USA > Tennessee > Hardin County > A history of Hardin County, Tennessee > Part 4
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Most of the church, school, and gin-houses were burnt long before the close of the war, but it was not long after peace was made until improvements began rapidly.
The news of peace was received by the people as joyful tidings-more joyful than if the horrors of the war had been less than they were. But it was a hard matter to rejoice much or long at a time, for much of the sad effect of war was still visible, especially to the farmers. Instead of wealth and prosperity existing as before the war, the county bore a sad appearance. The farms that
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in 1860 looked beautiful and full of life were now much overgrown with bushes and briers, and, of course, looked desolate to the spectator who viewed them before the Rebellion. The fencing was much decayed, torn down, and in many places had been burned up by passing armies.
As soon as the civil law was declared in force lawsuits began between citizens for property taken, and for other damages done, during the war. These suits lasted only a few years, and are now nearly forgotten, as they should be, by citizens living in the same county, and working for their own good, and desiring the happiness and the friendship of others around them.
NATIONAL CEMETERY.
On the bluff at Pittsburg Landing is now the beautiful cemetery, within whose walls sweetly rest the bodies of the Federal slain. The first thing that attracts the eye of the visitor on entering this city of the dead is the beautiful little grave, the last resting-place of Henry Burk, of whom we have already spoken.
The following lines, written by a gentleman who 4
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visited this spot several years ago, are very well addressed to the many who go every year to gaze on this silent city :
"Tread softly o'er those sacred streets, Pausing once to place a flower O'er one whose life and all its sweets Yielded to battle's power. Sweetly reposing here lies one, And beside him rests another ; This, a fond mother's only son, That, a tender sister's brother."
Those who fell in defense of the Union lie here properly honored, but how is it with those who fell on the opposite side? Out yonder beneath the forest's shade lie the moldering bodies of two thousand brave men without a tombstone to mark their last resting-place. Their graves, like the cause they fought to sustain, are lost, lost!
We will now close our history of that war whose horrors were so great that "no tongue can tell, no pen describe them as they were."
BARI GHIRD.
Physical Geography.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE COUNTY IN GENERAL - ANCIENT EARTHWORKS.
ARDIN COUNTY'S physical features will 1
be noticed in this chapter.
The length of the county from north to south is about thirty miles, and its greatest width, from east to west, about twenty-one. It is bounded on the east by Wayne; on the north by Decatur and Henderson; on the west by Ches- ter and McNairy ; and on the south by Tishamingo County, in Mississippi, and Lauderdale County, in Alabama. It will thus be seen that no less than seven different counties touch the borders of Har- din. No county in the State is bounded by so many.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
By reference to a geological map of Tennessee, you will find that Hardin County lies mostly in the sixth natural division of the State, known as the Western Valley, or the Valley of the Tennes- see River. The depth of this valley below the highlands that bound it on the east is about five hundred feet, and below the highlands on the west it is about three hundred feet. The high- water level at Hamburg is three hundred and ninety-two feet above the sea.
IIardin contains six hundred and ten square miles, and is divided into sixteen civil districts, and these into seventy-five public school districts. By reference to the map you will see that some districts are much cut up by creeks, while others are nearly destitute of any streams. It will thus be seen that no less than five creeks cross the Tirteenth District, while the Fifteenth has but one running through its north-west corner.
From the Tennessee River many wide valleys run out and extend beyond the limits of the county. Those of Indian and Hardin's Creeks on the east and White Oak Creek on the west are the longest. The valleys of Indian, Har-
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din's, and Horse Creeks are the richest in the county. The land within them is generally occu- pied, and is in a good state of cultivation. The creek valleys on the west side of the river are not so fertile as those on the east, being too much of a clayey nature-too low and wet for nice farming. The valley of White Oak Creek is very large, and has some good farming land in it, but the farmers are often much troubled in the spring and fall by the backwater from the river, which sometimes runs up the creek beyond the limits of the county.
