Butler, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Butler is an unincorporated community
in Johnson County in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state
of Tennessee
. It is located near Watauga Lake
. Butler is served by a post office
, assigned ZIP Code
37640.
at its confluence
with the Watauga River
. Settlement began in 1768. For many years the community was called Smith's Mill for the gristmill
that Ezekial “Zeke” Smith built on the bank of Roan Creek in 1820. After the Civil War
, it was renamed in honor of Colonel Roderick R. Butler
of Johnson County, who then represented the area in the state legislature
and had been a commander in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry
in the Union Army
.
Aenon Seminary, a secondary school
, was established in Butler in 1871. It later became Holly Spring College, offering education up to a bachelor's degree
, and enrolling as many as 200 students. In 1906 it was purchased by the Watauga Baptist Association, which renamed it Watauga Academy. It operated under that name until 1948, when the town was inundated by the formation of Watauga Lake.
Butler was the birthplace of U.S. Congressmen B. Carroll Reece
of Tennessee and Robert R. Butler
of Oregon
(grandson of the town's namesake).
(TVA) began the construction of the Watauga Dam
in 1942 which created the Watauga Lake. The construction was delayed because of the ongoing World War II, but was finished in 1948 when the water steadily began rising and the town slowly became submerged under the lake. Butler was the only incorporated town
inundated by a TVA reservoir. In 1948, before the reservoir was filled, the town, which at the time had a population of about 600 and included more than 125 homes and 50 businesses, was relocated to higher ground. The relocation project required construction of 54.9 miles (88.4 km) of roads and highways, three bridges, and 66 miles (106.2 km) of utility lines, as well as relocation of 1,281 grave
s. The town's new site is located on Tennessee State Route 67
at 36.35682°N 82.03015°W.
The original town is now known as "Old Butler." Old Butler, called “the town that wouldn’t drown,” is commemorated in a museum
in Butler and by "Old Butler Days" which is an annual festival held each year in August right in the heart of the town. In 1983, a drawdown of the lake exposed the remains of Old Butler for a brief time, allowing former residents to visit the site.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Johnson County in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It is located near Watauga Lake
Watauga Lake
Watauga Lake, located southeast of Elizabethton, Tennessee, was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority with the completion of the TVA Watauga Dam and Reservoir....
. Butler is served by a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, assigned ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
37640.
Early history
The town was originally located on Roan CreekRoan Creek
Roan Creek rises on the Tennessee and North Carolina border, in Johnson County, Tennessee, near the town of Trade, Tennessee. It flows through Cherokee National Forest to join the Watauga River in Watauga Lake, the reservoir behind Watauga Dam....
at its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the Watauga River
Watauga River
The Watauga River is a large stream of western North Carolina and East Tennessee. It is 60 miles long with its headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain and Peak Mountain in Watauga County, North Carolina.-Hydrography:...
. Settlement began in 1768. For many years the community was called Smith's Mill for the gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
that Ezekial “Zeke” Smith built on the bank of Roan Creek in 1820. After the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, it was renamed in honor of Colonel Roderick R. Butler
Roderick R. Butler
Roderick Randum Butler was an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 1st congressional district of Tennessee.-Biography:...
of Johnson County, who then represented the area in the state legislature
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
and had been a commander in the 13th Tennessee Cavalry
13th Regiment Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry
The 13th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a cavalry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment was originally designated 12th Tennessee Volunteer Cavalry, but was changed by order of Governor Andrew Johnson on December 31, 1863.-Service:The 13th...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
.
Aenon Seminary, a secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
, was established in Butler in 1871. It later became Holly Spring College, offering education up to a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, and enrolling as many as 200 students. In 1906 it was purchased by the Watauga Baptist Association, which renamed it Watauga Academy. It operated under that name until 1948, when the town was inundated by the formation of Watauga Lake.
Butler was the birthplace of U.S. Congressmen B. Carroll Reece
B. Carroll Reece
Brazilla Carroll Reece was a U.S. Representative from Tennessee.-Early life and career:Reece was born on a farm near Butler, Tennessee, one of thirteen children of John Isaac and Sarah Maples Reece...
of Tennessee and Robert R. Butler
Robert R. Butler
Robert Reyburn Butler was a U.S. Representative from Oregon, grandson of Roderick Randum Butler. He also served in the Oregon State Senate and as a state circuit court judge in Oregon.-Early life:...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
(grandson of the town's namesake).
Inundation and relocation
The original town of Butler was subject to frequent flooding, experiencing major floods in 1867, 1886, 1901, 1902, 1916, 1924, and 1940. The Tennessee Valley AuthorityTennessee Valley Authority
The Tennessee Valley Authority is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development in the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected...
(TVA) began the construction of the Watauga Dam
Watauga Dam
Watauga Dam is a hydroelectric and flood control dam on the Watauga River in Carter County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority, which built the dam in the 1940s as part of efforts to control flooding in the Tennessee River watershed...
in 1942 which created the Watauga Lake. The construction was delayed because of the ongoing World War II, but was finished in 1948 when the water steadily began rising and the town slowly became submerged under the lake. Butler was the only incorporated town
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
inundated by a TVA reservoir. In 1948, before the reservoir was filled, the town, which at the time had a population of about 600 and included more than 125 homes and 50 businesses, was relocated to higher ground. The relocation project required construction of 54.9 miles (88.4 km) of roads and highways, three bridges, and 66 miles (106.2 km) of utility lines, as well as relocation of 1,281 grave
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
s. The town's new site is located on Tennessee State Route 67
Tennessee State Route 67
State Route 67 is a state-maintained highway in northeastern Tennessee, including a four-lane divided highway segments in both Washington County and Carter County, and part of a significant two-lane segment passing over the Butler Bridge some above the TVA Watauga Reservoir near Butler in Johnson...
at 36.35682°N 82.03015°W.
The original town is now known as "Old Butler." Old Butler, called “the town that wouldn’t drown,” is commemorated in a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
in Butler and by "Old Butler Days" which is an annual festival held each year in August right in the heart of the town. In 1983, a drawdown of the lake exposed the remains of Old Butler for a brief time, allowing former residents to visit the site.
Further reading
- Calhoun, Russ (1998). Lost Heritage: The People of Old Butler, Tennessee and the Watauga Valley. Overmountain Press. 387 pages. ISBN 978-1570720819
- Depew, Michael and Lanette (2005). Old Butler (TN) (Images of America). Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738541716