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Rivers,
wars and tornadoes shaped Montgomery County
By Todd DeFeo
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.
– A
life-size statue of John Montgomery stands
in Public Square, overlooking a vast area he once explored.
Montgomery, who came
here 228 years ago, is the namesake of the county and is often
credited with founding Clarksville.
However, long before
Montgomery came to the area, Ice Age hunters passed through. And bands
of nomads later wandered our area about 5200 B.C., according to
evidence from the banks of the Cumberland and Red rivers.
As long ago as 1500
B.C., American Indians roamed the surrounding forests in search of
game, and 1,000 years before Christopher Columbus discovered America,
a people known now only as the mound builders inhabited this area.
Following Columbus
were his European brethren — the French, the English and the Spanish —
exploring the New World mostly via the area’s waterways.
Foundations for
Western settlement
As early as 1714,
French traders had established a trading post in what is present day
Nashville, then called French Lick. The name comes from animals, who
liked licking minerals from nearby springs.
In 1768, Thomas
Hutchins surveyed the Cumberland River, which connects Clarksville and
Nashville. It was Hutchins who named Red Paint Hill, a rock bluff at
the confluence of the Red and Cumberland rivers.
Less than 10 years
after Hutchins’ survey, in 1775, John Montgomery and Kaspar Mansker
journeyed the area. And that same year, Richard Henderson, a North
Carolina land speculator, purchased the land between the Ohio and
Cumberland rivers from a Cherokee tribe for horses, guns and liquor.
However, Chickasaw,
Creek, Iroquois and Shawnee tribes also claimed parts of the territory
and were not included in the sale negotiations.
In 1779, James
Robertson, sometimes called the “father” of Middle Tennessee, brought
a group from upper East Tennessee to the area via Daniel Boone’s
“Wilderness Road” to Cumberland Gap. In 1793, he bought 640 acres near
Cumberland Furnace to build an iron plantation.
In 1780, at Red Paint
Hill, Moses Renfroe split off from a group of flat boats led by John
Donelson that were bound for a settlement that later became Nashville.
Renfroe, along with
his family and other relatives, journeyed up the Red River near the
mouth of Parson’s Creek, where they came ashore to begin a new life.
However, an attack by the land’s natives during the summer drove the
early settlers away.
Conflicts with the
land’s natives remained a problem for the settlers, and in 1794,
Montgomery led an attack on two Creek Indian settlements as a
pre-emptive strike, since it was believed the Creek were planning
attacks on Cumberland settlements. He was killed later that year by
Indians while hunting in Kentucky.
Building a town
Clarksville’s origins
date to Jan. 16, 1784, when John Armstrong filed notice with the North
Carolina Legislature of a proposed town
After an official
survey by James Sanders, the town of Clarksville was founded by the
North Carolina Legislature on Dec. 29, 1785. Lots, however, had been
sold prior to the application being filed.
In planning the town,
Armstrong laid out 12 four-acre squares and four two-acre squares. The
site’s high ground provided protection against flooding.
The north-south
streets beginning at the Cumberland River were named Water, Spring,
First, Second and Third streets. The east-west streets, beginning at
the south side, were named Commerce, Main, Franklin, Washington and
Jefferson streets.
Washington Street was
later named College Street.
A little more than 11
years after Clarksville’s founding, in 1796, Tennessee gained its
statehood. Present day Montgomery and Robertson counties were then
called Tennessee County.
The two counties were
split and renamed Montgomery and Robertson to honor the two men who
helped open the region for settlement.
During this period,
the region’s agriculture and trade flourished. Tobacco, cotton and
corn were exported on the river to ports in New Orleans and
Pittsburgh.
Four main dirt roads
leading to and from town — two heading to Nashville, Kentucky Road
crossing the Red River via ferry, and Russellville Road.
By 1819, there were 22
stores in town, including a bakery and silversmith.
County Courthouse
James Adams built the
county’s first courthouse — out of logs — in 1796 at the corner of
present-day Washington Street and Riverside Drive.
A second courthouse
was erected in 1805, and a year later the Tennessee Legislature
ordered a third courthouse be built. Henry Small provided the county
with the land on which to build the third one.
In 1811, the fourth
courthouse, the first brick one, was built on the east half of Public
Square. Martin Armstrong donated the land for the building.
In 1843, a courthouse
was built in the north side of Franklin Street. It, along with 15
acres of the downtown business district, was destroyed in an April 13,
1878, fire, known as the “Great Fire of 1878.”
The cornerstone of the
current courthouse, between Second and Third Streets, was laid on May
16, 1879. The building was designed by C.G. Rosenplanter for $100,000.
