Tennessee, Robertson County, Springfield
![]()
Early in the war, townswomen met at the Henry H. Kirk house, just north of here, to sew uniforms and blankets for Confederated soldiers after Kirk bought sewing machines and patterns in St. Louis, Missouri. When the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry hoisted the Stars and Stripes in Springfield on March 25, 1862, however, the Federal occupation began and shaped everyday life here for the rest of the war.
Pvt. William Thomas of the 9th Pennsylvania wrote in his diary that he “camped on a Hill looking over the town, name of hill-pulltight.” The Federals constructed a fortified camp here to observe the city and protect the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad. A line of earth-works was built from the fort’s north side to Sulphur Fork Creek, and another line extended a mile from the south end of the camp. Union soldiers also manned railroad blockhouses at Baker’s Station, the Ridgetop Trestle, the Dry Creek Trestle (Greenbrier), Sulphur Fork Trestle and the Red River Blockhouse No. 1 near Adams. The Federal troops guarded the town spring and confiscated firearms from local citizens, including the tools of local gunsmith Philip Anglin.
The occupying forces confiscated what they needed. At an abandoned Confederate base, Camp Cheatham near Cedar Hill, soldiers recalled” “(We) tore down Houses that was used by the Secesh for Commissary and Hospital (and) used the boards to floor our tents.” By August 1864, Col. Thomas J. Downey and the 15th U.S. Colored Infantry were stationed here and guarded the town and its valuable railroad line until the end of the war.
(captions)
Kirk House - Courtesy Robertson County Archives
15th PA Cavalry Camp - Courtesy Robertson County Archives
(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Early in the war, townswomen met at the Henry H. Kirk house, just north of here, to sew uniforms and blankets for Confederated soldiers after Kirk bought sewing machines and patterns in St. Louis, Missouri. When the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry hoisted the Stars and Stripes in Springfield on March 25, 1862, however, the Federal occupation began and shaped everyday life here for the rest of the war.Pvt. William Thomas of the 9th Pennsylvania wrote in his diary that he “camped on a Hill looking over the town, name of hill-pulltight.” The Federals constructed a fortified camp here to observe the city and protect the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad. A line of earth-works was built from the fort’s north side to Sulphur Fork Creek, and another line extended a mile from the south end of the camp. Union soldiers also manned railroad blockhouses at Baker’s Station, the Ridgetop Trestle, the Dry Creek Trestle (Greenbrier), Sulphur Fork Trestle and the Red River Blockhouse No. 1 near Adams. The Federal troops guarded the town spring and confiscated firearms from local citizens, including the tools of local gunsmith Philip Anglin.
The occupying forces confiscated what they needed. At an abandoned Confederate base, Camp Cheatham near Cedar Hill, soldiers recalled” “(We) tore down Houses that was used by the Secesh for Commissary and Hospital (and) used the boards to floor our tents.” By August 1864, Col. Thomas J. Downey and the 15th U.S. Colored Infantry were stationed here and guarded the town and its valuable railroad line until the end of the war.
(captions)
Kirk House - Courtesy Robertson County Archives
15th PA Cavalry Camp - Courtesy Robertson County Archives
(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
The center section of this building was constructed in 1879 with red brick. The north and south wings and clock tower were added in 1929 and covered with the brick now visible. This property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
For most residents, Robertson County was a difficult place to live during the war. After the fall of Confederate Forts Henry and Donelson in 1862, Union forces occupied the county and made the town of Springfield a military base, where they guarded local roads and the Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad. Federal troops used the First Presbyterian Church on Locust Street as a staple; damage from horseshoes can still be seen in this historic building. Relations between the soldiers and the residents were generally friendly at first, but by February 1863, citizens were complaining of misbehavior and thievery to Military Governor Andrew Johnson. During one horrific December 1864 day at Wessyngton Plantation, Union soldiers threatened and then shot the plantation owner while burning many farm buildings there.
The Edgefield and Kentucky Railroad were vitally important for transporting soldiers and supplies. Confederate forces constructed Fort Redmond to protect and defend the railroad bridge a mile northwest of here, near the confluence of the Red River and the Elk Fork Creek. The dense woods there provided firewood, lumber for structures, and natural shelter in the winter months.
The First Presbyterian Church, built in 1839, is the oldest public building in current use in Robertson County, located in lot 17 of the original city plat. The bell, still in use, was given by the Cheatham family. A center partition placed men on one side, ladies on the other. Used as a stable during Union occupation, hoofmarks are still visible on the old floor. The sanctuary was added in 1897 by Thomas Pepper in memory of his wife.