The Tennessee River enters the county on the south and runs a winding course, curving toward the west, until it reaches Cerro Gordo; from there its general course is north to Point Pleasant; from here it runs for several miles in a north-east direc- tion, forming the line between Hardin and Deca- tur.
The most noted bluffs on the river are Pyburn's, in the southern part of the county, named after the man who first settled there; Coffee Bluff, near Coffee Landing, named from the coffee sand, of which it is principally composed; and Swallow Bluff, below Point Pleasant, on the Decatur side,
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
was so named from the great number of swallows that inhabited the rocky structure. There are only four islands in the river in this county-Dia- mond, which was so named from its shape; Wolf, named after a man by that name; Delaney's, named after Jacob Delaney, who once owned it; and Eagle-nest, named for the steamboat that sunk near it. This island was called James's Island until after the Eagle sunk near it.
It is thought that the Tennessee River occupied a different channel in places to what it does now, as sign of an old river bed is plainly marked out in places by the long and wide ponds on both sides of the present channel. At one time far back in the past the river, no doubt, left the present chan- nel at the foot of Coffee Bluff, and ran near the highlands on the west till it reached the bluff above Craven's Landing; then in a northern direc- tion, near the hills on the west side, to near the mouth of White Oak Creek; then turned north- eastward and edged the highlands on the east side, and entered the present channel below Point Pleasant; or it followed along the highlands to where Laden's mill now stands, and then down
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
the present channel of Indian Creek. The large ponds formed by this old river bed are being drained of late years by means of ditching and til- ing, and where once stood large bodies of water is now the richest land in the river bottom.
The general course of the larger creeks on the east side of the river is nearly north-west, while on the west side they run nearly due east to the river. The largest creek on the west side is White Oak. It was so called on account of the vast amount of white oak timber along the stream. This little river is formed by the junction of Little White Oak and a large creek coming down from the north, called Middleton's Creek, which was named after John Middleton, who was the first to settle near it. The creeks on the west side of the river are generally muddy and their currents slow, and do not appear so swift and beautiful as those on the opposite side. Snake Creek, which runs zigzag around the north side of the great battle- ground, and into the river at the head of Diamond Island, was, perhaps, named from the great num- ber of snakes killed on it during the first settling of that part of the county. Lick Creek, which
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
bounds the great battle-ground on the south, was named from the deer-licks in its bottoms. Cham- bers's Creek, dividing the Ninth and Tenth Dis- tricts, was named after John Chambers.
Passing over to the east side of the river, we find Hardin's Creek, which was named after one of the first settlers, Col. James Hardin; and In- dian Creek, so called by the Indians; and Swift Creek, so called on account of its swift current. This stream is now called Horse Creek, and re- ceived that name in the year 1820 from a number of horse thieves being caught near it.
The eastern part of the county is quite different in appearance and formation from the western part, being underlaid mostly with limestone. The uplands to a great extent are very broken, being cut up by high hills, between which lie deep and almost perpendicular hollows, at whose heads burst forth beautiful and never-failing springs.
The western part of the county is not so broken as the eastern, except in the southern part, in the Ninth and Tenth Districts, where the hills appear almost like mountains.
The uplands on the east side of the river are
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
generally too broken for convenient farming, but the valleys of Indian, Hardin's, and Horse Creeks, and the Tennessee . River bottom, furnish an abundance of fine farming land, adapted to the raising of corn and wheat, but not so well for cot- ton as the western part of the county. The sur- face of the western part is much more level than the eastern. The soil is not only adapted to corn and wheat, but is very well suited to cotton.
When we come to examine the formations of the two divisions of Hardin, we find quite a differ- ence. The western part is composed almost wholly of sand and clay, and a limestone rock is seldom seen. The formation of the east side of the river is principally limestone.
There are, perhaps, more fine springs in the eastern part of the county than in the western part, but they do not furnish so great a variety of water. In passing over the western part of the county we find plenty of wells and spring's of cop- peras, freestone, and sulphur water. One of the largest sulphur fountains in the county is one mile south-west of Saltillo. It is about eight hundred feet deep, and is called the "Sulphur Well." The
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
flow of water from this spring is sufficient to make a considerable brook.
