The History of Camp Forrest ~ by Michelle Shocklee

 

As the daughter of a World War II veteran, I'm always eager to learn new things about the war and the people who experienced it. As I began to think about the topic for my next book, I knew I wanted to write about the homefront during WWII. So I started to research what was happening in Tennessee during the war, and I came across information about a military installation called Camp Forrest located outside of Tullahoma. Some of the really cool historical tidbits I learned convinced me I'd found the setting for my new book! 

Let's virtually visit Camp Forrest together.

Photo courtesy of US Air Force

Camp Forrest began life as a small National Guard facility called Camp Peay. Camp Peay, named after former Tennessee Governor Austin Peay, was built in 1926 and occupied 1,040 acres of Tennessee farmland. As things heated up in Europe, with Germany invading defenseless countries at an alarming rate, officials in the US military and government knew it was only a matter of time before the United States would be forced into war. 

Soldiers at Camp Forrest (credit unknown)

With that in mind, the government quietly began to prepare. Camp Peay was taken over by the US Army and was expanded to encompass 85,000 acres. Because it was not Army tradition to name military bases for a politician who didn't have a distinguished military background, the camp was renamed after Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest, a native of Tennessee whose birthplace was nearby. Unfortunately, Gen. Forrest had a rather tarnished reputation, which didn't please a lot of people, but the name stuck and was used throughout the war. 

After Pearl Harbor was attacked and the United States declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy, thousands of would-be soldiers soon poured into Camp Forrest for training. The 30,000-plus-acre Spencer Artillery Range was used to train soldiers in heavy artillery. Infantry units practiced maneuvers on the camp's extensive grounds, including a Ranger battalion that practiced rappelling off cliffs. Those same Rangers put their training to use when they scaled the bluffs at Point du Hoc near Omaha Beach in Normandy.

Incoming troops enjoyed use of the amenities found on most military installations of the era: service clubs, guest houses, a library, post exchanges, a post office, hospital facilities, chapels, theaters, and barracks buildings. The camp was also home to Red Cross and Army Emergency Relief facilities. Recreation facilities included swimming, archery, tennis, a sports arena, and a nine-hole golf course.

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=40256

Yet despite the opportunities for fun and relaxation, the reality of war was always present. From late 1942 to early 1943, 24,000 prisoners of war were held at Camp Forrest. These POWs were members of the German Wehrmacht, with many of them captured in Africa. During that time, the 2,000-bed hospital at Camp Forrest also saw an huge increase in patients as American warriors wounded in Europe were sent home to recuperate.

But why did I choose Camp Forrest as the setting for my new novel All We Thought We Knew? Because of this fascinating fact: 

Beginning in May 1942, Camp Forrest became one of the many Enemy Alien Internment camps that were scattered throughout the country. People with ties to Germany, Japan, and Italy were arrested and detained in internment camps as soon as the US joined the war, with many of them being held for the duration of the war and afterwards. When I read about the many German people who were kept at Camp Forrest against their will, I knew I'd found the topic for my book!

I'll write more about Enemy Aliens in my post next month and tell you about the people who inspired the character of Gunther Schneider! Stay tuned!

Your turn: Are you interested in the history of World War II? Why or why not? Inquiring minds would like to know! 

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Appalachian Song, a 2024 Christy Award Finalist; Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award; and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Award and Selah Award finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/all-we-thought-we-knew/9781496484178

Tullahoma, Tennessee: An Important Town You May Have Never Heard Of ~ by Michelle Shocklee

Unless you're from Tennessee, you may have never heard of a small town an hour south of Nashville called Tullahoma. I sure hadn't. Unbeknownst to me, Tullahoma played a significant role during World War II as well as the Civil War. The town today is charming and the people friendly, and it just so happens to be the setting of my new novel, All We Thoughts We Knew. Let me take you on a journey to Middle Tennessee and visit this little town that became an important stop during two wars.

