Fort Blount
Encyclopedia
Fort Blount was a frontier fort and federal outpost located along the Cumberland River
in Jackson County, Tennessee, USA. Situated at the point where Avery's Trace crossed the river, the fort provided an important stopover for migrants and merchants travelling from the Knoxville
area to the Nashville
area in the 1790s. After the fort was demolished around 1800, the community of Williamsburg developed in its vicinity, and served as the county seat for the newly formed Jackson County between 1807 and 1819. The fort and village sites were added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974.
Constructed in 1788, Avery's Trace crossed the Cumberland at a natural river ford
known as "Crossing of the Cumberland," where sandbars made it possible to wade across the river for much of the year. A ferry
was established at the crossing in 1791, and the following year a blockhouse
was built at the ferry on the river's east bank. In 1794, a larger fort was built overlooking the ferry on the west bank of the river. The fort, eventually named for Southwest Territory
governor William Blount
, was garrisoned by militia and later federal soldiers until 1798. Excavations conducted by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology
between 1989 and 1994 uncovered the fort's location and provided evidence for its layout.
). The embankment is at the eastern end of a peninsula created by a bend in the river known as Smith's Bend. Smith's Bend Road, which intersects Tennessee State Highway 53 in the Gladdis community about 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Gainesboro
, traverses the peninsula and provides the chief road access to the area.
The old Williamsburg community was located in the vicinity of the Williams Cemetery (which contains the graves of early settler Sampson Williams and his wife, Margaret), about 1500 feet (457.2 m) southwest of the Fort Blount site. The Fort Blount Ferry was located near the end of Smith's Bend Road, which it connected to the Flynn Creek community on the opposite side of the river. Most of Smith's Bend is private farmland, although the Army Corps of Engineers
, which built Cordell Hull Dam, manages several recreational areas along the peninsula's lakeshore.
with the Mero District in what is now Middle Tennessee
, making it easier for travellers to cross the rugged Cumberland Plateau region
that divided the two areas. Known as Avery's Trace, this road crossed the Cumberland River at a natural ford known as the "Crossing of the Cumberland" in what is now western Jackson County, but at the time was at the eastern edge of Sumner County
. In 1791, Sampson Williams (1762–1841), an early Nashville pioneer and sheriff of Davidson County
, was granted permission to operate a ferry at this crossing.
The flood of settlers arriving in Middle Tennessee agitated the already-heightened tensions between Native Americans and Euro-American settlers, and Native American attacks on migrants rose sharply. A series of small forts, or "stations," were built throughout Middle Tennessee in the 1780s and 1790s. In 1792, Governor William Blount instructed Williams to raise a force and construct a blockhouse at the Crossing of the Cumberland. The blockhouse, located on the east side of the river opposite the Fort Blount site, was completed in late 1792 or early 1793, possibly with help from a detachment led by Major Hugh Beard, and was thus sometimes referred to as "Beard's blockhouse." Williams was commissioned as a lieutenant to command the garrison, which consisted of at least seven "volunteer" militiamen.
In 1794, Secretary of War Henry Knox
— who believed blockhouses provided inadequate protection— suggested Blount replace the Cumberland crossing blockhouse with a large fort. The new fort was completed in 1794 and had been named "Fort Blount" by mid-1795. Sampson Williams, who had established a tavern at the ferry, agreed to provide provisions for the fort's garrison. The fort's militia garrison was commanded by William Gillespie for most of 1795 and by Oliver Williams (brother of Sampson) in 1796. After Tennessee was admitted as a state in 1796, Governor John Sevier
discharged the militia garrison, and by mid-1797 a federal garrison commanded by Captain William Rickard had been installed at Fort Blount. The federal garrison, the purpose of which may have been to guard temporary supply lines, lasted only a few months, and by February 1798 the fort had been abandoned.
In 1796, French botanist André Michaux
was lodging at Fort Blount when he discovered the rare American yellowwood tree in the surrounding forests. The following year, future French king Louis-Philippe
passed through Fort Blount, and reported that the fort was being modified or replaced. In 1802, Michaux's son, François André Michaux
(1770–1855), who was travelling with prominent early Middle Tennessean Moses Fiske, stayed at the Williams place, and reported that Fort Blount had been demolished.
Along with the courthouse and jail, which were completed in 1808, Williamsburg grew to include a hotel, a general store, and at least five houses, along with the Fort Blount Ferry. Residents in the eastern part of Jackson County, however, began to complain about the county seat's location on the other side of the county, which for them required a 2-day trip. In 1818, Jackson County residents voted to move the seat to a more central location, and the city of Gainesboro was established as the new county seat near the center of the county. Williamsburg was de-incorporated in 1820.