At this place is a large "deer lick," and the Kanawha Salt Company, examining this place many years ago, decided that the salt found on the top of the ground at this lick came from under- neath, and by boring down salt water could be found; so they hired a man by the name of Wind- sor to work until he found salt water. Work was begun in the year 1835, and continund for two years, or until Windsor died. He was to work at fifty dollars a month till he found salt water, if it took his life-time. When Windsor died the work stopped, and the well is now only used as a place of summer resort for the young folks. Perhaps nothing of importance will ever be carried on at this well, as it is near enough to be overflowed by the backwater of the river at its highest stage.
The Gan Spring, near Saltillo, was once a great place of amusement for young folks. This spring is about seven feet in diameter, and furnishes a large supply of water. Several years ago, if a fence- rail was cast into it, instead of being thrown up, it was drawn downward, and seen no more. This
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
drawing downward is, perhaps, caused by a large underground stream with which the spring is connected. This is clearly proven from the fact that near the mouth of the spring branch, when the river is very low, you can see a large spring out in the river casting up water and sand.
In the Ninth District are some very noted springs called the White and Red Sulphur Springs. This is a beautiful place for summer resort, the ground being covered principally with flint-rocks.
Over the western part of the county many semi- artesian wells are to be met with. These are only to be found where it is necessary to go below the green sand-bed to get good water. In boring these wells many curiosities are met with in going through the two great sand formations that under- lie West Hardin. By examining the bluffs at Coffee, Crump's, and Pittsburg Landings, one can get a grand view of these two sand layers. The lowest of the two formations is the coffee sand, which contains scales of mica, sometimes woody fragments, converted more or less into lignite, or brown coal; and even trunks of trees are often met with in digging deep wells. Above this for-
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mation lies the green sand, or shell-bed, which contains great numbers of fossils and grains of a greenish mineral. Sometimes wood and leaves are seen, but not so abundantly as in the coffee sand.
When we come to examine the geological struct- ure, we find quite a difference between East and West Hardin. The sands and clays of West Har- din do not extend to any considerable extent east of the Tennessee River. West Hardin lies in that great trough where once existed the ancient ocean, with one of its rocky sides far over in Arkansas and the other now washed by the Tennessee River. That such an ocean did exist there can be but lit- tle question. It is thought to have extended as far north as the mouth of the Ohio River, and that by the gradual upbeavel of the land, and the sub- sequent retiring of the sea, this arm of the ancient ocean was finally covered by the waters of the Mississippi River. Then were deposited the sand, gravel, clay, and loam that are to be seen in West Tennessee. It was during that period that the shells, woody fragments, and trunks of trees were deposited in the coffee sand and shell-bed forma-
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tions, of which we have already spoken. The great gravel bed of West Hardin extends only for a few miles west of the river, near enough to the surface to be met with in digging ordinary wells, but the green and coffee. sand beds spread out for miles west and north-west through the county. The eastern limit of the green sand bed is on a line from the foot of Coffee Bluff north across White Oak Creek to the north boundary line of the county. What we mean by this eastern limit is that the green sand is near enough to the surface to prevent good water being obtained when it is necessary to dig or bore to a depth of from forty to fifty feet.
As we have already said, many curiosities are found in this great sand bed in digging deep wells. Sometimes quantities of shells, woody fragments, and even large logs, are met with from forty to sixty feet under ground. In one well, among the many containing curiosities that we have exam- ined, water was struck about sixty feet from the surface in what appeared to be a bed of logs and limbs of trees. Just how this timber became lo- cated at such a depth has been a great puzzle to
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
those who do not understand the history of the formations of West Tennessee.
No limestone of account is seen west of the river, except in the Ninth District. The hills and valleys of the Thirteenth District are almost des- titute of rocks of any kind. The gravel bed is plainly seen on Miles's Branch, west of Saltillo, but occurs no more west of here in the Thirteenth District.