Nashville & Chattanooga passenger depot, Tullahoma, TN 

The area where Tullahoma is located was occupied by various Native American people. Streams, waterfalls, and plentiful wildlife made it an ideal place to live. After Tennessee obtained statehood in 1796, white settlers began to migrate to the area. 

In the early 1850s, a railroad camp was created for men employed by the Nashville & Chattanooga railroad company. A brand new rail line was being built that would connect Nashville to middle Tennessee. It isn't unreasonable to say that the railroad created Tullahoma. The town was chartered in 1852 and continued to grow. The earliest settlement was by farmers from Virginia and North Carolina. Using slave labor, they developed plantations for tobacco and hemp.

By Hal Jespersen at en.wikipedia - Own work by Hal Jespersen
based on File:Braxton Bragg.jpg & File:GenWmSRosecrans.jpg.

When the Civil War began in April 1861, Company B, 1st Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, was formed in Tullahoma. It joined General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. In 1863, Tullahoma served as the headquarters for the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The selection of Tullahoma as a headquarters by Confederate General Braxton Bragg has been much criticized by military historians. Although the location was strategic with regard to the road and rail network, it had no strong natural defenses. Bragg did little to fortify it while his forces occupied the area--a mistake he would regret. From June 24 to July 3, 1863, the Union Army, led by Maj. Gen. William Rosecans, began an operation now known as the Tullahoma campaign, effectively forcing the Confederates to abandon Tullahoma. It would remain under Union control throughout the war. 

Cline Photo Co., Chattanooga. Tenn. "Tichnor Quality Views," Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Made Only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass. -
Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers collection #69994, Public Domain, 

In the late 1930s and early 40s, with fighting erupting all over Europe, the US military quietly began to prepare for war. Despite many Americans who strongly believed we should stay out of the fight, President Roosevelt and military leaders wisely realized that wasn't realistic. Tullahoma, a town of about 4,500 people in 1940, would become home to one of the largest military installations -- Camp Forrest -- eventually causing the town's population to swell to 75,000 by the end of the war. I'll share more details about Camp Forrest next month, but suffice it to say the camp was instrumental in training troops as well as caring for the wounded throughout the war. One of the most fascinating facts I learned about it, however, is that German POWs and German Enemy Aliens were housed there throughout the war. 

So that's the story of little ol' Tullahoma, Tennessee. With my new book set there, I've spent a lot of time in this quaint town recently. After the war ended, the population shrunk, and it's now home to about 20,000 people. If you're ever in the area, I encourage you to stop for a visit. 

 

Your turn: Is there a town in your area that played an important role in history, yet most people are unaware of it?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

Releases October 1, 2024

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

Click HERE for Preorder information!

The History of Tennessee Walking Horses ~ by Michelle Shocklee

Tennessee Walking Horses are magnificent animals. I could spend hours watching them run through emerald green pastures, not far from where we live. But I'll be honest...I'd never heard of the breed until I moved to Tennessee and began research for my novel All We Thought We Knew, which is set on a Tennessee horse farm. The breed's unique gait, plus an abundance of controversy surrounding competitions involving these horses, not only makes for interesting research into a novel, it also makes for an interesting blog post! 

A beautiful Tennessee Walking Horse;
Photo: A Walking Horse Ranch

THE BREED

Beginning in the late 18th century in Middle Tennessee, a unique breed of horse was born - the Tennessee Walking Horse. Early settlers of this region came from Virginia, the Carolinas, and other surrounding states, and brought with them various breeds of horses. Standardbreds, Morgans, Thoroughbreds, Canadian and Narrangansett Pacers. Even gaited Spanish Mustangs from Texas had a role in the creation of a new breed of horse. By combining the traits of these great horses, the foundation was laid for the Tennessee Walker, who developed distinctive qualities of its own. 

Black Allan at James Brantley's farm, 1905

In 1886, a foal named Black Allan was born. He was out of a Morgan and Thoroughbred cross mare named Maggie Marshall, a descendant of Figure and the Thoroughbred racing stallion Messenger; and sired by Allandorf, a Standardbred stallion descended from Hambletonian 10, also of the Messenger line. Black Allan is now considered the foundation sire of all Tennessee Walking Horses. 

