SEWANEE – ECHOES OF ITS PAST, is a
collection of stories about Sewanee, Tennessee and its people. Many of the stories are from descendants of
early settlers including their family’s history.
The early Cumberland Plateau settlers can
be described as the hardy adventurous type willing to settle in a rugged
mountain wilderness, even when towns such as Winchester and Salem, Tennessee
were already established and thriving.
(Sometimes referred to as Old Salem, it was located south of
Winchester. I believe that it was the
first town built in Franklin County. It
was destroyed by fire and never rebuilt.)
When the Episcopalians came to build their
church university in the late 1850’s and early 1860’s, there was the railroad,
three stage coach inns, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill, a trading post, a
boarding house for sawmill and railroad workers, and one known small settlement
on the Sewanee Mountain. There was no
town, and no record of a church or a school.
People living at Sewanee during the Civil
War felt the wrath of the Union soldiers and their sympathizers or “homemade
Yankees,” as they were called by some of the residents. Matilda Smith, whose husband died during the
war, lived through many hardships brought on by the “boys in blue.” Included in the book is her story, as told by
her grandson. It is a very compelling
story and gives an excellent view of what took place in Sewanee at that time.
After the Civil War, when all the
structures associated with the University of the South were destroyed, Bishop
Charles Todd Quintard, came to the mountain.
Through his efforts, the town of Sewanee and University of the South
became a reality on that wilderness mountain.
Stories of Sewanee as told by descendants
of those early settlers, provide an insight into what the area was really like
during its early years. Because of these
stories, there is more known about Sewanee than in the past.
Each
book costs $15.00 (which includes shipping & handling).