Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-06-20
NOTES FROM JOHNSONVILLE.

Cheap Homes for the IndustriOus-A
Costly FOIIy-DiIaptdated Manufae
tOry-Tnnnery-S Farm-Expeef
ed Influx of Recommendations aIfye
AsDIraut-Wants of JOhnsOnvfIle.
Correspondence of the Union and American
There are some points of interest CON
nected with Johnsonyille, a knowledge OF
which may be Of advantage to men pur-
snjnQ industrial vocations. This village is
situated on the Tennessee river, one of the
best navigable streams in the South, and
il has the Nashville and Northwestern rail-
road. In addition, it is surrounded by a
fertile soil and an inexhaustible supply of
good timber. Homes for the industrious may
be bought for a low price, and the markets
within reach are good and reliable. Mr.. j.
T. Winfrey, a public spirited citizen, pro-
poses to gi,e any mechanic who will settle
in the town good building lot, and as for
farmers, land of good quality may be
bought or rented at very moderate rates.
There is some probability of a railroad be-
ing built 10 Duck River, and to this enter
prise Mr.. Winfrey proposes TO give twenty
i've lots. There is no place in the State
better suited for shoe mandatory. Il is
in a region of country where there are ex-
tensive tanneries, and the quantity and
quality of tan bark that may be gathered
from the timbered ridges will always make
it a place Of considerable leather trade. The
cheapness of this bark led to the erection of
a large establishment for the purpose Of ex-
tracing the tanning properties of the bark,
but the whole thing proved a stupendOus
failure. The ooze extracted and boiled
down was found TO be valueless
a., tod
chinery, costing $4,000, for crushing and
saturaifng the bark and boiling the extract,
stands a monument of the egregious folly
of some one. There is another establish
ment near this that ought, with proper in
dustry aud enterprise, do well. 1t is a saw
mill, with shingle machine and broom had
die machine attached. The whole thing,
however, is becoming dilapidated, and much
of the machinery, from lOrg disuse, has
become nearly worthless. 1t is expected that
new vitality will be infused into the place
beforea great while, as we learn colony
Of Germans is now, through their agent,
contracting for a large quantity Of land,
in and around the town. Near the town,
the Hon. d. B. Thomas and his energetic
partner, DR.. Gould, have large tannery,
with a capacity for making 100000 lbs Of
leather annually. They also have a -four
ing mill. Attached to these is a large pro-
ductiye farm, which they are, as rapidly as
possible, seeding to the grasses with view /
Of going extensively into the raising of |
stock. The low, level, wide Tennessee !
bottoms are admirably suited to the grow |
ing of corn and grass, and when once |
Opened sell very high. On the opposite |
side of the river from JOhnscnvile |
is a large bottom extending out |
for miles, covered with cane and |
cypress. which supply a natural pasturage |
for a large number Of cattle.
One of the most desirable features of all |
this country bordering on the Tennessee |
river, is the quantity and excellence Of the |
fish. That river is well stocked with trout, |
buffalo, cat and drum, and from al the /
little streams that flow into it, aad the lakes |
that border on it, fish Of the very best |
varieties may be taken. As an Illustration |
of the profits TO be derived from this busi- |
ness, we will mention the instance Of one |
man, who, by supplying the Nash |
vile and Memphis markets with |
fish was enabled to buy steamboat in the /
short space of fourteen months. The banks
of the Tennessee are peculiarly agreeable TO
the fnny tribe. A fringe Of willow grow
ing growing out from the clayey sides dip |
down into the river and supply cool re-
treats in summer for fish. Along the banks
during spring and fall hundreds of the disci-
pies Of izaak Walton may be seen practic-
ing the ''gentle art, and large proportion
of the people living on the river have fish
as their daily food.
The water at JOhnsonviDe, within the
limits of the hills, is bad and unfit for use.
A well situated within the city limits
-, Sc av,ar OF
with alum as to draw up the mouth like
green persimmon. With soap II forms a
CurG. and for that reason is totally unfit
for domestic purposes. 1t Is thought by
competent medical gentlemen to possess
GREAT virtues in cases of chronic diarrhoea.
The water found in the valley is sweet and
good
Vegetables of all kinds DO well. The Rev.
Mr.. Shelton showed us some Irish potatoes
of the early Rose variety, that were very
superio- bo,h as to size and cooking quail
ities, Onions. radishes, cabbage, etc, grow
rapidly, and the land around Johnsonyille
will doubtless, in a few years, be devoted
T. The culture of garden vegetables for the
Nashville and Memphis markets.
The hotel at present is kept by II. P.
Carney, ESQ, a former resident of Mont
gomery county, who knows how to play
ihe agreeable as well as any landlord in the
State. Eis table is abundantly stocked
with the best of the market, and his lady
knows well how to have the dishes
served up in a tempting manner. His
friends are urging him to represent them in
the next legislature, and should he be sent
from the county of Humphreys the interests
of the State will not suffer from any vote
that be may cast. We may say in conclu-
sion Of Johnsonville, that it needs more life,
more energy, more capital, more schools,
more churches, and a greater population.
The spot is very well selected, but nearly
every thing is wanting that makes towns
prosperous. The railroad has recently
bought up a considerable amount Of real
estate. and it is expected, that with its cor
poration, the town viii enter upon new
life, NENI, VIDI.