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Many facets of the
history of Stevenson and the area are represented in The
Stevenson Story: the
Cherokees, The Trail of Tears and the Indian Wars military
companies, the first white settlers of the area, the building of
two railroad lines, the role Stevenson played during the Civil
War, the political, religious, social and educational aspects of
Stevenson and the genealogies of many families.
The first
settlers of the area were the Cherokees who lived here until 1819
when they were forced to move to the south side of the Tennessee
River or go west. White
settlers flocked to this area even before the Cherokees were
pushed out. These
whites signed a Petition to not have to move from the Cherokee
lands. Companies of
the area men were formed to help in the removal of the Cherokees
during The Trail of Tears as well as to fight in the Indian Wars. Records of the
first white settlers are scarce since the courthouse was burned
during the Civil War. However,
remaining records are sufficient to record the history of the area
before Stevenson actually came into being in 1852.
The building
of the N&C railroad from Nashville to Chattanooga and the
building of the Memphis and Charleston railroad were the direct
reason Stevenson was founded as the junction of the two railroad
lines made an ideal location for a town. As a result of
these two railroad lines being a north/south and east/west artery,
the Union troops saw the value of commanding such a location.
Stevenson was rated as one of the seven most important
cities in the Confederacy and was held by the Union troops nearly
the entire time of the Civil War. Citizens of the area fought for both sides.
After the
Civil War, more information can be found and the educational,
political, spiritual, social and medical aspects of daily living
are discussed. Tragedies
of the area and various other interesting tidbits are mentioned.
There are 83
genealogies of families, which include the following families:
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