Van Buren County, Tennessee

The following story is taken from an article written in 1933 by the present writer.  The story of power development at Great Falls really begins about 1840 at a boat landing on the Ohio River.  Samuel H. Laughlin wrote in his diary that while on his way to the Democratic National Convention, he met Thomas Bosson and asked about southern water power sites.  Mr. Laughlin recommended a site in Alabama and the Great Falls of the Caney Fork in Tennessee.  Bosson was very much interested and after visiting both sites selected the latter and immediately purchased the necessary land and riparian rights, a portion of the same being purchased from General John B. Rodgers of Rock Island.  Mr. Bosson was from Massachusetts.

Thomas Bosson built a two and a half story mill below the main falls in which he installed a set of corn stones made locally by Mr. Drake and a set of wheat rocks which were purchased in France for $300.00, shipped to Boston, then overland and by canal to Detroit, and on to the Ohio River, Cumberland and Caney Fork to Great Falls.  A carding factory was put in the second floor of the mill.

A small diversion dam was built at the Falls.  Water was conveyed from the "Water Basin" located just below the main Falls, which can still be seen, in a rock and timber flume to the mill.  After grinding corn and wheat the was was carried in a wood flume to a saw mill located across the river and just upstream from the TVA Power House.  The small bit of bottom land on the north or White County side of the river was used to store lumber on.  A winding road was built down the hill and then up the river under the over-hanging bluff to the mill.  The road was very narrow but there was plenty of room to turn at the mill.  Farmers frequently camped under the bluff for the night.  About the time of the War, Charles P. Hill acquired a one interest in the mill property.

Then came a day in 1882 much like other days except that there had been an unusually heavy rain.  Uncle Billy Chisam, the miller was grinding corn as usual.  He stepped out of the mill a moment and at the same time a great tree borne on the crest of the flood knocked out a corner post and the old mill crashed into the river and was swept away grinding corn to the end, thus ending the first chapter in the development of power at Great Falls.

See "Falls City Cotton Mill Company" for the second chapter in this development.

The property was transferred to James Bowen in February 1811, to David H. Mayborurn in October 1814 and following his death to Elijah Drake in March 1822 and in the same month Drake sold the mill property to Thomas Meeks who sold it to James Randals in November of the same year.  A deed from Warren to Joseph W. Taylor in 1862 refers to "the grist mill and saw mill" and near the wagon road leading from Hickory Valley to Rock Island.

The Warrens were millers and merchants.  It should be noted that Drake made many of the grinding rocks used in early grist mills throughout the Caney Fork area.

As mentioned elsewhere there was an old suspension foot bridge above the dam which was replaced when the Great Falls Dam was raised in 1924-25. This also ended the use of water power to run the factory.  (See Mitchell (Jabez G.) Mill for earlier development of this site.)

The owners of the factory organized the Cave Water & Light Co. which served a few houses at the top of the hill with water.  The water from a spring across the river from the factory was pumped up to a storage tank with a hydraulic ram.  Unknown to the Tennessee Electric Power Company the spring and ram were on a tiny piece of land which was to be flooded.  Filling the Great Falls reservoir was delayed from early spring to fall until the land could be purchased at about $20,000.00  This was referred to as the $20,000.00 ram by those involved in the transaction. 

The mill was owned by Robert James and Absolom Davis.  It was conveyed by them to David Davis.

Asa Faulkner purchased the property formerly belonging to the Cunningham family in 1881.  This included most of the land between the Caney Fork and Collins River.  In 1883 he bought a one-half interest in the Bosson property across the Caney Fork in White County.  He, together with Clay Faulkner, Jesse Walling and H.L. Walling had a wheel pit dug and low diversion dam built at the Falls.  James McGiboney installed a saw mill and grist mill for the owners and was employed to operate it.  The owners erected a timber bridge across the mouth of Collins river and a log toll house on the hill above the saw mill.  Later a frame house was erected on the river side of the road closer to the bridge.  This building was used as a construction office during the building of the power dam.  It was torn down in 1927.  r. McGiboney sawed out all the timers and lumber for the bridge and houses.

A small community grew up in the area and was called "Falls City."  The spring of 1892 saw the first real boom for Falls City.  The Falls City Cotton Mill Company was chartered with a capital of $30,000.00 to "manufacture, spin, weave, bleach, dye, print, finish and sell all goods of every kind made of wool and cotton."   A three tory brick mill was erected by the Company.  The brick were burned on the hill and a snort distance upstream from the mill.  The Company also purchased the toll-bridge from Asa Faulkner.

