their raid. Knight petitioned the United States government for compensation for he and his men. Their request was denied, due to the fact that they were not "organized for military service." Newton eventually went back to being a simple farmer. He separated from his wife Serena, and married a freed slave named Rachel. This led to a genealogy made up of interracial marriages, that would stay with the Knight family forever. The Free State of Jones will go down in history as one of the most interesting stories of the Civil War.

Map showing where Jones County is located in Mississippi.

The grave of Newton Knight.

In June 2016, the film "Free State of Jones" was released. 

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Memphis Mosquito Epidemic

The Memphis Mosquito Epidemic was one of the most deadly outbreaks of disease in Tennessee History. Following the Civil War, the population of Memphis doubled. This was due to the freeing of slaves, soldiers returning home, and an influx of French and German immigrants from the east. People wanted to live in Memphis because whether they were a farmer, or manufacturer, they could put their goods on boats and sail them up or down the Mississippi River. With this boost in population came the need for increased housing. Many people were forced to live in the streets. Sanitation was poor. When someone thew out their trash, they threw it in the street. There was also no underground sewage. This made clean water hard to come by. All of these factors led to an outbreak of Yellow Fever. The Fever spread thanks to mosquitos. One has to understand that Summers in Memphis, and Tennessee in general for that matter, are very hot and humid. Mosquitos thrive in this type weather. When mosquitos bit people, they were immediately infected with the Yellow Fever. By the time the disease was able to be controlled, approximately 17,000 people had been affected. Out of those 17,000, 5,000 died. The Memphis Mosquito Epidemic became one of the deadliest outbreaks of disease in United States history. The outbreak did lead to some positive inventions, most notably the creation of a board of health, as well as sanitation systems. Thanks to the creation of these inventions, people today don't have to be worried about disease outbreaks, such as what happened in Memphis.

Yellow Fever spread through mosquitos that were attracted to the hot, humid climate of Memphis.

In Memphis there is a cemetery made up primarily of Yellow Fever victims.

Stay tuned next Thursday for the next Throwback Thursday blog post. Be sure to check out the section of the blog devoted to Moore Historical Consulting. Put me to work for you!!

Nashville's Centennial Park

Nashville's Centennial Park is located on the West End of Nashville, just across the street from Vanderbilt University. The park is comprised of 132 acres, that was originally farmland, owned by Anne Robertson Johnson Cockrill. Cockrill was the sister of General James Robertson and was also the first school teacher in the state. After serving as farmland, the site then became a racetrack for horses. The track was known as "West Side Park." In 1897, the area was used for the celebration of the Tennessee Centennial. As part of the celebration, a full scale replica of the Parthenon was constructed, as well as a pyramid. There was also a man made lake that was dug, known as Lake Watauga. The Centennial Celebration lasted from May to October of that year. During those six months, there were approximately 1.8 million visitors. When the celebration was over, the pyramid, as well as other temporary buildings were razed. The Parthenon, however, was saved from demolition. This was due in part to a high cost of demolition, as well as the popularity of the structure. The Parthenon led to Nashville being given the nickname "Athens of the South." The Parthenon has since been converted into an art gallery and serves as the centerpiece of the park. During the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950s and 60s, the park was off limits to African-Americans. Today the park is host to thousands of visitors a year. In addition to the Parthenon and Lake Watauga, the park has other attractions, such as an F-86L Sabre Jet, and a Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis steam locomotive. Centennial Park is and continues to remain a popular Nashville attraction, just like the Ryman Auditorium, the State Capitol Building, and Vanderbilt's historic Memorial Gymnasium.

Centennial Park during the 1897 Centennial celebration.

Aerial painting of the 1897 Centennial celebration.

Aerial view of the park today.

The F-86L Sabre Jet 

The Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis steam locomotive, known as 576.

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The Transcontinental Railroad

The Transcontinental Railroad was constructed in an effort to link Sacramento, California, with Council Bluffs Iowa. The rail line pitted two railroad companies against each other. The Central Pacific, would build the railroad east, and the Union Pacific would build their's west. The railroad was financed by government bonds, issued for thirty years, at 6% interest. The two railroad companies received funding from private donors as well. Leland Stanford became president of the Central Pacific, and Dr. Thomas Durant became president of the Union Pacific. Both men rose to power based on their financial contributions to the railroad. The Central Pacific was the first to break ground on the new railroad, doing so on January 8, 1863. The Union Pacific were delayed in beginning construction by eighteen months, due to a lack of financial backing. Getting supplies was challenging for both sides. In order to receive the necessary supplies, manufacturers from the East Coast had to send ships around the tip of South America, and then back up to California. This process took months to complete, and was slowed further, by the Civil War. After the Civil War ended, the Union Pacific, due to their late start on construction, were forced to compete with southern railroad companies, for supplies, who were trying to repair their railroads, that were damaged during the War. The Union Pacific Railroad's goal was to make the route as short as possible. Their route was arguably the most challenging. At one point the construction workers had to cut through granite for nearly a mile on both sides. They also had to build bridges over bodies of water such as the North Platte River, and Dale Creek. Tunnels were constructed using nitroglycerine. This helped the construction process go faster, but also led to more fatalities. The Central Pacific had a shorter route, and a somewhat easier one as well. The roughest part of their route was over the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Donner Summit. They used an engine from an old locomotive to give them the needed mechanical power to get through the mountain range. Construction lasted until May 10, 1869. The railroad was completed fairly quickly considering the technology and the resources of the time. On May 10th, both companies came together at Promontory Summit, Utah to celebrate their accomplishment. To commemorate the railroad being completed, Central Pacific president Leland Stanford drove in the "golden spike." The Transcontinental Railroad was completed. This railroad has become one of the biggest and most impressive feats of engineering in United States History. It led to a boom in passenger travel, and commerce across the nation. There is truly nothing like it in the world.