This area is a city designated residential historic district. Although settled in 1796, the existing homes in this neighborhood date from 1833. They include a wide range of architectural styles. These homes stand as a lasting testimony to the generations of people who have called Springfield home.
Named for Benjamin Franklin Cheatham, who was in 1861 appointed brigadier general in the Provisional Army, Independent State of Tennessee, and its first camp commander, the training camp established in this area in June, 1861 was used by numerous Confederate units, including the 3rd Tenn. Infantry (John C. Brown), 11th Tenn. Infantry (Rains) and 42nd Tenn. Infantry (Quarles). Other units, organized elsewhere, trained here; among them were Woodard's 2nd Ky. Calvary.
Joseph Wellington Byrns was born in 1869 in a small cabin near Cedar Hill. A graduate of the Law Department of Vanderbilt University, he served in both chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly. Elected to the United States House of Representatives, he represented this area in Congress for 27 years. At the time of his June 4, 1936 death, Byrns was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Later, the Robertson County School Board named Jo Byrns school in his honor.
This structure, erected during the pastorate of the Rev. J.E. Edwards, replaced the first Reedy Chapel Church on this site, destroyed by the 1885 Galveston fire. Contractor E.F. Campbell began construction in 1886. Four storms hit the island that year, delaying completion of the project until 1887. Severely damaged by the hurricane of 1900, the building was restored to its original Gothic style. The church was repaired and enlarged again in 1947 and 1957.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1975
Mary M. Miller of Louisville, a pioneer among women, was issued license as master of a steamboat on inland waters, Feb. 16, 1884, in New Orleans. License authorized her to navigate waters of Ouachita, Mississippi, Red, and other western rivers. She and her husband George, a pilot and master, owned steamboat SALINE, built nearby. Died 1894; buried in Portland Cem.
1/2 mile from here is the present site of the Red River Baptist Church. Constituted July 25, 1791, its first location was 1 1/2 miles west, near the south bank of the Red River. It is the first church to be founded west of the Cumberlands. It was moved to its present location in 1898.
This building served as a lodge, general store, and post office from 1859 until the 1950s. Today it serves as the Port Royal State Park Headquarters.
One mile N. at confluence of Red River and Sulphur Ford Creek is Port Royal, early center of commerce and manufacturing. It was settled in 1784 and nearby was Weld, the first court in Tennessee County, N.C. established in 1788. The Red River Baptist Church was organized here in 1791. A covered bridge, erected in 1903, spans the Red River here.
Metzgerbogli or Butchers’ Arch is a tunnel between Kornmarktgasse and Brandgässli. The marker is composed of four inscriptions on glass, each inscription is in German, English and Chinese. Only the English text is printed here. Click on the images to enlarge them and read the German and Chinese texts.
This bridge was a heel-trunnion bascule built by the Strauss Bascule Bridge Co. of Chicago, Illinois. It was a popular and economic design in the early 1900’s. The first Strauss Bascule Bridge was built in 1905. The 1915 Route 7 bridge was deemed eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places prior to its replacement in 2003.
A wooden bridge was first built at this location in 1790 and named after Anthony Rutgers of the family for which Rutgers University is named. It was operated as a toll bridge until destroyed by a great flood in 1841. His widow sold the charter to the widow of Nicholas Joralemon. A new bridge built in 1843 was sold to the 3 counties in 1851 and made a free bridge. In 1879 an iron bridge was constructed and replaced in 1915 with a movable draw span bridge. The present Route 7 bridge was built in 2003 by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
This anthracite coal transportation facility helped fuel America's Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. It was vital to the shipment of up to one-half million tons of coal annually along the Schuylkill Canal to Philadelphia and throughout the region. Also known as Palo Alto Loading Dock, it was built by the Schuylkill Navigation Company on land held by stockholder and Philadelphia merchant Thomas Firth.
Hier stand das Haus, in welchem Josef Lauber seit 1839 die erste Herberge von Zermatt mit drei und später acht Fremdenbetten führte. Alexander Seiler übernahm sie 1853 und errichtete 1855 an dieser Stelle das Hotel Monte Rosa mit urprünglich fünfunddreissig Betten. Das Stammhaus der Seilerschen Hotelbetriebe wurde rasch zu einem Hauptquartier der Alpinisten der Pionierzeit und galt besonders bei den Mitgliedern des Alpine Club als << the mountaineers’ true home >> (C.E. Mathews, 1885).