 Week 1The Risings and the Caltons travel about 100 miles. They get stuck in a river, cross another on a steamboat, bump along rocky roads, get lost and find a patch of strawberries. |
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Henryville is an unincorporated community in Lawrence County. It was founded in 1844, and took its name from Henry, the original postoffice at the point. The Civil War battle of Henryville took place on Nov. 23, 1864. In 1886, the community had one store and a blacksmith shop, and at least two churches, Christian Church and Primitive Baptists. |
Our trip from Henryville, Tenn., to Walnut, Kans.
Henryville, Tenn. May 22, 1895.
Wed. Left town 20 min till 4 o'clock. Drove 9 miles and camped at Joe Anthony's farm. (Mrs Jim Newman Pennington's brother). Got there 10 till 6 p.m. Ate supper in house with Joe.
Thurs 23. Left Joe Anthony's 20 till 9 a.m. Traveled 11 miles and stopped for dinner at 48 creek, fed the horses. Left camp 2:10. Girls walked up big hill. Mr Calton's team got stalled in 48 creek. Walked up another big hill. Calton's team got stalled again in Wayne Furnace creek. Camped in a grove. 4:30 p.m.
Fri. 24. Left camp 7:20 a.m. traveled 9 1/2 miles camped for dinner. Left camp after dinner. Traveled 8 1/2 miles. Got to Clifton about 4 o'clock. Had to wait two hours for the boat. Got across about dark found a camping place under some big beechnut trees. Crossed Tenn. river on steam boat. Charged 70 cts a team. Mr Calton traded Frank (Crane's sorrel) for Pet. Traveled 18 miles.
Sat. 25. Left camp this a.m. at 8 o'clock. Rained last night. Traveled 7 1/2 miles over the rockiest road we ever saw. It was up hill and down hill all the time. Ledges of rock from four to six inches up. Sometimes first one wheel then the other, was terrible hard on horses' necks. Stopped for dinner. Traveled 7 1/2 miles to Dunbar, West Tenn., to camp over Sunday. Dunbar not very big place, a store, sawmill and a half dozen houses.
Dunbar Store
The store is a simple log structure located conspicuously in the heart of the community. ... After crossing the Tennessee River at Clifton, pioneers traveling westward in covered wagons on the Old Stage Road apparently found the Dunbar community to be a good place to stop over, perform maintenance on their equipment, and rest before continuing on their journey. ... The old log building was active until after World War II. There was no electricity in the store, or, for that matter, the whole community. -- From Yesterday's Tennessee
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Sun. 26. Rained this morning till 11. We had company this afternoon. Three girls. They asked us to go to prayer meeting with them. Hessie, Lena and Annie R went. Hessie fell down going up hill.
Mon. 27. Left camp this morning at 8. Traveled 8 miles. Camped about 4 miles from Lexington. We stopped at a place to get some water. The man wouldn't let us have any. We went thru Scottshill. Roads pretty muddy, in the morning, better in afternoon. 8 miles this afternoon. 16 mi
Tues. 28. Left camp between 7 and 8. Went thru Lexington. Quite a large place. Got on the wrong road. Had to go back a mile.
Wed. 29. Left camp 15 till 8. Traveled 10 miles, went to Spring Creek, a little town. Camped for dinner on Spring Creek. Stopped at 12 (noon). Left camp at 2, got within two miles of Mydina [Medina]. Was large patches of tomatoes. Was large patch of strawberries. We camped a mile from Mydina. Had to carry water a quarter of a mile. It has been a week today since we left home.
Next: Annie flirts with a toothless old man
Wharf Scene at the Clifton Wharf about 1900. Postcard published by E. S. Lancaster & Company, Clifton, Tennessee.