Getting away in the Twilight Blue Room

Spring, summer and fall, one of Tennessee’s greatest getaways is Monteagle and the grounds of the Sunday School Assembly.

To most folks, Monteagle Mountain is best known for the steep grade ascending Interstate 24 between Nashville and Chattanooga. It’s the highest point between Chicago and Miami and can be treacherous during winter storms ... just ask Betty Lou.

But for those in the know, Monteagle and its sister city of Sewanee have both been popular retreats since the 1880s.

Ever heard of the Chautauqua movement? We had but thought of it like a touring company of turn of the 19th Century celebrities. Turns out that it was more of a summer camp for entire families generally based around “assembly” grounds.

Chautauqua was a summer camp movement to educate, entertain and enlighten American adults in the days before movies and mass media. It got its name from Lake Chautauqua in southwest New York, where the movement was founded in 1874 by Lewis Miller, an Akron, Ohio, inventor and manufacturer; and John Heyl Vincent, a Methodist minister.

In 1882, the Tennessee Sunday School Convention chartered the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly, selected a mountain top site and opened its first session July 17, 1883.

During its early years the Sunday School Assembly maintained close ties with the Chautauqua Institution in New York. The assembly hoped to train better Sunday school teachers while stressing educational and cultural pursuits. Hmmmmm, that probably leaves us out.

At first only a restaurant and amphitheater were the only structures on the Assembly Grounds, but boarding houses, meeting rooms and private cottages soon followed. Today, many of those turn-of-the century gems remain with the Assembly being one of only eight or nine Chautauquas still around.

Among those boarding houses was a Queen Anne styled Victorian rambler now known as the Edgeworth Inn. Built in 1886, the structure is the oldest, continually operated inn in the Monteagle area. The Edgeworth has been featured on the Travel Channel and in Southern Living magazine because it’s a throwback to bygone days.

We love it because it is so quiet, not to mention cozy and comfortable and a load of other adjectives.

Admittedly, Monteagle is a different place all together on football weekends at the nearby University of the South at Sewanee. Finding accommodations can be tricky then. So we usually aim for an off weekend during the fall. It’s so quiet that you can hear the leaves fall.

And the ever-bubbly Betty Lou even has to tone it down a bit. ;-) For those of you who know her, that is quite an achievement. Shhhhhhhh!

“I could live here,” she smiles. “It’s just so perfect.”

Betty Lou prefers the Twilight Blue Room, which overlooks the Assembly Grounds. She loves its Victorian feel. With a king-sized four-poster bed, the room decorated with blue flowers has a sofa for relaxing, but no TV. The bathroom has a luxurious claw-foot tub.

“No TV, no phones and no pressure. It’s perfect for relaxing. Hammerhead manages to survive without his nightlight (the boob tube) and no computer,” she smiles. “There’s a big library on the ground floor with stacks of books to read. People do read books, you know.”

“Only if they don’t have TV,” Hammerhead grumbles.

Reading and rocking on the inn’s huge front porch is delightful, even on a brisk morning.

Both of us love wandering the assembly grounds. There are so many interesting and unique cottages there. Don't forget your camera. If you want more solitude visit mid-week.

One of our favorite places to eat in the area is Pearl’s Cafe between Monteagle and Sewanee at 15344 Sewanee Highway. A tad pricey, but excellent upscale Southern cuisine is served. Its open evenings only, but has a Sunday brunch. 931-598-9568.

We love The Blue Chair at 41 University Ave. in Sewanee. 931-598-5434. It’s open Monday through Saturday and closed on Sunday. We especially crave breakfast there ... real eggs benedict. Wow. The sandwiches are great too, especially The Blue Chair Club. Order a box lunch and go explore. http://www.Thebluechair.com

Watertown and its excursion trains

Ever been to Watertown?

Betty Lou never had. In fact she had never heard of the little Wilson County, Tenn. community.

"Watertown?" she said with a dubious tone. I didn't dare mention the "T" word. She doesn't always share my interest in Tennessee railroads.

But Watertown has more going for it than trains.

It's a unique community betwixt Murfreesboro and Lebanon. The town's name seems to hint as its origin as an important steam railroad stop, but actually it refers to Wilson L. Waters, who built a grist mill, sawmill and general store there in the mid 1800s.

