Greeneville, TN 31 May 2014

Named after Revolutionary War Hero, Nathanael Greene,  Greeneville was much more than the home of President Andrew Johnson.  Like many towns in this area, loyalties were divided during the Civil War.  This is Harmony House.  Belonging to Dr. William Andrew Harmon, it hosted both Union and Confederate encampments during the course of the war.

Once again, we arrived near noon, so food was our first order of business.  Brumley's, in the General Morgan Inn was highly rated, so we gave it a try.  The rating was well deserved.

This is the General Morgan Inn, named after Confederate General John Hunt Morgan who died near here.  First opened in 1887 as the Grand Central, it was originally a railroad hotel.  From 1908 until 1980, it was operated as the Hotel Brumley.  It was carefully restored and reopened as the General Morgan Inn in 1996.

Behind the General Morgan Inn sits the Dickson-Williams Mansion. It was built by William Dickson, the first postmaster of Greeneville, for his daughter, Mrs. Alexander Williams.  Among the guests here, were the Marquis de Lafayette, Presidents Jackson and Polk, Henry Clay, Davy Crockett, and General James Longstreet. During the Civil War, Mrs. Williams never claimed favor for either side and entertained both Union and Confederate officers when they were in town.   General John Hunt Morgan spent his last night here. Just after dawn on September 4, 1864, a detail of Union forces slipped past Confederate outposts and surrounded the Mansion.



Morgan slipped out of the mansion and into the nearby Episcopal Church.  He hid beneath the floorboards until he thought that, in the confusion, he might be able to escape.  He emerged from the church and was attempting to walk away when a sharp-eyed private spotted him and ordered him to halt.  When he continued walking, the soldier shot him dead.

Just to the right of the Greeneville City Hall, shown here, once stood a small shop in which Benjamin Lundy, a quaker, published the Genius of Universal Emancipation, and the Economist and Political Reporter.  The former was a monthly periodical devoted exclusively to the abolition of slavery.  

First established in Jonesborough in 1784 and moved to Greeneville in 1785, this cabin is a replica of the Capitol of the State of Franklin.  Originally intended as the fourteenth state, Franklin was ceded by North Carolina in repayment for debts incurred during the Revolutionary War.  After Congress failed to act, North Carolina reconsidered, but by then Franklin had established its own government.  It then declared its secession from North Carolina to form the Free Republic of Franklin.  The Governor/President was John Sevier, first Governor of Tennessee.  Franklin only lasted four and a half years as a political entity before being reclaimed by North Carolina. The area later became the Northeastern portion of Tennessee.  Penny's 3rd great aunt, Penelope Payne Vertner, died young, leaving a husband (Daniel) and infant. Daniel Vertner's, second wife was Ruth Sevier, daughter of John, mentioned above.  Personal connections makes history come alive.