Tennessee Walking Horses come in all colors and a variety of patterns. The most prominent characteristic of the breed is their swift and smooth "running walk." This gait is inherited and cannot be taught to a horse who does not possess it naturally. It is a square four-beat gait with a gliding motion, and a bobbing of the head and swinging of the ears accompany each step. Some Walkers are even known to snap their teeth in time. When performing the running walk, these horses will overstride, placing the back hoof ahead of their forehoof print. Traveling at speeds from 6 to 12 miles per hour, Walkers can sustain this gait for long distances without fatigue to themselves or their passengers.

The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration was founded in 1939. It began with a parade and elaborate pageant that depicted the evolution of the Tennessee Walking Horse breed from its original use as a plow and utility horse, to its present use as a show horse. The first Celebration was held in Wartrace, Tennessee, and attracted over 40,000 people.  The Celebration later moved to Shelbyville, which is located about 60 miles southeast of Nashville, and Shelbyville is now known as the Walking Horse Capital of the World.

THE CONTROVERSY

2014 Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration.

(Photo: Margret Wood/Flickr)

The Celebration has often been criticized with allegations of soring of horses at the event, an abusive practice designed to make horses step higher and illegal under federal law by the Horse Protection Act of 1970. The sponsors of the Celebration have consistently denied the allegations. Every horse entered in the Celebration must undergo an inspection designed to detect sored horses conducted by an inspector before the horse is allowed to show. In 2006, the concerns escalated between trainers and inspectors. Initially, trainers refused to submit their horses for inspection, creating a stand-off that required law enforcement intervention. Then, prior to the World Grand Championship finals, inspectors disqualified all but three of the finalists. A group of approximately 150 people gathered, demanding that the disqualified horses be allowed to show. However, citing safety concerns, the show management cancelled the class altogether and no World Grand Champion was crowned that year.

While I don't get into the shameful practice of soring or the Celebration in my novel, they are part of the history of all Tennessee Walking Horses. If you're interested to read more on the subject, there are quite a few informative articles about it online. 

Tennessee Walking Horses are amazing, gentle, glorious animals that should be loved and treated with the utmost care by anyone fortunate enough to own one. 

Your turn: Are you a horse lover? Had you heard of Tennessee Walking Horses before?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

Releases October 1, 2024

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

Click HERE for Preorder information!

Tullahoma, Tennessee: How a Railroad Workcamp Became a Town ~ by Michelle Shocklee

It's cool how research for one novel leads to the development of another novel. As an author of historical fiction, I often say research breathes life into my books. I spend a LOT of time reading history books, biographies, and online articles on topics related to the story long before I write the first words of Chapter One. Only a small portion of what I read actually makes it into the book, but sometimes an unused nugget turns into a vast mine of great ideas! 

When I was doing the research for my novel Count the Nights by Stars, I needed to know about the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis railroad, the oldest railroad in Tennessee. Not only did the characters ride the train several times, but Pricilla's father was a railroad executive, making it necessary for me to get my facts right. (I blogged about the NC&StL here.)

That research introduced me to the town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. 

And that introduction led me to eventually write All We Thought We Knew, my new book that will release in October 2024!

Like many towns across America, Tullahoma probably would not exist if it hadn't been for the railroad. In the 1840s, Tennessee was growing. In order to connect Nashville with towns spread across the state, a railroad was created--the Nashville & Chattanooga. Miles and miles of track were needed, which in turn required hundreds and hundreds of workers.   

1903 Railroad map showing Nashville and Tullahoma, Tennessee

Life in a Railroad Camp

Laying track and living in and among the railroad construction camps was often very difficult. Railroad construction crews were not only subjected to extreme weather conditions, they had to lay tracks across and through many natural geographical features, including rivers, canyons, mountains, and desert. Like other large economic opportunity situations in the expanding nation, the railroad construction camps attracted all types of characters, almost all of whom were looking for ways to turn a quick profit, legally or illegally. Life in the camps was often very crude and rough.