But don't misunderstand, Watertown is best known for its railroad connection. This heritage has been kept alive by the Historic Watertown organization and the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum.

Also known for its Mile-Long Yard sales and Watertown Jazz Festival, the community is the terminus for many excursion train events in connection with the Tennessee Central Railroad Museum, such as Valentine Murder Mystery, Easter Bunny and Polar Express Trains.

TCRM is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization with the mission of preserving and operating historic railroad equipment. The Museum headquarters is located in the former Tennessee Central Railway's Master Mechanic's office at 220 Willow St. near downtown Nashville. Check out the Web site at http://www.tcry.org/

Watertown is located 40 miles east of Nashville and 10 miles southeast of Lebanon on Highway 70. On Interstate 40, take exit 239A and head south/southeast for nine miles.

But we didn't head to Watertown for a particular event on that beautiful fall Saturday. As often the case, we just headed out a country road. At a junction, a sign pointed to Watertown. There you have it. I knew the story behind the burg, but she didn't.

Once we arrived downtown, I heard the familiar refrain. "Why haven't you taken me there before?"

There was no real reason. Just most of our recent daytrips had ended up on the Highland Rim at places like Monteagle and Burgess Falls. Watertown has some nice antique stores and arts galleries and is much closer to home.

Betty Lou soon discovered Jim's Antiques, a great little shop featuring unique items. They're unique because the owner, Jim, is originally from Maine. (You will have to ask him the story.) But if you are looking for a lobster track in the Middle of Tennessee....

Our favorite cafe discovery was the appropriately named "The Whistle Stop." 615-438-5114. Betty Lou snapped some photos of me with railroad stuff in the background. The burgers and ice tea were great and prices very reasonable.

Another attraction that is drawing people to Watertown is the Stardust Drive-In Theater. See http://www.stardustdrivein.com/

'Hoofbeats in the Heartland' exhibit coming

The Sam Davis Home will play host to "Hoofbeats in the Heartland: Civil War Cavalry in Tennessee," a traveling exhibition from the Tennessee State Museum and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area.

The traveling exhibition will grace the Sam Davis Home Museum from Nov. 19 until Jan. 14 with the grand opening strategically planned on Nov. 27, the anniversary of the death of Sam Davis.

Hoofbeats in the Heartland showcases eight significant specialties beginning with an Introduction of Mounted Warfare in 1861. The traveling exhibit progresses through the museum so visitors are able to explore the history of the cavalry leaders, troops, and the reliance on thousands of horses, as well as the spies and scouts who gathered intelligence. Other topics of interest included within Hoofbeats in the Heartland are forms of guerilla warfare, the areas of occupation, battles in Tennessee, as well as the legacy the cavalry soldiers left behind.

Hoofbeats in the Heartland tells a unique story about the Civil War Cavalry in Tennessee and how it affected those who lived and occupied regions of Middle Tennessee. Maps, photographs, graphics, as well as original and reproduction artifacts are used in this exhibit to show the impact of the mounted warfare on the state.

In addition to the traveling exhibition, the Sam Davis Home will be receiving an exciting addition to its museum. Sam Davis’ boot will be moved out of conservation at the State Museum and brought to the historic site, but for a limited time only.

For more information about the opening and the traveling exhibition, please contact the Sam Davis Home at (615) 459-2341. The Sam Davis Home is located at 1399 Sam Davis Road in Smyrna.

Union 'trick' led to Sam Davis' capture

Confederate courier Sam Davis had reason to be wary as he rested in a thicket on the Rain’s farm outside of Nashville.

Union Brig. Gen. Grenville Dodge had the 7th Kansas cavalry looking for members of Coleman’s Scouts, a Confederate spy/courier unit of some 40 to 45 operatives.

Davis, along with his older half-brother John G. Davis, were active members of the unit, which was led by former teacher Henry Shaw, who disguised himself an unkempt, bearded herbal doctor who hobbled along with a limp.

Not all of Colemen’s operatives were men. Confederate sympathizer Mary Kate Patterson, who married John Davis in 1864, played an active role in the spy ring. Her brother, Everard Patterson, was a member of Coleman’s Scouts as well.