In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the area for the construction of Cordell Hull Dam (located several miles downstream near Carthage
). Using old maps and land grant boundaries, the Corps identified a 125 acres (50.6 ha) plot believed to have been the site of Fort Blount and Williamsburg, and in 1974 placed this plot on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Fort Blount-Williamsburg site." Later research and excavations conducted by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, however, placed both Fort Blount and Williamsburg just outside the listing's boundaries.
The largest structural remnant found by excavators, known as "Building 1," consisted of a 21 feet (6.4 m) by 21 feet (6.4 m) limestone foundation that once supported a wooden structure. Excavators determined this structure to be a blockhouse, based on its size, square shape, and the design of contemporary blockhouses. Just west of Building 1 was "Building 2," only a few remains of which survived, most notably a chimney. Although its purpose is indeterminable, excavators suggested it may have been a kitchen. Slightly northeast of Building 1 was "Building 3," which had a foundation that measured 13 feet (4 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m). The remains of two hearths and evidence that a wooden structure hung over one of the hearths suggest that this was a smokehouse
.
Evidence for an outer wall surrounding all three structures was provided by postholes and vegetation lines. Four postholes aligned with the chimney wall of Building 2 may be remains of the western wall, and a noticeable vegetation line to the north of the structures may have been caused by what was once the fort's northern wall. The southern wall was indicated by three aligned postholes, one of which was relatively large and may have been one side of the fort's gate. The eastern wall was less apparent, but may have been aligned with the smokehouse's eastern wall. If conjecture regarding these findings is correct, the fort had dimensions of 120 feet (36.6 m) by 90 feet (27.4 m).
Prehistoric artifacts indicate the site was used as early as the Paleo-Indian period, and used extensively during the Middle Woodland period
(c. 500 BC - 500 AD). Most of the site's historic-period artifacts consisted of the remains of glass containers and tableware. A number of Spanish coins— which were common on the Tennessee frontier— were recovered at the site, including one dating to 1781. Gun parts and ammunition were scant, but included lead balls, leadshot, and gunflints and flintlock parts. A pewter button found in Building 1's cellar dates to 1800 or later, and indicates that the fort likely stood until at least 1800. Excavators uncovered at least three items that were used specifically on soldiers' uniforms in the 1790s.
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
in Jackson County, Tennessee, USA. Situated at the point where Avery's Trace crossed the river, the fort provided an important stopover for migrants and merchants travelling from the Knoxville
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
area to the Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
area in the 1790s. After the fort was demolished around 1800, the community of Williamsburg developed in its vicinity, and served as the county seat for the newly formed Jackson County between 1807 and 1819. The fort and village sites were added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974.
Constructed in 1788, Avery's Trace crossed the Cumberland at a natural river ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
known as "Crossing of the Cumberland," where sandbars made it possible to wade across the river for much of the year. A ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
was established at the crossing in 1791, and the following year a blockhouse
Blockhouse
In military science, a blockhouse is a small, isolated fort in the form of a single building. It serves as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess siege equipment or, in modern times, artillery...
was built at the ferry on the river's east bank. In 1794, a larger fort was built overlooking the ferry on the west bank of the river. The fort, eventually named for Southwest Territory
Southwest Territory
The Territory South of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Southwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1790, until June 1, 1796, when it was admitted to the United States as the State of Tennessee.The Southwest Territory was...
governor William Blount
William Blount
William Blount, was a United States statesman. He was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention for North Carolina, the first and only governor of the Southwest Territory, and Democratic-Republican Senator from Tennessee . He played a major role in establishing the state of Tennessee. He was the...
, was garrisoned by militia and later federal soldiers until 1798. Excavations conducted by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology
Tennessee Division of Archaeology
The Tennessee Division of Archaeology is a division of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation responsible for managing prehistoric archaeological sites on lands owned by the U.S...
between 1989 and 1994 uncovered the fort's location and provided evidence for its layout.
Location
The Fort Blount site is located on an embankment overlooking the west side of the Cumberland River approximately 340 miles (547.2 km) above the mouth of the river (this section of the river is now part of Cordell Hull LakeCordell Hull Lake
- External links :* *...
). The embankment is at the eastern end of a peninsula created by a bend in the river known as Smith's Bend. Smith's Bend Road, which intersects Tennessee State Highway 53 in the Gladdis community about 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Gainesboro
Gainesboro, Tennessee
Gainesboro is a town in Jackson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 879 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Jackson County.Gainesboro is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, traverses the peninsula and provides the chief road access to the area.