The upland lying in the eastern portion of the Twelfth District is level, and would be the nicest spot for farming in the county if the soil was pro- ductive. But the river bottom that lies around this district furnishes abundance of fine land to the farmers who dwell on this level region. The , western portion of this district is broken and cut up by small streams, along which lie excellent farming lands. The hills, many of them, are cov- ered with small gravel.
As we travel south from the Twelfth District we find the country somewhat broken-the good land lying in the river, creek, and branch bottoms. After crossing Lick Creek we find the Tenth and Ninth Districts the most hilly portion on the west
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
side of the river; and here we find a different for- mation, a formation which properly belongs to the opposite side of the river. Here is to be seen the lower Helderberg formation, which consists of a fossiliferous bluish limestone. This formation lies below the coffee and green sand beds, of which we have already spoken, and it is from the rocks of this formation, and from the black shale forma- tion, that sometimes lie just above, that sulphur water flows-that is, water impregnated with sul- phuretic hydrogen gas.
Looking back over the western part of the county, we see that the soil on the uplands, as a general thing, is not so productive as the river and creek bottoms, but that much of it lies in a shape to be easily improved.
Let us now cross over to the east side, near the State line, and examine the eastern part of the county.
Here we find the Eighth District containing a similar formation to the Ninth-the hills are high and the rocks flinty. Dry Creek rises in the eastern part of this district, runs for several miles in a western direction, until it strikes a high hill,
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
where it sinks into a large cave, and is seen no more till it flows out on the opposite side of the hill, near the town of Walnut Grove, forming the Big Spring. If we travel in a northern direction from the Eighth District, we find the country continues hilly, and between many of the hills lie deep and almost perpendicular hollows. The beds of the creeks and branches are rocky, and great forma- tions of gray and blue limestone appear now and then in the bluffs on the creeks and sides of the hills.
A few miles east of Savannah, on a small stream, is a fine outcrop of hydraulic limestone, which, by being exposed to water, has the appearance of black shale. This formation lies below the Helder- berg, and it is from this rock that hydraulic cement is made. This formation appears very prominent at several places on Horse and Indian Creeks and near the town of Clifton. On Indian Creek, at Laden's mill, is quite a bluff of this rock, and be- fore the war a company rented this mill and manu- factured cement for some time.
The eastern part of the county has plenty of good building stone, but up to the present time
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
but little use has been made of it. The most noted beds of marble occur on the river north of Savannah, and on Hardin's Creek, near the cross- ing of the Savannah and Clifton road.
In the valleys of Indian and other creeks we find the blue limestone predominating, and in the bluff at Savannah appears the meniscus, or fossil- iferous limestone, which lies below the Helderberg. The rich lands lying in the creek bottoms of In- dian, Hardin's, and Horse Creeks are based princi- pally on this formation.
In the north-east corner of the county are many bald hills, or more commonly known as "bald knobs," which are destitute of vegetation, and are covered with oyster-like shells and petrified bodies of insects.
On the tops of many of the high ridges the soil is red, and is often mistaken for the poorest soil in the county, but it is far from it. The soil is col- ored by the iron in the rocks. This red soil is gen- erally very productive, and is to be seen not only on the east side of the river, but spots of it occur on the west side, in the Twelfth District.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
TIMBER.
The forest of Hardin has a greater variety, and perhaps more valuable timber, than any county in the State. There are as many as six species of oak, viz., the white oak, red oak, black oak, willow oak, chestnut oak, and post oak. The white oak grows principally in the Tennessee River bottom and the large creek bottoms, and is converted ex- tensively into staves, and of late years much is be- ing rafted and carried down the river to Paducah and other northern cities. The hickory is very plentiful in the large bottoms, from which the ax- handle factory at Clifton is supplied. The cypress is used very extensively for well-curbing and shin- gles. The pine forest extends over nearly the whole of the Third District and the northern part of the First and Second. This forest furnishes the county with plenty of timber for pine lumber. The other varieties are the cedar, the chestnut, elm, persimmon, sugar and other maples, poplar, sassafras, black walnut, birch, beech, and ash.
