Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-09-12
WHOLE NO. 1880.

ie not occupy dOrmitOries, but viii be
le distributed among the various families
of the city, and thus be preserved from
1T contracting the rough manners and
=. wild habits almost inseparable from
\ protracted seclusion from the refine
d ments and restraining influences of
1t the domestic circle.
1t THE Press is represented by the
: CHRONICLE and the Tobacco Leaf, two
If of the best country papers Ia theS State
y Both are Democratic in principle, and
s are able and earnest advocates of all
q Of the country. The city has wharf
: boat, gas works, and a new market
D house, but the courthouse and Jail are
l. unworthy of the county, being old,
9 unsightly, inconvenient and disagree
{ able. Two bridges span Red River,
3 three macadamized roads run out from
! the city east, northeast and north, the
} latter passing through Providence.
/ The professions are represented by
J sixteen lawyers, thirteen doctors, three
judges, four dentists, and ten OF twelve
ministers of the gospel. The bar of
Clarksyille has always been distinguish
ed by the ability and learning of its
members, and it would be difficult to
lind In the State, within the same
limits, so many men of influence and
weight.
New PRovIDENcE.-This thriving
town is within two miles of Clarksville,
separated from it by Red River, and
IS situated on the north side of Cum
berland River. 1t has a population Of
ZOO, and is a place of considerable
trade. Besides the bank, pork house,
and warehouse, which we have men,
toned, ii has eighteen commercial es-
adjustments, and does a business to
the amount of 5000, 600 annually one
half of which is in groceries. The
tobacco trade is carried on largely
The region of country lying north of
Providence IS very fertile and pro-
ductlve. The other towns and vii
lagos are Palmyra, situated in the
southwestern part Of the county-old
and almost deserted-shorn of its
ancient glory, for it, like Port Royal,
once competed for the seat of govern
ment; st. Bethlehem, on the railroad,
northeast Of Clarksville three and a
half miles; Port Royal, Peaeher's
Mills, Woodlawn, Oakwood, COrban-
dale, and Jordan's Springs. All of
these places have from two to six busi-
ness houses. At Peaeher's Mills
there is Wool Factory, which at one
time employed thirty operatives. Be-
sides these towns and villages there
are scattered through the county
forty country stores that supply their
respective neighborhoods with staple
goods.
TRANsPORTATION.-Prior to 1860
the county was altogether dependent
upon the Cumberland River for trans
portation. During that year the rail-
road leading from Memphis to Louis
vile was completed. 1t passes diagO-
nally through the county from north
east to southwest, crossing Red and
Cumberland Rivers at Clarksville.
This road intersects the St Louis and
Southeastern road at Guthrie, ii miles
above Clarksville, and only few hun
dred yards beyond the county line.
New roads are projected, connecting
Clarksyille with the Kentucky coal re
gions more directly, and also Nashville
with Clarksville.
The depreciation in the price of land
in this county is doubtless attributable
to the local taxation, which for several
years was one and half times as much
as the State tax. The county created
debt in aid of the construction of
the Memphis, Clarksville aud Louis
vile Railroad. Some of this has been
paid off. The present county debt is
S2lS, 700, but as an offset it holds Sc
curities to the amount of SlS0,00O, so
that the true debt does not exceed
100000. With the present energy
and financial ability of the county
officers, it is thought the entire debt
will be extiuguished in four years.
That we are correct as to the cause of
the low price of land, will appear from
the fact that the same qualities ofland
In Robertson on the one side, and Stew
art on the other, though not having
equal advantages of transportation. are
worth from ten to twenty-five per cent.
more per acre.
FLUCTUATIONS IN LAND But great
depreciation took place in consequence
of the devastating results Of the war,
as will readily appear from eompari-
son of the taxable value in 1858 and
| 1859 with the valuation since. For
the first named year the land in this
county was valued at S4373,673 or
Sl350 per acre. For 1S59it was valued
at S4,714,171 or S14.36 per acre. In
1861, as appears from the Comptroller
Report, the total value of the land was
S2, ,409, ,O29 or 81 .16 per acre in 1872,
50, ,34l $50 or about 5000 per acre. On
the other hand the railroad tax, while
it relatively diminished the price Of
land as compared with those counties
levying no tax, the construction of the
railroad itself nearly doubled the price
of the land In every part of the county.
| In 1850 frst-rate farms could have
been bought for ten dollars per acre
in 1860 the best farms were in demand
at forty and fifty dollars per acre. For
the year 1859 the taxable property Of
the county amounted to SlO, ,562, ,762, or
nearly double what 1t Is at present, not
withstandiDg the stringent assessment
law now in force. From 1850 to 1864
there was no county in the State more
prosperous, and no one in which there
i was u DeltcT OF mOFc Unity tlArS VI
farmers. 1t was the golden period in
the agriculture of the county. The
city Of Clarksville for portion of this
period had sixteen tobacco stemmeries
in operation. Money was abundant.
Life and energy were everywhere ap-
parent. The farmers practiced di-
versifed husbandry, and reaped rich
rewards. The number Of hogs driven
to the Clardsville market was almost
incredible. The streets were crowded
with wagons from morning until night,
laden with produce of all kinds from
the country. Even turkeys formed no
ineonsidsrable article of export, and
as many as 81 500 have been sent out
of the county in single year. The con-
trast between 1860 and 1874 is pain
full one. Many of the smaller indus
tries are now totally neglected. With
soils well suited for the growth of
potatoes, potatoes are imported. With
the greatest facilities for raising hay,
hay is brought from Ohio and sold at
$50 per ton, when it may be produced
at a less cost than s. per ton. With
rich pasture lands, where the finest
and best breeds of cattle may be raised
at a small cost, and butter and cheese
manufactured as cheaply as in Ohio,
yet butter and cheese from the Western
Reserve supply, in great part, the
market. The county has been IN the
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