The old Williamsburg community was located in the vicinity of the Williams Cemetery (which contains the graves of early settler Sampson Williams and his wife, Margaret), about 1500 feet (457.2 m) southwest of the Fort Blount site. The Fort Blount Ferry was located near the end of Smith's Bend Road, which it connected to the Flynn Creek community on the opposite side of the river. Most of Smith's Bend is private farmland, although the Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
, which built Cordell Hull Dam, manages several recreational areas along the peninsula's lakeshore.
Fort Blount
In 1788, the governor of North Carolina commissioned the construction of a road to connect the Washington District in what is now East TennesseeEast Tennessee
East Tennessee is a name given to approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. East Tennessee consists of 33 counties, 30 located within the Eastern Time Zone and three counties in the Central Time Zone, namely...
with the Mero District in what is now Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
, making it easier for travellers to cross the rugged Cumberland Plateau region
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
that divided the two areas. Known as Avery's Trace, this road crossed the Cumberland River at a natural ford known as the "Crossing of the Cumberland" in what is now western Jackson County, but at the time was at the eastern edge of Sumner County
Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville...
. In 1791, Sampson Williams (1762–1841), an early Nashville pioneer and sheriff of Davidson County
Davidson County, Tennessee
Davidson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2010, the population was 626,681. Its county seat is Nashville.In 1963, the City of Nashville and the Davidson County government merged, so the county government is now known as the "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and...
, was granted permission to operate a ferry at this crossing.
The flood of settlers arriving in Middle Tennessee agitated the already-heightened tensions between Native Americans and Euro-American settlers, and Native American attacks on migrants rose sharply. A series of small forts, or "stations," were built throughout Middle Tennessee in the 1780s and 1790s. In 1792, Governor William Blount instructed Williams to raise a force and construct a blockhouse at the Crossing of the Cumberland. The blockhouse, located on the east side of the river opposite the Fort Blount site, was completed in late 1792 or early 1793, possibly with help from a detachment led by Major Hugh Beard, and was thus sometimes referred to as "Beard's blockhouse." Williams was commissioned as a lieutenant to command the garrison, which consisted of at least seven "volunteer" militiamen.
In 1794, Secretary of War Henry Knox
Henry Knox
Henry Knox was a military officer of the Continental Army and later the United States Army, and also served as the first United States Secretary of War....
— who believed blockhouses provided inadequate protection— suggested Blount replace the Cumberland crossing blockhouse with a large fort. The new fort was completed in 1794 and had been named "Fort Blount" by mid-1795. Sampson Williams, who had established a tavern at the ferry, agreed to provide provisions for the fort's garrison. The fort's militia garrison was commanded by William Gillespie for most of 1795 and by Oliver Williams (brother of Sampson) in 1796. After Tennessee was admitted as a state in 1796, Governor John Sevier
John Sevier
John Sevier served four years as the only governor of the State of Franklin and twelve years as Governor of Tennessee. As a U.S. Representative from Tennessee from 1811 until his death...
discharged the militia garrison, and by mid-1797 a federal garrison commanded by Captain William Rickard had been installed at Fort Blount. The federal garrison, the purpose of which may have been to guard temporary supply lines, lasted only a few months, and by February 1798 the fort had been abandoned.
In 1796, French botanist André Michaux
André Michaux
André Michaux was a French botanist and explorer.-Biography:Michaux was born in Satory, now part of Versailles, Yvelines. After the death of his wife within a year of their marriage he took up the study of botany and was a student of Bernard de Jussieu...
was lodging at Fort Blount when he discovered the rare American yellowwood tree in the surrounding forests. The following year, future French king Louis-Philippe
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
passed through Fort Blount, and reported that the fort was being modified or replaced. In 1802, Michaux's son, François André Michaux
François André Michaux
François André Michaux was a French botanist, son of André Michaux. He accompanied his father to the United States, and his Histoire des arbres forestiers de l'Amérique septentrionale contains the results of his explorations and gives an account of the distribution and the scientific...
(1770–1855), who was travelling with prominent early Middle Tennessean Moses Fiske, stayed at the Williams place, and reported that Fort Blount had been demolished.
