The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1892-12-15
GEN. TAYLOR.
Interesting Sketch of An
East Tennessee
Pioneer.
He Was of the Old Happy
Valley.

There is not Il travel twice the
length Of this country that affords
the tourist as much of real interest as
the narfow-gauge running from John
son City to Cranberry. For ten miles
out from Johnson City it runs through
the far-famed Watauga valley, the
cradle of Western civilization. The
very atmosphere is redolent with the
sacred memories Of the pioneers Of
Tennessee, the men who blazed out
the pathway 10 n score of common
wealths.
Every mile is historic ground. About
four miles from Johnson City, there
stands on knJll commanding a view
of the Watauga valley for miles in
either direction and of the mountains
in the background, an old frame hou e
OF the style of the long ago, fast going
to decay. 1t reminds one of Poe's
"House of Usher" with the vacant
windows and look OF utter desolation,
In its day it was a splendid mansion
and the envy of all the good, plain
people for miles around, To gaze
upon it now is to wonder why it was
ever built to be 80 ruthlessly deserted
and abandoned / yisited the old
house one morning iu early spring, as
the fields Of Watauga we're just show
ing green and the trees just beginning
to leaf
1t is a lonely old place, and one
would naturally suppose that it was
haunted, il there 10 really such a thing
as a haunted house. The doors are
barred up and the only entrance possi'
BILE is through window in the ell.
In the font yard there remains q
few shrubs and single rose bush
which was just putting forth single
bud when visited the place. The
front door must have been considered
an elegant affair in its day, made uE
Of panels of heavy oak, with scroll
work facings. THERE'S wide hall
way with doors opening into, rooms
on either side. II is easy enough tt
locate the parlor, an immense room
with wainscoted walls and irescoeC
ceiling. The brass-tipped andironi
still remain in the cavernous fire
place just as they stood years age
when the last fire died out in th'
mansion. The familv or sitting room
is furnished in oak, with closets anC
cuphoards galore, and adjoins thu
dining room which is as large IS tht
| the ground floor of an ordinary cot
tage. There are cupboards ant
closets set in the walls. Upstairs
there four large bed chambers and
small room. In this small room
found q baby's cradle and some toy
and one of those little spinning wheel
of our grandmothers day that woul'
4 have set the collector of antiqultie
wild. In a closet in the same room
found several leaves from an oil
ledger and number Of letters datin
as far back as 1915 lJl0 -e+oL<
No, there is no romance or TRACED
outof the usual order onnectedauit
the old house. 1t was the home plac
of General Ma haniel Taylor, one (
tae earliest settlers of East Tennessee,
and the house, occupying the site of
huge log structure built in the Garlic
days, WAS finished in 1921, fe'
!, months before the Generals death.
:. Gen.faylor, who was a civil eng
e neer and surveyorof national reput'
J.. ton, possessed at one time an estat
J that would put toshame the land ba
! ons ofEhe great West In fact at or
time be held in fee simple tour millior
s of acres of land in East Tennesse
Western North Carolina, Southwe
! Virginia and Eastern Kentucky. H
!. deeds covered all the valuable CO
is lands En Southwest Virginia, lanC
e that to!dayesre worth millions OF do
lars. He sold it off to actual settle
i and spectators, for there were re
it estate spectators even in those; day
!, His holdings finally narrowed dos
% to priBcely estate in the Wataul
! valley. He was,a man OF sound ludg
81 ment and.g9od taste, Tor what would
n, man gain il be. owned the whole wor