USA > Tennessee > Williamson County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 32
USA > Tennessee > Maury County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 32
USA > Tennessee > Rutherford County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 32
USA > Tennessee > Wilson County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 32
USA > Tennessee > Bedford County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 32
USA > Tennessee > Marshall County > History of Tennessee, from the earliest time to the present; together with an historical and a biographical sketch of Maury, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, Bedford and Marshall counties, besides a valuable fund of notes, reminiscences, observations, etc., etc. Vol. 1 > Part 32
USA > Tennessee > History of Tennessee from the earliest time to the present , together with an historical and a biographical sketch of from twenty-five to thirty counties of east Tennessee, besides a valuable fund of notes, original observations, reminiscences, etc., etc. V. 1 > Part 32
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itor that a rifle and Cedar Hill was all he had to give for the debt. The Judge accepted them, thinking that the sum he might be able to sell the gun for would be all that he would realize for the cow and calf; besides the four acres, which he sold to the city, he disposed of several lots to individuals, and retained the one upon which his residence was built, opposite the south front of the capitol .*
Previous to this time the meetings of the Legislature in Nashville had been held in the Davidson County Court House, but the build- ing had become too small for the constantly increasing membership of that body, and the building of a capitol was a necessity. Now that the seat of government had become fixed, no obstacle lay in the way of be- ginning the work, and on January 30, 1844, an act was passed making the first appropriation for that purpose, $10,000. Gov. William Carroll, William Nichol, John M. Bass, Samuel D. Morgan, James Erwin and Morgan W. Brown were appointed commissioners, to whom were added, May 14, 1844, James Woods, Joseph T. Elliston and Allen A. Hall. John M. Bass was appointed chairman March 31, 1848, and held the posi- tion until March 31, 1854, when Samuel D. Morgan was appointed. April 20, 1854, John Campbell, John S. Young and Jacob MeGavock were appointed commissioners by Gov. Andrew Johnson. By act of February 28, 1854, R. J. Meigs and James P. Clark were appointed commissioners, and John D. Winston was appointed by the governor. The following governors of the State were ex-officio commissioners: James C. Jones, Aaron V. Brown, Neill S. Brown, William Trousdale, William B. Camp- bell, Andrew Johnson and Isham G. Harris. Clearing of the ground for the site was begun about January 1, 1845; foundations were dug and nearly finished by the 4th of July, on which day the corner-stone was laid in the southeast corner of the building with imposing ceremonies. An eloquent oration was delivered on the occasion by the Hon. Edwin H. Ewing.
On the 20th of May previous William Strickland, the designer of many of the finest public buildings in Philadelphia, was appointed archi- tect, and from this time the building was carried on regularly and steadily without error or interruption till the time of his death, April 7, 1854. His funeral ceremonies were conducted in Representative Hall, and he was entombed in a recess, which he had prepared about a year before, in the wall of the north basement portico. After the death of Mr. Strickland the work was for several years carried on by his son, W. F. Strickland. The last stone of the tower was laid July 21, 1855, and the last stone of the lower terrace March 19, 1859. This completed the
*" Old Times in Tennessee."
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stone work. The building was first occupied by the Legislature October 3, 1853. For several years the greater portion of the efficient convict labor was employed in quarrying the stone for the capitol, and after its completion the same kind of labor was used in improving the grounds. The entire cost to the State of the building and grounds up to 1859 amounted to $900,500. The $30,000 paid for the site by the city, added to the amount expended in completing the grounds, makes a total cost of something over $1,000,000. The following description of the building is taken from the architect's report and other sources:
"The State-house is parallelogram in form, 112x239 feet, with an eleva- tion of 64 feet 8 inches above an elevated terrace walk which surrounds it, or 74 feet 8 inches above the ground. Rising through the center of the roof is the tower, 36 feet square and 80 feet high. The main idea of the elevation of the building is that of a Greek Ionic temple erected upon a rustic basement, which in turn appears to rest upon a terraced pavement. The building has four fronts, each graced with a noble por- tico. The end porticoes, north and south, are each composed of eight magnificent Ionic columns; the side porticoes, east and west, are composed each of six columns. These columns, twenty-eight in all, are each 4 feet in diameter, 33 feet high, and rest upon the entablature of the basement. This entablature is supported by a rusticated pier, rising through the basement story under each column of the portico above. The end porticoes are capped by an entablature, which is continued around the building, and above which is a heavy pediment. The side porticoes are capped by the entablature and double blocking courses. The build- ing inside is divided into three stories: the crypt, or cellar; the base- ment, or first floor; and the main or second floor. The crypt is used for the State arsenal and for furnaces, etc.
