The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-08-01
Tennessee.

Editor The Washington Herald:
If you viii kindly allow me space in
your column under the heading Of ''Peo-
pie and Things" I would Ike to say
word about a State that. while great and
prosperous, has not received the public
recognition 10 which she Is entitled.
Tennessee, once known as the state OF
Franklin, and once a part OF North Caro-
Ina. was the third state admitted to the
Union after the adoption Of the Con-
stitution. which was in the year Of 1896.
An old-time log cabin now standing at
Greeneville, Tenn, was used as the first
capitol OF the state OF Franklin. The last
session OF the Franklin assembly met
here in September. 17S7.
Tennessee Is 40 miles In length and
los miles in breadth, and covers an area
OF $3.50 square miles She is bounded
on the north by Kentucky and Virginia.
on the east by North Carolina. on the
south by Georgia, Alabama, and Missis-
sippi. on the west by Arkansas and Mis-
souri, Thus she touches eight other
States. and with the exception Of Mis-
souri, no other State has so many States
on her borders. She has had four CAPT.
tails, which are Knoxville, Murfreesboro,
Kingston. and Nashville. which is the
present. In Middle Tennessee beyond the
river valley lies a magnificent plain Of
some $3.50 square miles. which is filed
with grain, cotton. and tobacco fields. II
also contains the largest red cedar for
ests in America. Eastward of this rich
garden is the great Cumberland plateau,
which rises to the stately height OF 1000
feet above the Tennessee, a river which
twice crosses the State of the name she
bears.
The Cumberland plateau IS wealthy IN
coal and limestone. Among the Cum
berland Mountains exist caverns which
are many miles long, through which flow
powerful underground streams. The
bones OF extinct animals are TO be found
here also.
The highest peak TO he found in the
State is Clingmans Dome. which is $500
feet high. The leading rivers Of the State
besides the Tennessee are the Cumberland,
the Holston. the French Broad. and the
Big Hatchie. The leading products are
corn. tobacco. hay. wheat. cotton. oats.
and potatoes. IN 1859 Tennessee stood
fifth among the States in tobacco. The
manufacturing amounts 10 over $75.eoo,ooo
yearly. Cotton, wool. iron and steel, cot
tonseed OIL, lumber. and leather are in the
lead.
The first railroad was the Memphis.
chartered In 1881. when there was only
fifty miles in the country. De Soto was
probably the first white man 70 tread
upon the soil of this my native State.
Tennessee seeded June S, 1851, and was
readmitted in 1866 Many OF the hardest
fought engagements Of the war took
place on her soil. In 1900 the attendance
at the public schools was $3.50. OF which
$50 s4S were white children and l0O,75O
were colored.
The population OF the territory sepa-
rated from North Carolina. and which
now forms a large part OF the State Of
Tennessee. in July. 1871. was 36,o43 In
GLIDING S4l7 slaves. In the last census
| taken her population was 2,02o,el6 The
census now being taken VIII show an
enormous Increase. Tennessee is wealthy
and thriving She now stands among the
foremost OF her sister States.
HARRY W, BRISfER.