Leland Stanford president of the Central Pacific Railroad.

Dr. Thomas Durant president of the Union Pacific Railroad.

The Transcontinental Railroad was met with challenging terrain, such as the Donner Pass.

This map shows the route of the Transcontinental Railroad.

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Ernest Shackleton and his Imperial-Trans Arctic Expedition

Ernest Shackleton was a British Explorer who made several trips to the South Pole. He is credited with reaching the furthest south longitude in the world. He is most famous however for his Imperial-Trans Arctic Expedition. The goal of this expedition was to sail to Antartica, and cross the continent. There were two ships involved in this expedition. They were the Endurance and the Aurora. The expedition was funded mainly by private donations. The trek across the continent would be carried out by Shackleton and six of his men. The estimated distance was 1,800 miles. Before leaving on the expedition, Shackleton received 5,000 applications from men wanting to come with him. Through rigorous interviews, he was able to whittle this number down, to fifty-six. The expedition finally launched in 1914. Despite the outbreak of World War I, Winston Churchill allowed the expedition to proceed. After departing New Zealand, all was going well, until the crew reached the Weddell Sea, where they encountered ice. Endurance eventually became frozen in an "ice floe." Shackleton ordered all the men off the ship, and ordered that she be converted to a winter station. By the time the ice began to break, the pressure began causing holes to form in the ship's hull. The ship eventually sunk. For the next two months, November and December, Shackleton and his men were stranded on an "ice floe." Their goal was to get the floe to float to nearby Elephant Island. Once they reached Elephant Island, they found one of their life boats, and used it to sail to South Georgia, to get help at a whaling station there. Shackleton realized that they only had a maximum of four weeks to reach the island. If it took longer then that, they were done for. They launched the boat, known as the James Caird, on April 24, 1916. It took fifteen days for them to reach South Georgia. Once they reached the island they were assisted, by the Chilean government, in rescuing the rest of their men from Elephant Island. The Aurora and her crew had drifted out to sea, and eventually made it back safely to New Zealand. Whats most impressive about this expedition, is that no man, who was on Endurance, was lost. They were even able to set up a few supply depots, before things went bad. This expedition, while it did not accomplish everything that was intended, was still very impressive, and was an extreme feat of nautical genius.

Map of the Imperial-Trans Arctic Expedition

Endurance trapped in the ice floe.

Shackleton and his men launching the James Caird off Elephant Island.

Stay tuned next week for another installment of Throwback Thursday. Be sure to contact Moore Historical Consulting for all your historical research and heritage management needs. 

Wild Bill Hickok

James Butler Hickok, commonly referred to as "Wild Bill," was one of the Old West's most colorful characters. It is unknown how he got the nickname "Wild Bill." Throughout his life he was involved in many activities and changed professions on numerous occasions. His story began at the Pony Express Station in Rock Creek, Nebraska. Hickok, who was twenty-four years old at the time, had been working for the Pony Express. According to legend, he got into a fight with a bear. It is unknown how this happened, but accounts state that he was able to cut its throat, before it could do more serious damage to him. It is believed that the first man Hickok killed was David McCanles. McCanles, in a fit of rage, stormed into the Rock Creek relay station and demanded an overdue property payment from the station manager Horace Wellman. McCanles reportedly threatened Hickok and Wellman, leading Hickok to shoot him. During the Civil War Hickok served as a teamster for the Union Army in Sedalia, Missouri. After the war, he served as a guide for William Tecumseh Sherman. It was after the Civil War, that Hickok took up gambling. While in Springfield, Missouri, Hickok and a local gambler named Davis Tuitt got into an argument over an unpaid gambling debt. The argument got so far out of hand, that they had a shootout in the Springfield town square. Tuitt drew first, but he was no match for Hickok's fast draw. Hickok cut Tuitt down on the spot. Hickok was initially arrested and charged with murder, the charge later became manslaughter, and was later ruled a fair fight. After leaving Springfield, Hickok was appointed deputy marshal at Fort Riley, Kansas. Part of his job requirements were to serve as a scout for General George Armstrong Custer during the Indian War. Hickok was thought to be a "hater of Indians," but there is no proof of him actually engaging in battle with Indians. Hickok eventually moved to Hays, Nebraska, and took the position of U.S. Marshal. In his first month as marshall he killed two men. Both men had been involved in saloon disturbances. After serving as Marshal in Hays, he left and went to Abilene, Texas.  Hickok's most famous action in Abilene was a shootout with saloon owner Phil Coe. Coe and his business partners had bought and put up a painting depicting a "bull" in an inappropriate way. After asking the men to take the painting down, Hickok did it himself. This led to Hickok and Coe getting involved in a shootout. Once again Hickok outdrew his opponent and killed Coe. After leaving his position as U.S. Marshal, Hickok joined Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. By all accounts, he was not very good at acting, and left the show after a short time. This led Hickok to take up gambling more seriously. While playing poker in a town in Dakota territory, a drunkard by the name of Jack McCall felt that he had been cheated by Hickok. McCall left, but came back later and shot Hickok in the back of the head, while Hickok was still playing. McCall was later arrested, tried, and executed for the murder of Hickok. Wild Bill Hickok was truly a "Wild Man," and his story is the stuff of legend, but as far as the Wild West goes, his life was fairly normal.

This picture from "Harpers Weekly" magazine depicts the shootout between Hickok and Tuitt in Springfield, Missouri.

Hickok's star on the Texas Trail of Fame, in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

Stay tuned next week for another Throwback Thursday blog post, right here on Tales from Tennessee and Beyond. Be sure to check out the section devoted to Moore Historical Consulting. Put me to work for you.