"The basement story is intersected by longitudinal and transverse halls of wide dimensions, to the right and left of which large and com- modious rooms are appropriated to the use of the governor, the comp- troller, the treasurer, the secretary of state, register of lands, superin- tendent of weights and measures and keeper of public arms, superin- tendent of public instruction, and the commissioner of agriculture, sta- tistics and mines. There is also an archive room, which is 34 feet square, and a supreme court room, which is 35x52 feet, 8 inches. From the great central hall the principal story is approached by a double flight of stairs, the hand-railing of which is of East Tennessee marble. The lon- gitudinal hall of this floor is 128 feet 2 inches long by 24 feet 2 inches wide, while the dimensions of the transverse hall are the same as that of the basement. This story is divided into three apartments: representa-
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tive hall, the senate chamber and the library. The main floor of repre- sentative hall, 61x97 feet, is flanked on the east and west sides by eight committee rooms, 16 feet 8 inches square. Above these rooms are the public galleries, each of which is fronted by eight columns of the Roman Ionic order, 2 feet 8 inches in diameter, and 21 feet 10 inches high. The shaft of each column is of one block of stone surmounted by exceedingly graceful and elaborate capitals, the device of the archi- tect. The speaker's stand and screen wall are composed of red, white and black Tennessee marble. The chandelier is one of the largest and most elaborate in the country. It possesses the merit of being original in style and novel in design, though it is not graceful nor altogether pleasing to the eye. The senate chamber is of an oblong shape from 35 to 70 feet, having pilasters of the Ionic order with a full entablature, and is surrounded on three sides by a gallery 10 feet 9 inches wide sup- ported by twelve columns of variegated East Tennessee marble. This room also has a chandelier, similar in design to that of the representa- tive hall, though smaller and of better proportions. Immediately opposite the senate chamber are the rooms containing the state library. The main room is 35 feet square, with two smaller rooms on each side. From the main room a spiral stairway of iron leads to the two galleries above, the lower one of which extends entirely around the room. and the upper one on two sides.
"Above the center of the building through the roof rises the tower supported by four massive piers 10 or 12 feet built from the ground. The design of the tower, which is one of the finest features of the entire structure, is a modified reproduction of the "Choragic Monument of Lysicrates," or, as it is sometimes called, the "Lantern of Demos- thenes." The tower is composed of a square rustic base. 36 feet square and 42 feet high, with a window in each front. Above this the lantern or round part of the/tower rises 26 feet 8 inches in diameter by 37 feet high. It consists of a circular cell with eight beautiful three-quarters fluted Corinthian columns attached around its outer circumference with alternate blank and pierced windows between each two columns in each. of the two stories of the cell. The columus have each a very elaborate and beautifully wrought capital of the purest Corinthian style, and above all a heavy entablature. The column shafts are 2 feet 6 inches in diameter by 27 feet 8 inches high, and capital 4 feet high. The roof and iron finial ornament are together 34 feet high above the last stone of the tower, making the whole height of the edifice above the ground 206 feet 7 inches, or over 400 feet above low water mark in the Cumberland River.
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"The roof of the building is constructed of rafters composed of wrought iron ties and braces, trussed in sections, and joined together by cast iron plates and knees. The greatest span of these rafters is over Representative Hall, a distance of sixty-five feet. The whole is sheathed and covered with copper. The walls of the building for the founda- tion are 7 feet thick; those of the superstructure 4 feet and 6 inches. All of the inside walls are laid with rubble stone; the terraces, pave- ments and the round part of the tower, chiseled; the outer walls of the first story and the square part of the tower, rusticated work and tooled. The material of the building is of a stratified fossiliferous lime- stone of slightly bluish-gray tint with cloud-like markings. It was pro- cured within half a mile west of the building in a quarry opened by the State on the grounds of Samuel Watkins. Stones have been quarried from this place, weighing in their rough state. fifteen or twenty tons, and thirty and more feet long. One of the terrace stones of the building is 8 feet 3 inches by 14 feet, and the cap stones of the terrace buttresses are 5 feet 10 inches by 15 feet 11 inches, the heaviest weighing probably eight or ten tons. The stone may be considered both as to durability and beauty of appearance when worked well, equal to any building stone in the country. Nearly all the materials, in addition to the stone, used in the construction of the building, were produced in Tennessee, and the work was mainly done by Tennessee workmen-a magnificent monument to the mechanical skill and the resources of the State."