The Mill was heavy for it's "Heavy sheeting."  There was a Post Office, store and other structures at Falls City although all are gone.  The mill furnished employment to citizens of the neighborhood and the little community thrived and grew.  The came that memorable Good Friday in March 1902 when the heavens opened up and rain came down in torrents.  The might Caney Fork, like a dog which had been straining at its leash, suddenly broke loose.  The raging torrent sweeping down off the mountains carrying death and destruction before it swept away the wheel house and the Collins River Bridge as well as every other mill on the river.  The old river had gained one more victory over man thus ending the second chapter in the development of power at Great Falls.  Easter Sunday in 1902 was a lovely clear day but for the citizens of Falls City things looked very gloomy even though they knew in their hearts that the old river would some day be conquered. 

After that the following transfers were made:  to I.A. Justice 1884, to H.R. Gribble mentions grist mill 1888, J.J. Walker 1900, A.L. Johnson 1902, Victor A. Russell mentions Roller Mill 1906, A.L. Johnson 1909, T.F. Page 1910 and D.T. Johnson 1910.

George Matlock and Robert allen purchased the property at a Sheriff's sale in 1812, including the Harriet Iron Works, land on the Calfkiller River and 50 acres on the Caney Fork including an ore bank.

The project was operated for a few years under the name "Rice & Herbert" as indicated in a deed from Thomas Herbert, dec'd to his wife Sarah Herbert through the County Court, June 10, 1817.  It included the Harriet Iron Works and a grist mill and saw mill.

The property was involved in  a great deal of litigation and property transfers during the next 40 years.  An 1849 deed to John B. Rodgers refers to "the old Harriet Iron Works" indicating that the mill was no longer in operation. 

A deed of 1853 refers to the Minton Factory House which may be the Cotton Mill which operated for a number of years prior to the Civil War.  It was located on the right bank of the river on the side of the hill and about opposite the site of the hydro electric plant which was built later. During the Civil War the machinery was moved south for safety and never returned.

John Simpson received the property in 1855 which included "the Harriet Iron Works."

A deed from John B. Rodgers to the Sparta Manufacturing Co. gave the Company the right to repair the old bridge or build a new one.   This was located down stream from the plant.  Foundations of the cotton mill and slag heaps at the iron works were still visible and seen by the writer in 1927. 

For further use of this property see "Sparta Hydro Electric Plant" under the general heading "Electric Power Plants."

James Miller conveyed to John B. Rodgers in 1835 a one-half interest in the Iron Works and 30 acres of land on which it stood and also sold 100 acres of land owned by Miller and 15 acres originally purchased from Larkin Baker. 

He in turn conveyed the property to his brother Dr. A.C. Rodgers in 1860.  This deed calls for "the iron works." 

The next deed, to Dewitt and Horace L. Rodgers, made reference to "acres know as the Forge tract."  A man named Nelson was also a partner and was the last man to operate the Forge.  After the War the place was usually referred to as "Nelson's Forge."  One source refers to a bridge at the above location but the fact may be open to question.

The ore was found in small pockets in the land around Squire George H. Hash's farm.  Many excavations could still be identified in the 1920's.  It is understood that operations ceased prior to the Civil War.

See the Walker story.  [Below]

See Pitt's Bottom Iron Works also located near Rock Island.

In 1884 the Jeff heirs sold "the Mill site" to S.D. Wallace.  The writer was not able to get any definite information in the late 1920's and was of the opinion then that the mill did not operate for any long period.

James Walling was the owner of the mill at the time the first surveys for the Great Falls Project were made in 1911-12.

For the further use of at least a part of this property see Burroughs & Taylor Factory.

Next a man  named Carnes, from Michigan came in and built a rock dam using the thin flat frocks from the river bed.  When he had finished he said, "Now I've got the old Caney Fork collared."  It was not long before a big spruce pine came down the river on a flood tide and tore down the rock dam. 

Mr. Baker went on to say that the first real timber dam was built by a man named Goodman, who built a number of dams on the Caney Fork and other streams.  Mr. Baker said that when he was a small boy he knew and talked to Mr. Goodman, who was then a very old man.

John Dale built or had built a dam between 1831 and 1839.  He was probably the owner and this may be the dam that Goodman built.  James Anderson became owner of the property and he sold it to John Warren in 1849.  A deed of 1848 and the one of 1849 included "mill and distillery conveyed on Caney Fork in Hickory Valley."  The mill was sold again 1872 when A.S. Rogers sold to Dyer White and for a time the mill was called the Dyer White mill.   The property went to John Mosley who sold it to C.E. Mormon in 1894.  This accounts for the name, "Mormon's Mill."

The dam and mill were washed out in the flood of March 1902.  A few traces of the mill were still visible in 1923, but are now under water unless the reservoir level is very low.

James McGiboney said he remembered going to the mill as a young boy.  He said a dam about 8 feet high was built across the lower end of the slough.  The slough gradually filled with mud, the property was neglected and as Dr. Mason said the mill did not operate after the close of the War.