One such camp was located in present day Tullahoma in 1852. A man named Peter Decherd donated the land for the railroad right-of-way and named one station Decherd, after himself, and the other as Tulkahoma. It was later changed to Tullahoma after Decherd's favorite horse, which had been named for a Choctaw chief captured by Decherd's grandfather. The word Tullahoma means "red rock."

Life in Tullahoma

In 1863, Tullahoma served as the headquarters for the Confederate Army of Tennessee. That year the Union Army undertook the Tullahoma Campaign, defeating Confederate forces and taking control of Middle Tennessee. Federal troops occupied this area for the duration of the war. As a result of the campaign, Union forces also captured Chattanooga.

After the war, Tullahoma recovered slowly but began to prosper due to the railroad. In 1939, US 41A was built, making it easier to travel from Tullahoma to Nashville. During World War II, Tullahoma was chosen as the site for a large military installation. That installation, Camp Forrest, is the setting for my novel. (I'll blog about Camp Forrest and its fascinating history in October!) After the war, the Arnold Engineering Development Complex replaced Camp Forrest and became a major development and test center for the Air Force, as well as NASA.

Today, Tullahoma is a quaint but growing community. Here are some pics I took of the town from a recent research trip. 

Your turn: Are there any communities in your area that began as a railroad camp? Have you ever considered how many towns might not exist if the railroad hadn't gone through that area? 

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

Releases October 1, 2024

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

Click HERE for Preorder information!

Martha Jane Ogle -- Early Settler of Gatlinburg, Tennessee

By Michelle Shocklee

I love spending time in the Great Smoky Mountains. I love visiting Gatlinburg, Tennessee (although I don't recommend going during peak tourist seasons. The traffic and crowds! Oy vey!). Add in an old cabin with a cool history and I'm a happy camper. 

I took this picture of Gatlinburg from the balcony of our rental/condo; 2022

As an author of historical fiction, I'm always seeking out "the story" behind interesting places we visit and fascinating people who come across my path, whether in person or through historical records. Thus, you can imagine how my curiosity and "need to know-it'tive-ness" was piqued when I read about Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, an early settler to the Great Smokies who lived in the very first cabin ever built in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

William and Martha Jane Huskey Ogle; image from undated, unknown newspaper article; Ogle Family

Martha Jane Huskey was born in North Carolina in 1764. It is thought she was part Cherokee, although there is nothing to confirm (or deny) this story that was passed down through the generations. Martha Jane met William "Billy" Ogle, born in Delaware in 1756, when she was 16 years old. In his will, Billy referred to her as "my beloved wife Polly." The couple married, and the first of their seven children was born in South Carolina in 1780. It is said that William hunted and traded with various Indian tribes in Edgefield, South Carolina, and had a good life, but by 1802, he was ready for a new start in a new land. 

Ogle Cabin, Gatlinburg, Tennessee

In the spring of 1802, William made the long journey across the mountains and arrived in White Oak Flats, Tennessee, now present-day Gatlinburg. He selected a building site and named it 'The Land of Paradise.' Billy spent the warmer months laboring to clear the land, and cut and hew logs, all with the intention of building the area's first cabin. However, winter was coming, so Billy traveled back to Edgefield County with plans to pack up his wife, five sons, and two daughters, and move them to Paradise come spring. 

Unfortunately, tragedy struck. Billy fell ill, possibly with malaria, and died in 1803. Martha Jane grieved her husband and moved to Virginia to live with Billy's parents. But as time went by, she grew determined to fulfill Billy's dream of moving the family to his piece of paradise in Tennessee. In 1807, Martha Jane followed her husband's lead and made the long, dangerous journey with her seven children, and her brother Peter and his family. They found the cleared land and hewn logs Billy had prepared five years earlier right where he'd left them. 

Today, the restored cabin can be seen in downtown Gatlinburg. It was relocated from its original site but remains a wonderful example of what early settlers to the area would have lived in. I think Billy and Polly would be pleased to know we're still talking about them all these years later. Their pioneer spirit, hard work, and dedication to family are worth remembering. 