One of the most interesting objects to be seen upon Capitol Hill is the magnificent equestrian statue of Gen. Jackson. So long ago as the session of the General Assembly* of 1845-46, the idea was conceived of erecting at the capitol in Nashville a statue in honor of Gen. Andrew Jackson, whose death took place June 8, 1845; and an act was passed the 2d of February, 1846, appropriating the sum of $7,500, "when a suffi- cient sum shall be subscribed by the people in connection therewith to complete said monument." Commissioners were appointed in the sixth section of said act to receive any voluntary contributions, control the dis- bursements of all funds, contract with an American sculptor or artist, and superintend the erection of said statue. For various reasons no further action was taken in the matter for many years though, it was by no means forgotten. Early in the month of January, 1879, Gen. Marcus J. Wright, of Washington City, addressed a letter to the vice-president of the Tennessee Historical Society, suggesting that Clark Mill's eques- trian statue of Gen. Jackson was on sale, expressing the hope that Ten- nessee could be induced to make the purchase and tendering his services
*Report of the Legislative Committee of the Jackson Statue.
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JACKSON
EQUESTRIAN STATUE OF GEN. JACKSON, AT NASHVILLE.
Photo by Thuss. Koellein & Giers.
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to aid in the negotiation. A correspondence ensued between Gen. Wright and the vice-president, and then papers, with a letter from Mills stipulating the price, were laid before the society. There was a discus- sion of plans for obtaining the requisite funds to make the purchase, but nothing definite was agreed upon and the vice-president was instructed to communicate for the society with Gen. Wright and also to con- fer with the governor of the State as to the policy of applying to the General Assembly for an appropriation. After due deliberation, the time was not deemed opportune to invoke the assistance of the State, and the society did not care to have any future prospect clouded by a denial of favorable legislation. At a meeting held July 1, 1879, the sub- ject was again brought up. Various plans for raising the money were proposed, none of which, however, commanded that assurance of success which warranted immediate action, and the measure was indefinitely post- poned. At a subsequent meeting of the society and of the citizens of Nashville to make arrangements for the centennial anniversary to be cel- ebrated in 1880, an enthusiasm was aroused which spread through the entire community. There was a pause in the pursuit of individual in- terests and the moment given to an unselfish and patriotic inspiration. Memories of the past seem to rise spontaneously in the public mind, and it doubtless occurred to more than one that the conjuncture of circum- stances was favorable for the acquisition of the Jackson statue. Such a thought did certainly occur to a venerable and patriotic citizen of Nash- ville, Maj. Jolm L. Brown, who, early after the meeting in December, ex- pressed his intention to try to raise, by voluntary subscriptions, the money necessary for the purchase.
He wrote to Senator Harris and Maj. Blair, of Washington City, to make inquiry as to the cost of the statue, which was found to be $5,000. Several letters written by Col. Bullock on the subject of the purchase were published, and gave renewed impetus to the movement. Maj. Brown, continuing his efforts, secured the appointment of the president and secretary of the Historical Society with himself as "a committee for the purchasing of the statue for the State of Tennessee." Every means and appliance was used to further the enterprise, and by the 18th of March, 18S0, the list of subscribers had so increased that success being in sight the Centennial board of directors incorporated a committee of seven members, to be known as the committee for the purchase and dedication of the equestrian statue of Gen. Jackson, of which Gen. G. B. Thurston became chairman. The subscription soon aggregated an amount near or quite $5,000, which justified the consummation of the purchase.