Mary Kate Patterson, who lived about nine miles from Nashville off Nolensville Pike, brought Davis his breakfast that Sunday morning in the thicket accompanied by her cousin Robbie Woodruff. He gave the two young women a list of items to purchase in Nashville. Most of the items were intended for Gen. Braxton Bragg, commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee.

“We found him up, looking as bright as if he had slept all night, and, oh, he did enjoy his good warm breakfast, for we rode fast and had his coffee in a jug to keep it warm,” she wrote in the February 1896 edition of Confederate Veteran. “Two of my little brothers brought our dinner and we spent a nice, pleasant Sunday together – the last he spent on earth but one.”

The following day, a Monday, Davis’s younger brother, Oscar, kept him company while Patterson and Woodruff went to Nashville. After dark, he headed south toward Pulaski.

Davis next stayed at or near the home of Bob English near Lynnville in Giles County where he rendezvoused with Shaw and scouts W.J. Moore and Joshua Brown. Portions of Dodge’s troops were stationed nearby rebuilding the railroad line.

There, Davis on or about Nov. 18, was presented with the document that ultimately led to his death. It was apparently taken from Dodge’s desk by Houston English, who was a young slave of Bob English, while the general was at a meal. Davis hid that document in his boot, which was later cut apart by Union troops. That same boot is part of the collection at Tennessee State Museum in Nashville. A map showing the Union fortifications of Nashville was hidden in his saddle.

Shaw also gave him a letter for Col. A. McKinstry, provost marshal of the Army of Tennessee. A provost marshal was in command of the military police of a unit.

In his waterproof saddlebag were the personal items Mary Kate Patterson and Robbie Woodruff had collected for Gen. Bragg, including six or seven newspapers, toothbrushes, soap and blank writing journals.

It was hoped if Davis was stopped and searched only the items in the saddlebag would be discovered. He was dressed as a Confederate and wore a heavy Union overcoat that had been dyed butternut gray by his mother, Jane Simmons Davis. She had given him the coat when he surreptitiously visited the family home early in November. His father, Charles, cobbled his boots on the same visit.

With so many Union scouts and cavalry active in the area, Shaw instructed Davis to take a more circuitous route to Chattanooga by crossing the Tennessee River near Pulaski. Davis eluded capture once, but Brown and Moore were taken into custody.

Union scouts under the command of Capt. Levi H. Naron, nicknamed Chickasaw, were alert and devious.

Naron, who wrote a book about his own exploits in 1865, was an unlikely Union soldier.

“Chickasaw” was a Newton County, Ga., native who lived in Mississippi for 21 years and was a former slave owner. During the Mexican War, he was a member of the 1st Mississippi Rifles under the command of Col. Jefferson Davis, who later became president of the Confederacy.

Despite this background, Naron was a strong Unionist, who delivered stump speeches denouncing the Confederacy. Surrounded by bitter enemies, he relocated his wife and six children to Illinois and cast his lot with the Union army.

“Chickasaw,” under strict orders to apprehend members of Coleman’s Scouts, dressed his Union scouts as Confederate soldiers.

“While on their return to camp they met a young man dressed in rebel uniform, whom they conscripted for the rebel army. The young man was very indignant at first, and told them they were doing wrong, that he was on special business from General Bragg, all of which was of no avail, my scouts persisted in taking him before their Captain, who could act at his pleasure,” wrote Naron.

That young man was Sam Davis who was attempting to cross the Tennessee River near Minor Hill.

The ruse was over the minute they asked him for his weapons.

“He attempted to escape by putting spurs to his horse, but the scouts were on the watch, and the moment he made the effort one of the men caught his horse by the bridle rein,” Naron said.

Similarly, Shaw, Moore and Joshua Brown were captured and taken to Gen. Dodge for questioning.

“We did not know of the importance of the capture of Shaw, or that he was the Captain Coleman commanding Bragg’s secret service force. Nothing was found on any of the prisoners of importance, except upon Davis, who evidently had been selected to carry the information they had all obtained through to General Bragg,” Dodge said.

“Davis was brought immediately to me, as his captors knew his importance. They believed he was an officer and also knew he was a member of Coleman’s command.”

