Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-10-16
WASHINGTON COUNTY HIS
TORICAL SOCIETY.
THE BOAT LAUNCHED. WORKING
COMMITTEES APPOINTED.
The Herald and Tribune Thanked for
What IL has Already Done.

The meeting was called to order by
Judge A. s. Deaderick, He said, at has
been thought proper to organize here a
Society for the collection and preserva-
ton of our local history. What is now
the State of Tennessee was first the Dis
trict, and then the County of Washing
ton. This mother of all the counties
possesses a mine of historical wealth
that even her own children Sbut imper.
fectly appreciate. Much valuable ma
terial has been lost. Time, dust and the
moth are nibbling away what remains,
The purpose of this meeting is to collect
and preserve this local history for here
history was made. Great men lived
here-walked these streets-breathed
this air-John Sewer, James Robertson,
Daniel Boone, Andrew Jackson, David
Crockett-these and others-men of
mark-who wrote their names high up
on the scroll of history. They we're men
of that fiber that build commonwealth.
They performed great actions. John
Sewer in driving the Chickamauga In
dams into the Businesses of the noun
tains of lower East Tennessee did a
great work for the protection of the
valley of East Tennessee.
On this day, lis years ago, this same
Sewer rode up the fiery slopes of Kings
Mountain, and fought one of the great
battles of the Revolution then hasten
ed back to his frontier home to drive the
Indian over his smoking towns, back
again into the cliffs and caves of the
mountains.
Rough, externally, may have been
these ancestors of ours, but they had
great souls, and / say it deliberately, /
would rather be the descendent of IL of
these men, than amember of any crown
ed family in Europe. [Applause.] We
owe it to them; we owe ii to ourselves
we owe it to our children to keep fresh
and enduring their work.
am glad to be a part of this new
effort, and it shall have my hearty CO.
operation in its high aims and purposes.
To organize in practical way is the
purpose of this meeting; and l now an
nounce it ready for business.
On motion, Judge s.. j.. Kirkpatrick
was invited to act as President. On
taking the chair, he remarked:
Gentlemen: / am heartily with you
in this effort to collect and perpetuate
our local history. These empty benches
ought to be filled with citizens-with
members of the County Court, if you
please-who have just vacated them
supporting by their presence and their
voices this movement. What we are
doing is a matter of much more vital
Importance than the discussion Of the
erection of a Poor House in which they
have been engaged. l have sympathy
for the poor. The men who settled these
mountains were poor, but they gave us
Homes as well as places for Poor Houses.
They gave us all this goodly land to
dwell in, free from the wolf and the
bear and Indian, and said to us, snake
q commonwealth out of it" The history
Of these men and their doings as pub
lished in the books is painfully small.
l am informed that some of the new
western States, whose age you can count
on your fingers, possess a whole alcove
in the National Library, while the
books that relate to the State Of Ten
nessee and her hundred years Of history
would not fill q half bushel mealsaek!
Yet this State has a magnificent his
tory-brimfull of heroism, romance,
craftsmanship, legal learning, and ripe
scholarship. In this very Court House
covered with dust slumber papers eaten
by moth and ~mice-history that our
children, at least, have..a right to know.
This is the first, genuine, substantial
effort made to perform a duty that
ought to have been performed long ago.
We are here on this anniversary of a
great event, to render homage to the
great spirits who acted and dwelt here;
n also to express our appreciation of
their valor and patriotism.
l might say much more, in amplifica-
ton of this subject, but it is more i'm
portant to do the practical work before
us.
The first step, as / understand it, is to
make permanent what we propose
to do, namely, to have this society in
corporated. A motion to that effect, at
the proper time, will be in order. d..
The second step, ought to be to enlist
the interest of every man and woman in
this county, in the actual work to be
done, hence a Committee on Member
ship.
Next, in order, would come the APP
pointment of a Committee to investigate
and report upon some suitable place,
hall or room, for the permanent occu-
patton of the Society, it's books, papers,
museum, etc, to be thrown open to the
general public. Some such steps are
necessary to do practically what we
propose. With this bare outline, to be
filled in as we proceed, l now await your
pleasure.
On motion of Judge Deaderick, Samuel
M. Arnell was appointed Secretary.
In response to the addresses which had
been made, Judge Newton Hacker ex-
pressed his sympathy in proposed work.
He said: at was needed. 1t was almost
a shame that it had not been taken in
hand earlier. Much of the grand His
tory of this State, however, still remain
I'd. 1t is a tangible part of our glorious
Heritage. Those indefinite things we
call historical memories" are Jewels
h a grow more valuable as time passes.
In line with the suggestions of the
Chairman, Judge Hacker made the fol-
lowing motion: ~ move that all the
members of the county Court, each for
his own District, the Sheriff. of the
County, members of the Bar, the Super
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