Your turn: Have you been to Gatlinburg? What was your favorite thing about this quaint mountain town? Are you planning a trip there anytime soon?

 

Springhouse at the Walker Sisters Cabin, the setting for
Appalachian Song

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

                             

APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

 

The Cumberland Compact and My Connection to It

By Michelle Shocklee

Admittedly, I didn't know much Tennessee history until my husband and I moved here in 2017. I often say I was like a sponge after we arrived, soaking up all the fascinating historical tidbits I could find. I've fallen so in love with the gorgeous state of Tennessee that my last three historical novels--as well as the next two!--are set here!

However, unbeknownst to me until recently, my roots go back to Tennessee. In fact, they go all the way back to one of the founders of Nashville! I'll tell you a little more about my 5th great grandfather in a bit, but first...a little Tennessee history. 

I blogged about Nashville's history a few months after we moved here. You can check it out, as I won't cover all of that information today. But what I didn't mention in that post was the Cumberland Compact that was signed by approx. 250 (the numbers vary depending on the source) early settlers to the area that would eventually become Nashville. 

Cumberland Compact marker at Fort Nashborough site in downtown Nashville

As you can imagine, Tennessee in the late 1700s was a wild and rough place to live. Early settlers faced hardships of all kinds: weather, wild animals, untamed land, and Native people who were not pleased to have their territories overrun with white people. 

But after the Revolutionary War ended, more and more people came seeking a new life in the frontier. By 1780 it was decided permanent law and order was necessary if they were to move forward with any semblance of civility. 

Thus, the Cumberland Compact was created. 

James Robertson

James Robertson, whom I mention in my blog post about Nashville's history, is known as the Father of Tennessee. Led by Robertson and others, a meeting was called on May 1, 1780 at the Bluff Station near Nashborough to consider an "Article of Agreement" to create a provisional government in the settlement. The document, commonly known as the Cumberland Compact, was authored by Richard Henderson, the settlement's primary investor. On May 13, approx. 250 men signed the agreement. It served as a guide for land transactions and as a simple constitutional government for settlers, and remained in effect until Tennessee became a state in 1796.

My 5th Great Grandfather's signature is in
the first column, 9th signature.
He signed it in Dutch 

I found some of the provisions in the compact rather interesting. It called for the election of 12 representatives, a "Tribunal of Notables," from the eight stations - Nashborough/Bluff, Mansker, Bledsoe, Asher, Stone, Freeland, Heaton, Ft. Union - that existed at the time. The tribunal dispensed justice, received and dispersed funds, settled claims, and regulated the land office. Government salaries were to be paid in goods. The Governorship was paid 1,000 deer skins. The Secretary received 450 otter skins, and county clerk was valued at 500 raccoon skins. 

With the compact in place, Tennessee went on to statehood, and the rest, as they say, is history. My connection to the Cumberland Compact is really cool but a little troubling too. Of the 250 signers, my 5th great grandfather, Frederick Stump, was one of the early settlers who took part in the creation of the compact. I was pretty amazed when I discovered this through Ancestry. I promptly did some research and found that Frederick and his family not only lived in Nashville, but that the house they lived in is still standing and is a registered historical site! Upon discovering this cool fact, hubby and I jumped in our truck and drove to see it despite the cold, wet weather. 

I'm pointing to my 5th Great Grandmother's name

Frederick built this tavern/inn in 1789

The troubling part of this story is, Frederick Stump was known as "the Indian killer" during the time he lived in Pennsylvania; took part in the alleged murder of British soldiers during the war; and died years later as the owner of 60 enslaved people. Not exactly an ancestor one wants to brag about, but an ancestor nonetheless. Someday I'll do more digging into the history and maybe, just maybe, a story set in Nashville in the 1780s (with a far more heroic protagonist, of course) will emerge. 

Your turn: Do you have any notorious ancestors hidden away in the closet? Do tell!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

                             APPALACHIAN SONG

Forever within the memories of my heart.