Five years later, the
first of several disasters struck the building when a tornado touched
down and damaged the roof. The building was rebuilt.
On March 12, 1900, the
court-house’s upper floors were gutted and the clock tower destroyed
in a fire. Afterwards, many citizens wanted to tear the edifice down
and replace it with a safer, more modern structure.
Judge C.W. Tyler
refused. And the courthouse was repaired, using insurance proceeds.
Almost a century
later, on Jan. 22, 1999, the courthouse was once again severely
damaged in a tornado.
Like they had in 1900,
county officials grappled with what should be done about the building.
As they did in 1900, they decided to rebuild the courthouse.
On Jan 22, 2003, the
building was rededicated as a county office building. A new Courts
Center was built behind the historic building.
The town needs a
newspaper
The first newspaper in
Clarksville, and in the state of Tennessee, was The Clarksville
Chronicle, which started publication in 1808, though no editions
now exist prior to 1811.
Later, a second
newspaper, The Tobacco Leaf, appeared, sparked by the area’s
growing reputation as a hub of tobacco growing and shipping.
The early newspapers
were basic four-page journals devoted to political news and
advertising. As these papers grew and developed, they became more
complete publications, featuring more news and community information.
Political views also
found their ways into the journals’ pages.
In 1890, The
Clarksville Chronicle and The Tobacco Leaf merged, forming
The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle. In the 1970s, the name was
shortened to The Leaf-Chronicle, as the newspaper’s coverage
area grew.
“The Clarksville
Leaf-Chronicle and its forerunners were continuously well aware of
their responsibilities regarding community leadership,” Lewis Hyatt
wrote in his 1958 doctoral dissertation commemorating the newspaper’s
150th anniversary.
“They were ever ready
to complain about the community needs and suggest improvements for
Clarksville and Montgomery County,” he continued. “They were also
ready to compliment and praise those things that had been accomplished
in the community. Those newspapers showed that they were regularly
aware of the status, needs, and possibilities of the Clarksville and
Montgomery County community.”
Other now-defunct
newspapers, including The Clarksville Jeffersonian and The
Clarksville Star, also published in Clarksville.
Railroads steam
into town
The first railroad
through Clarksville was the Memphis, Clarksville & Louisville
Railroad, which began service Oct. 1, 1859. The line eventually
connected with other railroads at Paris, Tenn., and Guthrie, Ky.
After service
interruption during the Civil War and an 11-day strike that began Feb.
6, 1868, the railroad’s financial woes mounted. In 1872, the railroad
was purchased by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, which had been
leasing the road since 1868.
The Louisville &
Nashville Railroad operated trains between Guthrie and Memphis as its
Memphis Branch. Traffic continued to decline, and the last passenger
train, the “Night Train to Memphis,” stopped at Clarksville in
February 1968. Freight service continued over the line into the
following decades.
CSX, the subsequent
owner of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, sold the line to R.J.
Corman in 1987 and the regional railroad still operates trains over
the line.
A second railroad —
The Indiana, Alabama and Texas Railroad, incorporated on Feb. 22, 1882
— operated a 36-mile line between Clarksville and Gracey, Ky. The line
was subsequently purchased by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad.
A third railroad — The
Tennessee Central Railway — opened in 1903 and connected Harriman and
Hopkinsville, Ky. Trains, mostly freight, operated over the line until
Sept. 1 1968, when the Illinois Central Gulf assumed operations
between Hopkinsville and Nashville. The Interstate Commerce Commission
granted the ICG’s application for abandonment in October 1981.
A portion of the
former Tennessee Central’s line, between Ashland City and Nashville,
is still in use as a short line railroad.
Racial tensions and
the Civil War
By 1859, the
population of Clarksville and Montgomery County had grown to more than
20,000, and large numbers of slaves worked the tobacco fields. Sensing
the potential unrest, the town’s first constables were installed to
“control the slaves.”
Free black residents
also called Clarksville home during the 1800s. Early in the century,
they faced being jailed if they did not possess their “free papers.”
By 1830, there were 4,555 free black people living in Tennessee,
mostly in the middle and eastern sections. That year, the City Council
passed an ordinance that ordered free blacks to leave town or go to
jail. But the law was not strictly enforced.
At the same time, the
issues of slavery and states’ rights shifted to the forefront of
political consciousness. Clarksville and Montgomery County voted
2,632-32 in 1861 to secede from the Union and join the Confederate
States of America. In Clarksville, the vote was 561-1 in favor of
withdrawing from the Union.
The area’s ties to the
CSA were strong. The eventual president of the CSA, Jefferson Davis,
was born on June 3, 1808, in what is now Todd County, Ky. And
Clarksville’s location made it an important city for both the
Confederacy and the Union.