The general took the first crack at breaking Davis with the goal of locating Coleman and his command.

“Davis met me modestly. He was a fine, soldierly-looking young man, dressed in a faded Federal soldier’s coat, one of our army soft hats and top boots. He had a frank, open face, which was inclined to brightness,” Dodge said.

“I tried to impress upon him the danger he was in, and that I knew he was only a messenger, and held out to him the hope of lenient treatment if he would answer truthfully, as far as he could, my questions,” he said.

Davis, listening intently, gave Dodge no information. Capt. Armstrong, the 16th Division’s provost marshal, then placed Davis in the Pulaski jail with the other prisoners. An undercover Union informant was also added to the cell.

But the captured Confederates didn’t talk amongst themselves.

Dodge, in retrospect, said there were two reasons for the silence.

“They all knew Colonel Shaw was one of our captives, and that if his importance was made known to us he would certainly be hung, and they did not think that Davis would be executed,” he said.

The Confederates were wrong. The life of 21-year-old Sam Davis would soon be forfeit.

So why write a blog?

So just what do we intend to do with this blog?

Share our love for places often off the beaten track. Places like the Body and Soul shop on West Main Street in Dickson. We also hope to pass on some events like the Shop and Stroll holiday open house in Historic Murfreesboro.

Let’s not forget those places we enjoy visiting like Monteagle, Sewanee, Lynchburg, Franklin and even getaways to the family farm near Woodbury. Not all of our adventures are in Middle Tennessee. Chattanooga, Land Between the Lakes and many of Tennessee’s forgotten spots are on our list as well.

We have quite a list of favorite restaurants. Just the ones in the Murfreesboro area could fill a book.

We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to make suggestions or ask us our opinion. Thanks for reading our blog.

City Cafe update

City Cafe on Murfreesboro's Historic East Main Street is the 'Boro's oldest business.

The 107-year-old restaurant opened Feb. 10, 1900 on the Southside of the Square. Dorsey Cantrell was the original owner and operated it for more than 50 years.

For the last 23 years, Garry and Pat Simpson operated the landmark. During their tenure, they relocated it and expanded it without losing that traditional quality. Recently, the Simpsons sold City Cafe to family friends, Scott Perkins and his fiancee, Scarlett Jones.

Naturally, the transition made long-time City Cafe fans, like Hammerhead, a tad nervous.

But we are pleased to report all is well at the landmark meat and three. The portions are large and well-prepared. The crinkle-cut french fries are fresh and crunchy. The "top secret" yeast rolls are still huge, hot and tasty.

Scott and Scarlett aren't missing a beat. Both of them are friendly and do their best to meet their clientele's needs, no matter how quirky.

Just who was Sam Davis?

The Sam Davis Home in Smyrna, TN, is one of Middle Tennessee's best Civil War sites.





Just who was Sam Davis?

The short answer is that he was “the boy hero of the Confederacy.” Today his short life stands as one of the most interesting stories to survive the “Lost Cause” era of Southern history.

Davis, the son of Charles Lewis and Jane Simmons Davis, was raised in an upper middle class home on Stewarts Creek in Smyrna.

He was well educated for the time, attending Smyrna area schools before enrolling in the Western Military Academy in Nashville. The headmaster was Bushrod R. Johnson who would soon become a general in the Confederate Army. Another teacher to play an important role in Davis’ life was Henry B. Shaw.

As war fever grew, the 19-year-old Davis joined a militia company called “The Rutherford Rifles,” which was soon mustered in as Company I, First Tennessee Infantry.

When the war began, his company joined Gen. Robert E. Lee for his first offensive actions in what is now West Virginia, where they fought at the Battle of Cheat Mountain, Sept. 12-15, 1861.

Davis returned to Smyrna in 1862 when his initial one-year enlistment ended.

There he was recruited, probably by his older half-brother John Davis, for an elite group of Confederate couriers and spies called “Coleman’s Scouts.” The unit was in command of the illusive E. Coleman, who was actually Davis’ former teacher, Henry Shaw. The scouts often reported directly to Gen. Braxton Bragg who was in command of the Army of Tennessee, but Gen. Benjamin Cheatham was in charge of the spy/scout ring and was the one who contacted Shaw about organizing the group of some 40 to 45 volunteers.