Always remember, you are perfectly loved.

Bertie Jenkins has spent forty years serving as a midwife for her community in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Out of all the mothers she’s tended, none affects her more than the young teenager who shows up on her doorstep, injured, afraid, and expecting, one warm June day in 1943. As Bertie and her four sisters tenderly nurture Songbird back to health, the bond between the childless midwife and the motherless teen grows strong. But soon Songbird is forced to make a heartbreaking decision that will tear this little family apart.

Thirty years later, the day after his father’s funeral, Walker Wylie is stunned to learn he was adopted as an infant. The famous country singer enlists the help of adoption advocate Reese Chandler in the hopes of learning why he was abandoned by his birth parents. With the only clue he has in hand, Walker and Reese head deep into the Appalachian Mountains to track down Bertie Jenkins, the midwife who holds the secrets to Walker’s past.

https://www.tyndale.com/p/appalachian-song/9781496472441

State Name Origins - Part IV

   By Tiffany Amber Stockton

In August, my post focused on the invention and minor evolution of the sewing machine, showcasing how it revolutionized the clothing industry. You can read last month's post if you missed it.

Today, it's time for the next 10 state name history stories. Aren't you excited? Has your state already been covered? If not, there are only 10 more after this group, so it's certain to be covered soon.

STATE NAMES and their ORIGINS

One thing I found interesting with this list is it's almost a 50/50 split of the state names starting with a letter of the alphabet from either the first half or second half of the 26 letters. Montana is the 26th state out of 50 and the last one with an "M." The remaining 24 states come from the latter half of the alphabet. It would have been fun to see 25 of the states start with letters in the first half of the alphabet and the other 25 from the second half, but we're close!

New Mexico is self-explanatory and based on the Spanish Nuevo Mexico. Although, did you know the Aztecs coined the word Mexihco for their ancient capital?

New York was named for the Duke of York and the future King James II.

North Carolina is named after a monarch, King Charles II, as Carolus is the proper Latin version of Charles.

North Dakota describes the northern land of the Dakota people, but it also means friendly or allies.

Ohio comes from a body of water, this time, the Ohio River. The Seneca Native Americans billed it as a good river.

Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw word meaning "red people."

Oregon has an origin where some scholars point to Algonquin as the source.

Pennsylvania was named after Admiral William Penn, under Charles II. It literally means Penn’s Woods.

Rhode Island has multiple name theories, including the idea that Dutch explorer Adrian Block applied the name Roodt Eylandt, meaning red island, to reflect the red cliffs of the region. Alternatively, it may come from the Greek island of Rhodes.

Tennessee comes from the Cherokee village name ta’nasi, but the meaning is unclear.

And that's all for today. If you're like me and LOVE puzzles, download this PDF for some puzzle challenge fun. You might be able to solve it on your own without reading the rest of the blogs in this set, or you can save it and add to it in future months. :)

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* Which one of these states was the most fascinating to you?

* Do you live in any of the 10 featured states this month? If so, do you have any other unique tidbits about your state?

* What do you think might be the origin of any of the final 10 states?

** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.

Leave answers to these questions or any comments you might have on this post in the comment box below. For those of you who have stuck around this far, I'm sending a FREE autographed book to one person every month from the comments left on each of my blog posts. You never know when your comment will be a winner! Subscribe to comments so you'll know if you've won and need to get me your mailing information.

Come back on the 9th of October for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.

For those interested in my "fictional" life as an author and industry news about other authors, subscribe to my quarterly newsletter. Receive a FREE omitted chapter from my book, A Grand Design, just for subscribing!

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those skills to become an award-winning, best-selling author and speaker who is also a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help improve their lives in a variety of ways.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, along with their two children and four cats in southeastern Kentucky. In the 20 years she's been a professional writer, she has sold twenty-six (26) books so far and is represented by Tamela Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can find her on Facebook and GoodReads.

The History Behind Nashville's Cheekwood Estate & Gardens

By Michelle Shocklee

Cheekwood mansion (photo by Cheekwood)

Peaceful.