WILD ANIMALS.
In the first days of civilization this part of the State was well stocked with wild animals, but now
HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY. 99
the larger ones are not to be seen, except occasion- ally a deer or a bear passes through. The panther, wild cat, and wolf have long since disappeared, and now only the gray and red fox, raccoon, opos- sum, muskrat, rabbit, squirrel, mink, otter, and beaver can be seen. The latter lives in the river bottom, where he builds his house of wood and mortar across the large ponds or old river bed.
BIRDS.
The wild turkey-the hunter's choice bird-is found in some parts of the county, but as a general thing they are scarce. Wild ducks are numerous in the winter season in the river and large creeks. Hawks, owls, whip-poor-wills, blue-birds, snipes, crows, mocking-birds, partridges, robins, martins, and black-birds are still numerous. There are not so many black-birds now as at the close of the civil war; then they were very plentiful, and a great pest to the farmer. At an early day a small bird, called the paroquet, visited this part in great numbers in the spring season, and subsisted on cockle-burs, but it has been many years since their last visit.
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
FISH.
The river and creeks in Hardin abound in fine fish, such as the cat-fish, trout, perch, pike, eel, and buffalo. No county in the State, except Lake, is so plentifully supplied with fish as Hardin. The principal way of procuring them is by means of traps in the creeks and trout-lines and nets in the river.
DOMESTIC ANIMALS.
Stock-raising promises to be a profitable occu- pation in the county. Horned cattle, horses, mules, and hogs are the most important. Sheep- raising could be made profitable, but it has been much neglected of late years on account of the laws not being sufficiently stringent to protect sheep from the ravages of the dogs.
ANCIENT EARTH-WORKS.
Hardin County, doubtless, has more signs of an ancient people than any county in the State. All over the western part of the county little mounds and walls of earth meet the traveler's eye.
On the east side of Middleton's Creek, a short distance north of Baker's mill, is a wall of earth
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four hundred and fifty yards in length. It com- mences at the creek, near the mill, and curves around northward to the creek again, taking in about four acres of land, on which stands a mound covering about half an acre of ground, and rising eighteen feet above the level of the field. Be-
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tween the wall and the creek is a trench, plainly to be seen, from where the earth was taken to build the mound and wall. The wall at its north end is about fifteen feet in height, but diminishes in elevation as it approaches the creek near the mill, where it is barely traceable. The mound at this fortification has been thoroughly examined,
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and found to contain a vast amount of human bones; in fact, the mound appears to have been almost made of human bodies.
Near Hester's mill, in the north-west corner of the county, are some considerable earth-works.
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Several years ago an oval-shaped piece of lode- stone was taken from one of the mounds at this place. It is about the size of a hen-egg, and so nicely dressed that when suspended by a string one of its ends points north and the other south.
A short distance below Savannah, in the river bottom, are several mounds and much sign of the
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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.
ancient builders. But the most remarkable fabrics of that pre-historic race are on the east bank of the river, where Savannah now stands. At this place a ridge of high land makes to the river be- tween two ravines, the mouths of which are nearly one mile apart. A line of fourteen mounds runs parallel with the river from one ravine to the other, some of them covering half an acre of ground, and rising from ten to thirty feet above the common level. These mounds stand back about seven hundred feet from the turn of the bluff, and are of different sizes, the largest and tallest occupying a position near the middle of the line. A zigzag wall of earth, accompanied by a deep trench, commences at the mouth of one ra- vine and curves around to the mouth of the other, taking in the mounds and a considerable amount of country back of them. Several years ago, while a citizen of Savannah was examining one of these mounds, he found a copper wedge and eight cop- per pulleys. The wedge is about four inches long and half an inch at the thicker end, and the wheels of the pulleys are about an inch and a-half in diameter and one inch thick. Here certainly
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