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    Jefferson City
    Jefferson City
    Jefferson City
    Ebook195 pages56 minutes

    Jefferson City

    By Linda T. Gass and Albert L. Lang

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    About this ebook

    In 1788, Adam and Elizabeth Peck followed the Holston River from Virginia into east Tennessee and settled in what would become Mossy Creek. Utilizing the waterway, the Pecks gristmill thrived within a growing community. The outbreak of the Civil War brought the Battle of Mossy Creek on December 29, 1863. During the next century, zinc mining, the establishment of Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary (now Carson-Newman University), and the town s inclusion as a stop on the new railroad ushered a steady flow of people to this picturesque region of promise. In 1901, Mossy Creek joined the Carsonville and Frame Addition communities to be incorporated as Jefferson City. The Tennessee Valley Authority began work in 1940 on nearby Cherokee Dam, generating both jobs and tourism.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateNov 24, 2014
    ISBN9781439649046
    Jefferson City
    Author

    Linda T. Gass

    Images from Carson-Newman University�s archives, private collections, and various businesses and city services tell the story of this historical, scenic town located at the feet of the Smoky Mountains. A lifelong resident of Jefferson City, Linda T. Gass worked at Carson-Newman University from 1973 until her retirement from cataloging in 2003, when she assumed the role of archives assistant. Albert L. Lang has served as special collections librarian and university archivist since 1996.

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      Book preview

      Jefferson City - Linda T. Gass

      me.

      INTRODUCTION

      In 1972, David and Holly Franke listed Jefferson City in their book Safe Places as one of the safest places to live in America, stating that crime was low, beauty abundant, and plenty of recreational areas exist for the whole family. One wonders how Adam and Elizabeth Peck would have reacted. Little did they realize they would be credited with being the first settlers of the community this was written about over 180 years later. Leaving Virginia, they traveled southward down the Holston River, arriving in 1788 on the banks of Mossy Creek. Named for its plentiful and distinctive moss growth, the area would become home. Finding the remains of a crudely built fort, they had temporary shelter until they could construct a log cabin. Utilizing the five-mile-long waterway’s power, they built a gristmill that served an ever-growing area.

      With the arrival of additional settlers, Elizabeth Peck asked Adam to build a place of worship. Completed in 1790, it was named Elizabeth’s Chapel. One of the Pecks’ slaves, Uncle John, whom Elizabeth had taught to read, was selected to be the area’s first regular preacher, serving black and white parishioners of various denominations.

      The region continued to grow, and on June 11, 1792, Gov. William Blount signed the ordinance creating Jefferson and Knox Counties out of Greene and Hawkins Counties. A Revolutionary War veteran, Adam Peck became a member of the initial Tennessee Assembly, which drafted Tennessee’s constitution in 1796. Peck also served as one of Jefferson County’s justices of the peace, and was also one of Knoxville’s founders.

      Carson-Newman University had its beginnings on Mossy Creek’s east bank in 1851, as Baptists sought to offer better-prepared ministers to local congregations. Founded as Mossy Creek Missionary Baptist Seminary, the school was named Carson College in 1880 and existed for several years alongside Newman College, a separate facility for the education of women. In 1889, the two colleges united as one of the first coeducational Baptist institutions. Over 160 years later, the university continues to prepare students academically and spiritually, steeped in the ideals of truth, beauty, and goodness.

      In the early 1830s, zinc ore was discovered east of Mossy Creek, but it was not until 1854 that Benjamin Branner established what was considered the first operational mine. The East Tennessee Zinc Company took over control in 1867, and during the ensuing decades, three major mining companies worked mines in the area: the American Zinc Company of Tennessee, the Universal Exploration Company (a subsidiary of US Steel), and the New Jersey Zinc Company. At one time, the Jefferson City mine located off Highway 92 was the second-largest zinc producer in the nation.

      In 1858, the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad route from Bristol to Knoxville was completed, helping provide easier access to cities east and west. John Roper Branner gave the land for the right-of-way through Mossy Creek but insisted that all passenger trains would stop at the local station. Passengers would arrive via railroad until the mid-1950s.

      Mossy Creek did not escape the Civil War. The Confederate army had controlled Knoxville from the time of Tennessee’s secession from the Union on June 8, 1861. In September, Gen. Ambrose Burnside liberated the city, but on November 17 Gen. James Longstreet laid siege to Knoxville in an attempt to reclaim it for the Confederacy. Defeated, Longstreet turned his army eastward. Several skirmishes ensued over the next month, including the Battle of Mossy Creek, on December 29, 1863. Although a moral victory for the Union, neither side advanced their position despite seven hours of fighting and over 500 casualties.

      In the ensuing decades, two other communities sprang up around Mossy Creek. The Carsonville section, to the south, was named after Carson & Peak General Merchandise owner J.R.N. Carson. The Frame Addition community was to the west and was named after real estate investor and newspaperman Sam M. Frame. Although separated by farmland, these communities joined with Mossy Creek and were incorporated as Jefferson City in February 1901.

      The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) began buying up land for the creation of a dam and Cherokee Lake during the late 1930s. Reluctantly, many people gave up their homes and farms for the promise of electricity and flood control. Construction brought many people to Jefferson City, and it continued to grow. Completed in 1940, the lake became a favorite recreational spot for locals and tourists.

      In 1976, the city celebrated its diamond jubilee in conjunction with the nation’s bicentennial. In 2001, the city celebrated its centennial, while Carson-Newman enjoyed its sesquicentennial. Over 225 years after Adam and Elizabeth Peck’s arrival, the community they began is still growing and flourishing. Revitalization efforts are under way in the historic downtown area, as well as other civic improvements. The city’s official website nicely sums up its current community outlook: Civic pride in Jefferson City is reflected in the city’s ongoing efforts to build a better future, while striving to retain meaningful connections to its past. The Pecks would be proud.

      One

      SETTLERS ON THE BANKS

      FOUNDATIONS AND

      HISTORICAL HAPPENINGS

      Once providing the name for what is now Jefferson City, Mossy Creek is a five-mile-long waterway that winds its way northeastward to meet the Holston River. From the time of the area’s earliest settlers, the creek provided a means of survival and growth. The Pecks used its waters for their gristmill in the 1780s, while Carson-Newman University had its beginnings on its east bank in 1851. Although it is reduced in size, its influence and heritage are still felt today.

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