That's what this picture of the Cheekwood mansion speaks to me. Peace. Loveliness. Nature. If you've ever visited the Cheekwood Estate & Gardens in Nashville, you know it is all of that and more. The botanical gardens have become a place where visitors can go year-round to enjoy the extensive grounds and beautiful home. But how did this mansion that was once a home to one of Nashville's most prominent families become what it is today?

Newspaper clipping of Leslie Cheek & family in India;
courtesy Cheekwood

Well, we've got to back in history to find out!

A man by the name of Christopher "C.T." Cheek owned a wholesale grocery business in Nashville in the 1880s. He had a son named Leslie Cheek, who joined his dad in the family business. In 1896, Leslie Cheek and Mabel Wood married in Clarksville, Tennessee. The pair had met only a few years earlier on a train to Nashville from New York, and it has been said Leslie bribed a porter with a box of cigars to find out the name of the beautiful young Mabel. The couple settled into Nashville society, had a son and a daughter, and enjoyed taking trips abroad. 

The Cheeks grocery business did well, but we probably would have never heard of C.T. or his son Leslie if their cousin, Joel Cheek, hadn't moved to town in 1884. I blogged about Joel and how he and a partner developed Maxwell House coffee, so I won't go into the whole story here, but C.T. and Leslie both invested in their cousin's venture. And that proved to be a very good decision! In 1928, the Postum Company, later renamed General Foods, purchased Cheek-Neal Coffee Company for $45 million. As an investor, Leslie became a very wealthy man. 

1928 newspaper article re: Leslie Cheek's new home;
courtesy Cheekwood

It is said that Mabel's fondness for large, expensive furnishings led to the necessity of a new, bigger house that could hold a gilt mirror, too tall for their current home. Cheek allegedly told his wife, “I suppose we will have to either sell the mirror or build a house to fit it in.” And that's exactly what he did. 

In 1931, Leslie hired New York architect Bryant Fleming to build an enormous Georgian-style mansion on the 100-acres he purchased west of Nashville. The limestone home and boxwood gardens were inspired by English manors and gardens, and boasted 36 rooms (plus servants quarters) that included eleven bedrooms, twelve bathrooms, two elevators, a hidden staircase, and a library to hold Leslie's collection of more than two thousand books. Combining the family name with Mabel's maiden name, the estate was officially declared Cheekwood. 

Cheekwood walkway; photo by Cheekwood

Sadly, Leslie Cheek would pass away two short years later, leaving the estate to his wife Mabel, who passed away in 1946. Their son, Leslie Jr., and his family had moved to Virginia, but their daughter, Huldah, and her family enjoyed living at Cheekwood until 1957 when they offered to let the estate become a botanical garden and art museum. Several organizations became involved, and, after much work, fundraising, and redevelopment, the Cheekwood museum opened in 1960. 

Cheekwood gardens; photo by Cheekwood

If you are ever in the Nashville area, I encourage you to take some time to visit Cheekwood. You will not be disappointed!

Your turn: Have you been to Cheekwood? Do you enjoy going to botanical gardens?

( PLEASE VISIT THE BLOG TO COMMENT ON THIS POST.)

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the 2023 Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

               COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS

*2023 Christianity Today Book Award Winner*

1961. After a longtime resident at Nashville’s historic Maxwell House Hotel suffers a debilitating stroke, Audrey Whitfield is tasked with cleaning out the reclusive woman’s room. There, she discovers an elaborate scrapbook filled with memorabilia from the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Love notes on the backs of unmailed postcards inside capture Audrey’s imagination with hints of a forbidden romance . . . and troubling revelations about the disappearance of young women at the exposition. Audrey enlists the help of a handsome hotel guest as she tracks down clues and information about the mysterious “Peaches” and her regrets over one fateful day, nearly sixty-five years earlier.
https://www.tyndale.com/p/count-the-nights-by-stars/9781496459930

  

Tennessee's Oldest Railroad

By Michelle Shocklee

I love trains!