In the autumn of 1863, Davis and five other scouts were dispatched to gather information about Federal troop movements in Middle Tennessee. Bragg, still in the afterglow of his victory at Chickamauga, knew Gen. U.S. Grant was bound to move in troops to relieve the Union garrison at Chattanooga.

Of particular interest to Bragg and his command was Union Gen. Granville M. Dodge’s Division, which had been in the Corinth, Miss. area. Dodge hailed from a distinguished American family. His ancestor, Richard Dodge, came to North America in 1629 as a member of the Plymouth Colony.

Before the Civil War, Dodge was a railroad man who helped survey and build the famous Rock Island Line. By 1854, he had relocated to Council Bluff, Iowa, where he was involved in real estate development, shipping and banking. After the Civil War, he earned the unofficial title of “the greatest railroad builder of all time” for serving as chief engineer of the Union Pacific railroad.

A powerful businessman, Dodge proved to be an effective commander earning the trust of Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Grant and William T. Sherman.

When his life impacted that of Sam Davis, Dodge was in command of the second division of the 16th Corps of the Union Army of the Tennessee, where Grant put Dodge’s expertise as a railroad engineer to work repairing destroyed lines.

But Dodge’s chief role in Tennessee was serving as the chief of the Bureau of Military Intelligence for Grant.

Dodge was Grant’s spymaster with more than 100 operatives in the trans-Mississippi area. His agents had contributed to Federal victories at Vickburg and at Island No. 10.

Dodge's division did no fighting at Vicksburg, but remained at Corinth until November 1863, when it moved out with Sherman, marching from Corinth to Pulaski, Tenn.

Sherman moved on, leaving Dodge at Pulaski to guard the Nashville and Decatur Railroad, while Sherman moved to relieve Chattanooga. There was also another matter that Grant ordered Dodge to attend to: Coleman’s Scouts.

Dodge had some distinguished units in his command including Birge’s Western Sharpshooters, who had equipped themselves with Henry Repeating Rifles. Also at his disposal was the 7th Kansas Cavalry, nicknamed “The Jayhawkers,” which included former guerillas from the Kansas-Missouri border wars. Charles R. “Doc” Jennison was one of the most infamous of the Jayhawkers and first earned his fame by stealing horses from Missouri.

But one member of the 7th Kansas Cavalry exceeded Doc Jennison and even General Dodge in fame. He was young William F. Cody, later known by the world as Buffalo Bill.

Dodge’s men did their job well. Many of Coleman’s Scouts were captured, wounded or died on their missions in Middle Tennessee.

A list of the scouts was compiled by surviving members of the unit in 1898. Most, if not all of them, had been captured, some repeatedly like Billy Moore. He was captured twice but managed to escape from his court martial in Pulaski. Tom Joplin, who was on the same mission with Sam Davis, was wounded twice and captured and helped to escape from Nashville.

At least three of the scouts died because they refused to divulge their secrets. Two of them, Dee Jobe and Dick Dillard died more horrific deaths, but it was Sam Davis who won acclaim through a set of unique circumstances.

Retelling Davis’ death became one of the most popular “Lost Cause” stories thanks chiefly to an editor named Sumner A. Cunningham.

A Shelbyville native, Cunningham founded the Chattanooga Times only to sell it for $450 to Adolph Ochs, who later established the New York Times newspaper dynasty.

Cunningham achieved national prominence with a publication he established in 1893 called “The Confederate Veteran.”

Based in Nashville, Cunningham’s monthly magazine began as a newsletter reporting on a drive to build a monument honoring CSA President Jefferson Davis in Richmond, Va.

Cunningham was a member of the Southern Press Association, which was originally called the Southern Press Davis Memorial Monument Association. This group united with the United Confederate Veterans, headed by former CSA Gen. John Bell Gordon. The Nashville American newspaper, edited by Edward Ward Carmack, had issued the first call for the Davis Memorial.

With the success of the Jefferson Davis Memorial, Cunningham would soon be beating the drum of support for another Davis.... Sam Davis, the boy hero of the Confederacy.