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On the 20th of May, 1880, in the presence of a vast assemblage of people, the statue was unveiled with appropriate and impressive ceremonies. Hon. John F. House was the orator of the day, an original ode written by Rev. F. W. E. Paschau was sung, prayer was offered by Rev. T. A. Hoyt, and a prize poem, by Mrs. Bowser, was read by Dr. G. S. Blackie. A grand military procession paraded the street, in which several United. States officers, including Gen. Buell, Gen. Pennypacker and others, together with Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, Gen. Cheatham and others of the old Confederate Army, participated. Clark Mills, the sculptor, was an invited guest, and in speaking of the statue stated that it is a tripli- cate of the one standing in front of the President's house in Washington, which was not only the first equestrian statue ever self-poised on the hind feet, but was also the first ever modeled and cast in the United States. "The incident selected for representation in this statue occurred at the battle of New Orleans, on the 8th of January, 1815. The com- mander-in-chief has advanced to the center of the lines in the act of review. The lines have come to present arms as a salute to their com- mander, who acknowledges it by raising his chapeau four inches from his head according to the military etiquette of that period. But his restive horse, anticipating the next evolution, rears and attempts to dash down the line, while his open mouth and curved neck show that he is. being controlled by the hand of his noble rider." The statue was first- placed on a temporary pedestal of wood, fronting northward, with the head of the horse turned toward the Capitol. April 6, 1881, an appro- - priation of $2,000 was made for the purpose of placing a marble or granite base under the statue, which was accordingly done about three years later.
For some years previous to 1854 the State Library consisted entirely of donations from the General Government and from other States of the Union, and of the State's own publications. Counting a large number of duplicates, there were about 10,000 volumes, but only about 1,500 or 2,000 separate works. The books were kept in a room which was devot- ed to that purpose, in the Davidson County Court House, and which formed a kind of passage-way or ante-room to the governor and secre- tary of states' office, and the Representative Chamber .* It was conse- quently open all day, and even at night. On account of this negligence- a large number of the law reports of the various States were misplaced, lost or stolen. In 1853, when the Legislature first met in the Capitol, the books were removed to that place, and by an act of January 20, 1854, the secretary of State was constituted ex officio librarian, with instruc- tions to keep the library open at least one day in the week.
*The Legislature then met in the Court House.
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By the active endeavors of a few enlightened men who knew the great need of a State Library, the Legislature was induced to insert two sections referring to the library into the general appropriation bill of 1854. It appropriated $5,000 to purchase a library, and R. J. Meigs was appointed a commissioner to procure books. A very excellent se- lection of books was made, and they were placed in the north ante-room of the library, the larger room not having been fitted up at that time.
March 1, 1856, $500 per annum was appropriated to make additions to the library, and R. J. Meigs was appointed librarian at a salary of $500. With the exception of the years from 1861 to 1868, from that time until 1879 annual appropriations varying from $500 to $2,500 were made for the purchase of additional books. Since 1871, however, no new books have been added, except those obtained by exchange with other States. The library now contains about 35,000 volumes of well-selected standard works, but in recent literature it is very deficient.
For the past eight years this institution has been under the manage- ment of Mrs. S. K. Hatton, and her daughter, Miss Emma Hatton, the assistant librarian, and too much praise can not be accorded them for the fidelity and courtesy with which they have discharged their duties.
The Tennessee Deaf and Dumb School owes its origin to the benevo- lent impulses and the prompt and persistent action of Gen. John Cocke, of Grainger County, while a member of the senatorial branch of the General Assembly. On December 20, 1843, a bill providing for the es- tablishment in Nashville of an institution for the blind. being on its third reading before the Senate, Gen. Cocke moved to amend by the addition of a section providing for the appropriation of $2,000 for putting into operation at Knoxville, a deaf and dumb school. After the substitution of $1,000 for $2,000 the amendment was adopted, and then the entire bill was rejected by a vote of eleven to thirteen. On the following day the vote was reconsidered, and other amendments were adopted. The vote on Gen. Cocke's amendment was reconsidered by a majority of three, but it was again adopted by a majority of one, and the bill was finally passed in the Senate December 21, 1843. The bill then went to the House, where on its third reading it was rejected by a majority of three, but the vote was subse- quently reconsidered, and the bill in the form in which it had left the Senate was passed January 29, 1844. The governor appointed, to constitute the first board of trustees, Messrs. R. B. McMullen, Joseph Estabrook and D. R. McAnally, who met at Knoxville, July 27, 1844, and organized by electing Mr. McMullen, president, and Mr. McAnally, secretary.
