October 11, 2023
JAMES WHITE’S FORT
205 E Hill Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915
“James White's Fort, also known as White's Fort, was an 18th-century settlement that became Knoxville, Tennessee, in the United States. The name also refers to the fort, itself. The settlement of White's Fort began in 1786 by James White, a militia officer during the American Revolutionary War. When William Blount, the territorial governor of the Southwest Territory, moved the territorial capital to White's Fort in 1791, he renamed it Knoxville in honor of Henry Knox, the American Revolutionary War general and Washington's Secretary of War.” – Wikipedia
An interesting little stop. The tour included White’s two-story log home with external kitchen, which would have been considered quite luxurious during the day, some out-buildings, such as a smokehouse, a weaving house, and some guest houses. The stockade (or fence) was built around the area, not for protection from Native Americans, but to protect the livestock that were housed inside the area.
Each building or area had a QR code which, when scanned, brought up a recording telling the story of each place. The recordings had a lot of information, which was also provided in text form if one wanted. I learned a lot, not only about this property, but about life in the 18th-century in general.
Part of the courtyard
Main Home (on left) and Kitchen on Right
The area between the main home and the kitchen was called the Dog Trot, not because the dogs would trot through it, but in those dog-days of summer, there was always a cool breeze blowing through it.
Ash Hopper, where ashes from the fireplaces would be kept for making lye soap.
The smokehouse (and outhouse in the background).
The Weaving House
The Cherokee Alphabet
One of the Guest Houses.
Inside the Blacksmith Shop
Lamp inside the Main House
A Hunt-Board, or side table used for serving purposes. It is made high to allow for standing while one is eating. Legend has it that gentlemen when in their hunting clothes might stand here and take a meal as not to dirty up the furniture with their soiled clothing.
A Seth Thomas Clock from about 1817.
Growing up my mother always used to say, "Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite." I learned the saying sleep tight refers to the ropes in the bed; they are taken out once a year usually in the spring time and washed, the ropes are then re-threaded on the bed while wet and as they dried, they would form a tight surface of support for the mattress. Periodically about every 7 to 10 days though, the ropes would need to be re-tightened using a wooden device-know as a key, to re-strengthen the tightness. Bed bugs would grow in the old straw or corn husk mattresses. About once every three months the old stuffing would be taken out and burned and replaced with fresh in order to keep down the bugs.
The stone dry sink was made in New England circa 1720.
This is a Winding-Weasel, used for measuring yarn. This one would Pop at every 89th revolution, signifying that a skein of yarn had been measured out. Winding-Weasel's are used as the base for the nursery rhyme, "Pop Goes the Weasel."