Williamsburg
After the departure of the federal garrison, Sampson Williams purchased most of the Fort Blount property and adjacent lands, where he established a sizeable plantation. In 1800, the "Fort Blount" post office was created with Williams as post master. Between 1800 and 1805, Williams' lands were part of Smith County, and the Smith County court convened at Williams' place on several occasions. In 1805, however, county boundaries were redrawn, and the revisions placed the Williams farm in Jackson County. The following year, the Tennessee state legislature authorized the purchased of a 60 acres (24.3 ha) plot of the Williams farm for the creation of a county seat. The new town was incorporated as "Williamsburg" in 1807.Along with the courthouse and jail, which were completed in 1808, Williamsburg grew to include a hotel, a general store, and at least five houses, along with the Fort Blount Ferry. Residents in the eastern part of Jackson County, however, began to complain about the county seat's location on the other side of the county, which for them required a 2-day trip. In 1818, Jackson County residents voted to move the seat to a more central location, and the city of Gainesboro was established as the new county seat near the center of the county. Williamsburg was de-incorporated in 1820.
Later history
After the county seat's removal, Sampson Williams purchased the old courthouse, which he may have modified for use as an elaborate residence, and continued to operate an inn and ferry at the site. His plantation eventually grew to include several hundred acres and several dozen slaves. After his death in 1841, his plantation passed to his son-in-law, Andrew McClellan. Upon McClellan's death in 1850, the farm was placed in a trust for the McClellan children. The children sold the land to John Pruett in 1869, and when Pruett died in 1879, the farm passed to his daughter Sallie and son-in-law James Fox. It remained in the hands of the Fox family until the mid-20th century. The Fox house, which appears on a 1931 map of the area, may have been located on the site of the old courthouse. The Fort Blount Ferry operated until 1974.In the early 1960s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed the area for the construction of Cordell Hull Dam (located several miles downstream near Carthage
Carthage, Tennessee
Carthage is a town in Smith County, Tennessee, United States, and is part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,251 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Smith County, and perhaps best known as the hometown of former Vice President Al Gore, and his father,...
). Using old maps and land grant boundaries, the Corps identified a 125 acres (50.6 ha) plot believed to have been the site of Fort Blount and Williamsburg, and in 1974 placed this plot on the National Register of Historic Places as the "Fort Blount-Williamsburg site." Later research and excavations conducted by the Tennessee Division of Archaeology, however, placed both Fort Blount and Williamsburg just outside the listing's boundaries.
Archaeological investigations
Between 1989 and 1994, Samuel Smith of the Tennessee Division of Archaeology led a team that conducted extensive excavations of the Fort Blount-Williamsburg site, designated 40JK125. The excavations, which focused primarily on the fort itself, uncovered the remains of a prehistoric structure, three structures likely associated with Fort Blount, and several thousand artifacts. Their findings were published in 2000.The largest structural remnant found by excavators, known as "Building 1," consisted of a 21 feet (6.4 m) by 21 feet (6.4 m) limestone foundation that once supported a wooden structure. Excavators determined this structure to be a blockhouse, based on its size, square shape, and the design of contemporary blockhouses. Just west of Building 1 was "Building 2," only a few remains of which survived, most notably a chimney. Although its purpose is indeterminable, excavators suggested it may have been a kitchen. Slightly northeast of Building 1 was "Building 3," which had a foundation that measured 13 feet (4 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m). The remains of two hearths and evidence that a wooden structure hung over one of the hearths suggest that this was a smokehouse
Smokehouse
A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...
.
Evidence for an outer wall surrounding all three structures was provided by postholes and vegetation lines. Four postholes aligned with the chimney wall of Building 2 may be remains of the western wall, and a noticeable vegetation line to the north of the structures may have been caused by what was once the fort's northern wall. The southern wall was indicated by three aligned postholes, one of which was relatively large and may have been one side of the fort's gate. The eastern wall was less apparent, but may have been aligned with the smokehouse's eastern wall. If conjecture regarding these findings is correct, the fort had dimensions of 120 feet (36.6 m) by 90 feet (27.4 m).
Prehistoric artifacts indicate the site was used as early as the Paleo-Indian period, and used extensively during the Middle Woodland period
Woodland period
The Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures was from roughly 1000 BCE to 1000 CE in the eastern part of North America. The term "Woodland Period" was introduced in the 1930s as a generic header for prehistoric sites falling between the Archaic hunter-gatherers and the...
(c. 500 BC - 500 AD). Most of the site's historic-period artifacts consisted of the remains of glass containers and tableware. A number of Spanish coins— which were common on the Tennessee frontier— were recovered at the site, including one dating to 1781. Gun parts and ammunition were scant, but included lead balls, leadshot, and gunflints and flintlock parts. A pewter button found in Building 1's cellar dates to 1800 or later, and indicates that the fort likely stood until at least 1800. Excavators uncovered at least three items that were used specifically on soldiers' uniforms in the 1790s.
External links
- Fort Blount Ferry Cemetery — inscriptions and photographs of the Williams Cemetery (also called Fort Blount Ferry Cemetery)
- Early-1970s photograph of Fort Blount Ferry