Confederate Gen.
Albert Sidney Johnston set up a defense line nearby that ultimately
faltered in February 1862. Johnston realized that if the Cumberland
River should fall into Union hands, enemy gunboats would have free
reign to move deeper into Confederate territory. Union troops could
then easily destroy railway bridges crossing the river, thus disabling
Confederate supply lines.
Just as Johnston
anticipated, the Union sent troops and gunboats to take control of the
town. Nearby Confederate embankments — Fort Henry and Fort Donelson —
soon fell into Union control. From 1862 until the end of the war in
1865, Clarksville was primarily in Union hands, but at times
Confederate troops controlled the town.
As slaves were
liberated throughout the course of the war, many gathered in
Clarksville, and by 1864 there were about 9,500 former slaves in the
county. Many took up arms with the Union Army, which organized
all-black regiments, while hundreds lived in a shanty town along the
Cumberland River.
In 1864, the town held
elections for sheriff, register of deeds and court clerk.
Politics continued to
be a hot topic during the Reconstruction era. Residents dealt with
issues such as the authorization of police power, mob rule and the
destruction of private property.
Turn of the century
The modern era of
Clarksville was welcomed in 1902 when the first automobile drove into
town.
Over the next three
decades, residents would welcome in theaters, bus service and
aviation.
With the advent of
World War I, residents here exemplified the Volunteer State nickname
when a call to soldiers went out. On June 7, 1917, more than 2,500 men
answered the call to join the Tennessee Infantry.
At the same time,
woman’s suffrage began, and local women left their mark on history.
Most notably, Mrs. Frank J. Runyon established the First Woman’s Bank
of Tennessee in 1919.
Austin Peay State
University
An act of the General
Assembly created Austin Peay Normal School — named after the Tennessee
governor — as a two-year junior college and teacher-training
institution in 1927. Twelve years later, the state Board of Education
authorized the school to inaugurate a curriculum leading to the
bachelor of science degree. The degree was first conferred during
graduation for the Class of 1942.
Austin Peay State
University’s plot of land has long been associated with education.
Rural Academy first occupied the land from 1806 until 1810. From 1811
until 1824, the site served as home to Mount Pleasant Academy.
Clarksville Academy called it home from 1825 until 1848. From 1849
until 1850, the land was home to Masonic College and then Montgomery
County Masonic College until 1854. From 1855 until 1874, it was
Stewart College. Southwestern Presbyterian College occupied the site
until 1925.
Fort Campbell
The look of
Clarksville changed forever on Feb. 4, 1942. That day, construction
began on Camp Campbell, and by the end of the year, the reservation
was developed, able to accommodate about 23,000 troops — one armored
division and various support troops.
The following summer,
the post’s initial cadre — consisting of one officer and 19 enlisted
men — arrived from Fort Knox, Ky. The post served as a training ground
for the 12th, 14th and 20th Armored Divisions, Headquarters IV Armored
Corps and the 26th Infantry Division.
The camp was
redesignated Fort Campbell on April 15, 1950, and became a permanent
installation.
The post’s most famous
unit — the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) — was activated on
Aug. 15, 1942. Four days later, the unit’s first commander, Maj. Gen.
William C. Lee, promised his new recruits that although the unit had
no history, it had a “rendezvous with destiny.”
Over the years, Fort
Campbell soldiers have been deployed to many parts of the world.
Soldiers have taken part in military efforts as well as supported
humanitarian relief in Rwanda and Somalia, then later supplied
peacekeepers to Haiti and Bosnia. In recent years, the 101st has
played a key role in Afghanistan and Iraq missions.
Tornadoes
Montgomery County has
a history of deadly tornadoes.
The deadliest came on
April 27, 1970, according to the National Weather Service. Three
people were killed here and 85 were injured in the F4 that touched
down at 2 p.m. and ripped a 42-mile-long path through Montgomery,
Robertson and Sumner counties.
At about 4:15 a.m.
Jan. 22, 1999, an F3 tornado struck downtown and later dissipated near
St. Bethlehem. That tornado destroyed much of the historic downtown
area, leaving residents and businesses alike to rebuild. A total of
124 buildings were destroyed and 562 buildings were damaged for $72.64
million in damages.
The tornado — which
lasted five minutes — left a 4.3-mile-long, 880-yard-wide path.
Despite the massive damage to property, only five injuries were
reported — two of them for broken bones. As many as 25,000 people were
left without power.
Like they had after
other natural disasters, residents vowed to rebuild the city, which is
evident today in new buildings springing up throughout downtown.
Published in the 2003
edition of The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle's Fact Book.
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