Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-02-28
LETTER FROM Upton COUNTY.
CovINaroN. TIproE COUNTY, Tenn, !

:. B0unO Sleept At the un~cnEiStlaD-llkS 0ouf
of 4 o'clock la the morning, it was In no
very pleasant humor that I left Mem
Z phis on Wednesday, on the cars for Lou
i~svllle, which, a little after dsy-break, I
vacated for a look at Mason's Depot, into
, which quiet but busy little town Ilite-
: rally tumbled, more asleep than awake.
The car in which 1 rode was so comforta-
bic, and the track OF the Memphis and
: Ohio Railroad in such good order, that,
weary as I was, I was more disposed to
sleep than to advance forward on my
route in a stage that, could it speak,
might tell Of characters strange, queer
and rare. The Jehu, 8 son of the Emer-
aid Isle, drove a mule fou~r-in-hand, with
all the recklessness of his tribe and race ;
and, aided as he was, by the most in
tractsble of animals and the worst OF
roads, you can well imagine that Horace
Greeley's invocation to his RAZOR
more than once occurred to me ss
sppropos to road, mules and driver.
Bat on the whole, when / look
back, "a fearful retrospect), l
think 1 can safely thank my friendly
Son of st. Patrick for the nerve, the
grit and the dash with which he brought
myself and fellow passengers through
the ruts and r~avines, the hollows and
holes that comprise the chief features of
the road from Mssoh's Dsrot to Gov
ington. Then, too, the tedium and risks
of the trip were more than made up for by
the presence Of agreeable and intelligent
companions, and the hearty reception
that 1 met with from the people of this
town.
Like sIl places of its size, this pleas
antly situa ted town is just beginning to
emerge from the dizziness and latness in
duced by the war and the years of trial
we have passed through since. Signs Of
improvement are now visible on all
hands, and the people speak cheerfully
and hopefully of the future. I noticed
among the improvements one or two
very neat stores and several handsome
residences, that, a well in their sur
~roundings as in architectural design,
speak highly for the taste of their own
ers. One of the oldest, il has hitherto
been one Of the slowest places in West
Tennessee. In 1926, five years after the
removal hither OF G en-. Nat. Upton "a
hero OF J~sckson's and Rarrison's CAM
peigns), C~ovington was "Iaid out u
by the Telling Of such trees as then
nonUrnTAH 4hn clio " Aa D,LHs.
Square, and the necessary steps
we're taken for the construction of
a temporary frame courthouse that lasted
until superseded, in 1880, by the present
battered and worn brick structure, in its
day n Of the most imposing in the
State. The families then here 1526-7)
Were those of Gen. Upton, Mr.. Mitchell
father Of the President Of the Mississip-
pi River Railroad), Mr.. Gaines, Col.
Durham and DFs. Greene and Fisher.
These are all now represented in the
town by their children, or connections,
except Mr.. Gaines, who, with every
member of his family, hiss long since been
gathered to his fathers. AT first, immi-
grafton was rapid SO much so, that in
1880, the year of the completion of the
courthouse, the town hsd attained its
present proportions, and, relatively
speaking, occupied a more commanding
position as a.trading point, to which the
people Of three counties looked with ideas
future greatness for it-Iarger than
have even been Realised by Memphis.
What COvingtOn attained to in
1880, she maintained with varying
until this good year o! grace,
when her dream Of so many quiet years
wss rudely shocked by propositions for
the construction Of & railroad to Mem
phis and to Cairo that will give her out
let from the mud North, South, East
and West. At frat the thing took
but once fairly understood as q
proposition emsnating from sensible, :
practical gentlemen identified through
81 their years Of life with West Tennes-
it was caught up and now is hailed
IS the Z thing neediul to entice immi- :
grants and induce capitalize bring |
strangers from the outside busy world 4.
INTO q cosy little town, whose iuhsb- !
tsnts have lived in plenty, enjoying the 1
sbundsnces OF 6 bountiful Providence,
md e~videncing their appreciation Of It !
~ order, the strict observance of flaw,
he fostering OF religion and education, 1
md the care and culture of their
The r ailroad mania has seizsd
.JovingtoD, and it is no longer possible ;
o fad egen q dubious man, a doubter,
'ither OF the scheme or its projectors, so ]
lose is the union OF hearts and hands |
or the measure, facts manifested by the !
ecent county subscription Of two :
hundred thousand dollars to the road. !
Under this stimulus one already hears :
enterprises the usual accomplishments :
u r .ilrosds. The utiliza alton OF the mil I
ions Of broad acres now lying idle in G
Upton county awsiti2g the labor OF ;
muscled immigrants, and the 4
ysss forests of cypress, red and white Q
'ak, yellow poplar, ash, gum and hick- !
'ry. A very garden spot as to soil, it in i
7ites and will be n day shortly the seat Il
# a large population, and, perhaps, as Ii
loted for its manufacturing SIS its agri- Q
wealth. As promising q great s
lesl for such as may desire to come r
iither, l will mention the Furnishing g
Existence of the Upton male school of :
Prof. Byers, and the female seminary of !.
'rof. Holmes, both gentlemen OF educa- o
ion and experience, and highly hopored G
y the community. There is a very fine !,
church belonging to the Metho- a
lists, q neat frame edifice of the Presbv- Il
u Of the Bsptists, and one of g
no Episcopalians; all pretty well sus- u
aimed. Society as L have limited above r
good, and the general tone of the high. e.
type. Your readers will thus see that b
II that is here needed is what the Rail "
Dad viii bring. It will be finished TO q
us plsee on the first OF May, 1870. You ii
IN then calculate how long Covington b
Upton will have to wait the era Of a.
.,osperity that every well wisher Of b
ther can hope for them. J. NJ. K. 81
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