The original land grant at Reno was to Elijah Hill.  According to older citizens visited in 1924  there was a mill operating at this location prior to 1822.  In 1841, John E. Turner was operating a saw mill, powder mill and probably a grist mill.  Turner also operated a "large plantation."  E.J. Reno was the owner of the mill site in 1912.

     Much to our surprise the color showed up in a well at Onward, 4 1/2 miles south of the sink holes, at an underground stream in a cave a half mile further south, and  at Reno Spring another half mile south on the Caney Fork.  The farmer found out that his fine, cool well water came from the run-off on the side of Gum Spring Mountain.  It did not worry him.

Terry was at Rock Island prior to 1807.

The Carthage Gazette in the March 19, 1814 issue stated, "Simpson's Mill was operating on the Rocky River."  This statement was incorrect and it should have read Calfkiller River.

Grant 3399 entered July 20, 1821 (or 1831, not clear) refers to James Simpson's (deceased) place which, according to the description, was up the river from Simpson's Mill.  The mill was located on Simpson's original grant for 100 acres.  There was a saw mill and grist mill and dam in the original layout.  James Williams (1785-1876) helped saw out the lumber for the mill and covered bridge.  This bridge was the main crossing for travel on the Sparta - McMinnville road.  John W. Simpson's name entered the picture at an early date.  The John W. Simpson Mills added 20 acres in 1825, 50 acres in 1826 and 75 acres in 1849.  The latter "adjoins the old 100 acres on which the mills are located".  Reference is also made to "the saw mill under the bluff on the east side of the river" in an 1851 deed to J.W. Simpson's heirs.

During August 1862 there was fight at Simpson's Mill between Col. Whorton's Texans and General Nelson's Federals. 

In 1871 and 1872 the properties were transferred to O.F. Young and from that time were referred to as Young's Mill.  During this period there are references to both a corn and flour mill.  The mills were sold to the Hill family in 1898 and in 1902 to the Farmers Flouring Mill & Elevator Co.  which was granted a charter by the White County Court in 1900 with a capital stock of $10,000 and increased to $30,000 in 1902.  The deed of 1902 refers to an old store and an old still house.  200 acres were deeded to White County in 1906 for the White County Poor Farm.  The properties were deeded to R.L. Hill in 1922. 

Note - O.F. refers to Oliver F. Young.

Sparkman received the land by deed in 1909.  This mill was on property that probably belonged to Carter Drake.  The writer did not have enough information to identify it for sure.

A grant of 1829 refers to an old mill dam build by John Porter.  This was at Butts Ford or upstream from it.

Originally the mill was owned by Walling, W.C. Womack and Alice Jones.  A deed of 1898 refers to the "mill property."   Jesse Walling apparently became the sole owner at that time.

All of the above information was taken from the Bylessby drawings made from 1912 surveys.

The property first belonged to the Scoggins family.  John Scoggins received 144 acres under Grant No. 534 on Caney Fork River near a Spring Branch in 1808.  In 1809 John Scoggin transferred to Jesse Scoggins 64 acres, a part of Grant No. 534.  (Bk. 3, p. 113-116)  In 1816 John Scoggin deeded an additional 21 acres to Jesse Scoggin.  (Bk. F, -. 36)  Jesse Scoggins received 23 acres on Caney Fork River near a Spring Branch by Grant No. 10809.

Jesse Scoggins gave Jesse Williams, son of James and Hannah Wills his property on the Caney Fork under his will dated 1858 and proved in 1865.  (Will Book E, p. 526)

Jesse Scoggins had the first mills built.  In addition to operating the mills and his farm, he was a brandy distiller.

According to Jim Baker the dam was built by a Mr. Goodman, an experienced builder of dams and the builder of many dams on the Caney Fork.  Several of the children of Dan Rogers, Mr. Goodman's son-in-law, were living in Doyle in the 1920's.  Jim Baker said Goodman was a very old man when he was a young boy.

The dame was built largely of white oak timbers hewn and mortised in the woods.  It was floored with hewn or sawed planks.  Jim was by the mill in 1892 and said that the dam was "partially rotted out and washed out at that time."

Asa Faulkner bought the right of way along the right bank of Barren Fork for a canal to carry water from the upper diversion dam down to the mills below the railroad bridge.  This purchase was made in March 1860 by Goodpasture who also sold some additional land for the cotton factory.  In 1859 John E. French, A.P. Welcher and Berry Layne sold Asa Faulkner additional canal rights and the right to build a dam.

After the War Faulkner built the Annis Cotton Mill.  Asa Faulkner and his son W.P. Faulkner bought water rights for a dam to be built below the railroad bridge.  The dam had been built in 1880.

Jesse Walling purchased the Annis Cotton Mill properties in 1903 and the same were transferred to the Walling Light and Power Company in 1903.

For further developments in this area see "McMinnville Hydro Electric Plant" under the general heading "Electric Power Plants."

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