I love to hear them toot-tooting their horns at a crossing a short distance from my house. I love watching as boxcars, tank cars, and passengers cars fly past, clickity-clacking over the tracks. One of my fondest childhood memories is counting trains and boxcars on road trips to my grandmother's house in eastern New Mexico. My uncle worked for the railroad in Clovis, and he often let us kids prowl around inside those enormous, rumbling engines. Man, those were fun times! 

I can practically hear this Santa Fe train clickity-clacking!
Photo from Google

While researching my latest release, Count the Nights by Stars, I had to read up on the history of Tennessee's oldest railroad, the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis. Why? A couple reasons. One, it was the railroad that serviced Nashville in 1897, the year the Tennessee Centennial Exposition took place, which just so happens to be the setting for my novel. Tens of thousands of visitors arrived on the NC&StL over the six-month period the expo was open. But I also needed the father of our heroine, Priscilla, to be a wealthy businessman, and railroad moguls like Cornelius Vanderbilt and others had a lot of power in those days. It also allowed her father to be involved in the exposition, specifically with the Railway Exhibit.

 

This gorgeous NC&StL steam engine resided in Centennial Park until the 1980s.
Photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Bubba73

Here are a few of the interesting things I learned about the NC&StL:

• The railroad began as the Nashville & Chattanooga. It was founded in 1848 by a group of wealthy Nashville businessmen, including Vernon K. Stevenson. Stevenson would serve as the N&C president for 16 years. (In my book, Priscilla's father is friends with the president of the railroad.)
• The first locomotive in Nashville arrived in December 1850 via the river steamboat Beauty, along with 13 freight cars and one passenger car. 
• The train made its first trip the following spring, traveling 11 miles to Antioch, Tennessee. Antioch is now a Nashville suburb. 
• It took nine years to complete the 150 miles of line between Nashville and Chattanooga, made difficult by the steep elevations of the Highland Rim and Cumberland Plateau between them. The 2,228 feet Cowan Tunnel near the town of Cowan was considered an engineering marvel at the time.
• Towns sprang up during the construction period of the railroad, including Tullahoma and Estill Springs. (HINT: I just *might* be working on a new novel set in Tullahoma, so this is an especially cool tidbit of info to me!)
• During the Civil War, the rail line was strategic to both the Union and Confederate armies. The Tennessee campaigns of 1862 and 1863 saw Union troops force the Confederates from Nashville all the way to Chattanooga, down the line of the railroad.
• After the war, the railroad changed hands several times. In 1873, it was incorporated as the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis, but...
• The tracks never actually made it all the way north to St. Louis. 
• By 1903, the NC&StL covered much of Tennessee. 

NC&StL system map, 1903

Today, the NC&StL no longer exists. It has long been incorporated into other railroads. But here in Nashville, its history lives on in Union Station, a beautiful railroad station that welcomed trains from the 1800s through 1979. Inside the station, which is now a boutique hotel, a train schedule reminds us of bygone days when people traveled across our state and nation on trains with names like The Dixie Flyer, The City of Memphis, and The Carolina Special. 

NC&StL train schedule in Union Station Hotel, Nashville, TN
Photo from Google

Your turn: Have you ever traveled on a train? Tell me about it!

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two grown sons, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online at www.MichelleShocklee.com

               COUNT THE NIGHTS BY STARS

*A 2023 Christianity Today Book of the Year Finalist*

1961. After a longtime resident at Nashville’s historic Maxwell House Hotel suffers a debilitating stroke, Audrey Whitfield is tasked with cleaning out the reclusive woman’s room. There, she discovers an elaborate scrapbook filled with memorabilia from the Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Love notes on the backs of unmailed postcards inside capture Audrey’s imagination with hints of a forbidden romance . . . and troubling revelations about the disappearance of young women at the exposition. Audrey enlists the help of a handsome hotel guest as she tracks down clues and information about the mysterious “Peaches” and her regrets over one fateful day, nearly sixty-five years earlier.
https://www.tyndale.com/p/count-the-nights-by-stars/9781496459930