These gentlemen immediately went to work with characteristic zeal,
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opening correspondence with officers of similar institutions in other States, obtaining information as to the number and situation of the deaf mutes in this State, selecting a suitable building in which to open the school, and securing the services of a competent instructor for the pupils. Rev. Thomas McIntire, a former teacher in the Ohio Deaf and Dumb School, was made the first principal, and under his charge the exercises of the school were begun in what was known as the Churchwell House, in East Knoxville, in June, 1845. By an act passed January 31, 1846, the General Assembly recognized the existence of the institution, incorpo- rated it, made better provision for its support, and added Messrs. T. Sul- lins, J. H. Cowan and Campbell Wallace to its board of trustees.
It now became a leading object of the board to procure means for the erection of more appropriate buildings for the purposes of the school, and measures tending to that end were promptly undertaken and vigor- ously prosecuted. The board issued circular letters to the benevolent throughout the State, applied to Congress for a donation of public lands, established several local agencies, and fortunately placed in the position of manager of a general soliciting and collecting agency,* Col. John M. Davis, of Knox County. These efforts met with gratifying success, and over $4,000 was contributed by individuals. This sum, supplemented by appropriations made by the Legislature, enabled the trustees to erect a large and commodious building, at a cost of about $20,000. As origin- ally built it consisted of a main building 25x79 feet and three stories high, with two wings of the same size as the main building, altogether forming a main front to the south of 100 feet, and east and west front of 129 feet each. The grounds belonging to the institution were obtained at different times by gift and purchase. They now embrace about eight acres lying in a rectangular form, entirely surrounded by streets, and are handsomely improved. The original site, consisting of two acres, was donated by Calvin Morgan, of Knoxville, and the remaining six acres were purchased at a cost of about $6,000.
After becoming permanently established in the new building the school rapidly increased, both in numbers. and efficiency. During the first session the number of pupils in attendance was nine, while in 1857 the number had increased to eighty. In the year 1861 the school was among the largest institutions of the kind in the country, and received a liberal support from the State. The whole building had been refur- nished in a creditable manner, and the grounds were highly ornamented. But the war came. The school was disbanded, and the buildings were taken possession of by the military authorities, and were used by the con-
*Compiled from a report by Thomas L. Moses.
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tending armies in turn for hospital purposes. In 1866 the buildings were turned over to the trustees in a badly damaged condition, and after some repairs had been made the school was again opened December 3 of that year. Owing to the financial embarrassment of the State the appropriations to the institution for some time were scarcely adequate to supply its wants, and it required the exercise of the strictest economy on the part of its management to maintain the school. In 1873, however, the appropriation of $10,000 placed it upon a firm financial basis. and since that time it has been in a most prosperous condition. A few years ago a new chapel was erected and other improvements made, so that at present the institution can comfortably accommodate 125 pupils.
In the fall of 1881 a school for colored mutes was opened in a rented house in East Knoxville, about one mile from the main building. The school numbered ten pupils, and was taught by Matt R. Mann, the pres- ent teacher, and a former pupil of the institution. Two years later a substantial brick building, with twenty-seven acres of land, situated about a mile east of the town, was rented for the use of the school. The number of pupils in this department in 1884 was seventeen. The white pupils for the same time numbered about 100. On December 24, 1SS2. Mr. J. H. Ijams, who had been principal of the school for sixteen years, died, and Thomas L. Moses was elected to fill the vacancy, which posi- tion he still holds. This noble charity is well managed, and too much praise cannot be awarded to the patient, conscientious teachers, who have dedicated their lives to the work of educating these unfortunate children.
The first school for the education of the blind in America was opened in Boston 1832. So favorable were the results obtained, that the subject was agitated throughout the country, and within the next twenty years nearly every State had made some provision for the education of her sightless children. In 1843 an exhibition was given in one of the churches of Nashville, showing the ability of the blind to read by the sense of touch. A good audience was assembled, to a majority of whom, the method of reading by the fingers was something new and surprising. An enthusiastic interest was awakened. The Legislature was petitioned - for aid to establish a school, and $1,500 was appropriated by that body annually for two years. With this sum, increased by private subscrip- tions, a house was rented and furnished and the school opened. Mr. James Champlin, who had given the exhibition, was selected as the first teacher. He proved to be incompetent, and in a few months thereafter W. H. Churchman was elected principal. The pupils then numbered about fifteen.
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