The Tennessee History Nerd

We'd love to hear what you think!

It's INTERVIEWSDAY!

One of Tennessee's best-known Civil War figures is Sam Davis, remembered as the "Boy Hero of the Confederacy." But according to author Alton Anderson, Davis's story is only one part of a much larger and largely forgotten saga.

In this INTERVIEWSDAY (Interview Tuesday) bonus content, I sit down with Alton Anderson to discuss his upcoming book, Southern Vengeance, which explores the intertwined lives of Sam Davis, DeWitt Smith Jobe, and Dee Smith. Together, these three Middle Tennesseans experienced the Civil War in dramatically different ways, leading to a story of friendship, sacrifice, tragedy, and revenge.

During our conversation, Alton explains the role of the famed Coleman Scouts, the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Sam Davis and DeWitt Smith Jobe, and how those events allegedly inspired Dee Smith to wage a personal campaign of retribution against Union forces in Middle Tennessee.

We also discuss Alton's six years of historical research, the archival discoveries that shaped the book, family traditions that helped preserve portions of the story, and the fascinating series of events that ultimately convinced him it was finally time to publish the manuscript after years on the shelf.

Along the way, we explore Civil War memory, the challenges of separating documented history from local legend, the importance of understanding historical events within their own time, and why stories like these continue to resonate more than 160 years later.

Whether you're a Civil War enthusiast, a Tennessee history buff, or simply enjoy discovering overlooked stories from the Volunteer State, I think you'll find this conversation both fascinating and thought-provoking.

📚 Topics Discussed

• The inspiration behind Southern Vengeance
• The lives of Sam Davis, DeWitt Smith Jobe, and Dee Smith
• The mission and history of the Coleman Scouts
• Why Sam Davis was tried and executed as a spy
• The tragic death of DeWitt Smith Jobe
• Dee Smith's campaign of retribution during the Civil War
• Guerrilla warfare in Middle Tennessee
• Separating documented history from local tradition
• Civil War memory and historical perspective
• The challenges of interpreting nineteenth-century history
• The upcoming release of Southern Vengeance

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by: Big John Summers

Guest: Alton Anderson, author of Southern Vengeance

Produced by: Summers Media Enterprises

Music by: Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional Tennessee history content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, behind-the-scenes research, and stories from across the Volunteer State.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

Driving Across Tennessee continues this week as we cross into Blount County, one of the state's oldest and most historically significant counties, where frontier settlements, planned communities, mountain resorts, industry, education, and the Great Smoky Mountains all come together to tell one remarkable story.

Beginning on Alcoa Highway at McGhee Tyson Airport, we'll explore how a military airfield, the Aluminum Company of America, and the ghost town of Calderwood all became intertwined in the story of modern Alcoa. We'll discover why the first town called Alcoa wasn't today's Alcoal, and how one of Tennessee's earliest planned company towns transformed the landscape of Blount County.

From there, we'll travel into Maryville, the county seat since 1795, where we'll visit the courthouse, learn why the county was named for Territorial Governor William Blount while the town was named for his wife Mary, explore the legacy of Sam Houston, and visit one of the oldest colleges in the South, Maryville College.

We'll also stop in Rockford, a small town that incorporated to preserve its independence, before continuing into Townsend and Tuckaleechee Cove, where the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company helped transform a logging frontier into the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Along the way, we'll revisit a chapter of Tennessee's forgotten resort era as we explore the mineral springs hotels that once attracted visitors from across the South, including Montvale Springs, Kinzel Springs, Alleghany Springs, and Mount Nebo Springs.

Finally, we'll journey to Louisville, the county's oldest settled community, and to Friendsville, where Quaker settlers established one of Tennessee's most remarkable communities. There we'll uncover the story of the Underground Railroad, William J. Hackney, Cudjo's Cave, and the remarkable legacy of the Society of Friends in East Tennessee.

Blount County may be one of Tennessee's fastest-growing counties today, but beneath its modern communities lies more than two centuries of stories waiting to be discovered.

Sometimes the best way to understand a county isn't by reading about it.

Sometimes it's by driving across it.

📚 Sources

Special thanks to Jacqueline Bell, Director of the Sam Houston Schoolhouse Historic Site, for sharing information on Sam Houston's early years in Blount County, and to Stephen Steel of the Friends Meetinghouse in Friendsville for his insights into the community's Quaker heritage and Underground Railroad history.

Official websites of Blount County and the cities of Alcoa, Maryville, Louisville, and Townsend

Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, including articles on Blount County, Maryville College, and Historic Mineral Springs Resorts

National Park Service, Historic Resource Study of Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Volume I)

Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum

Sam Houston Schoolhouse Historic Site

134th Air Refueling Wing, McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base History

WBIR (September 19, 2025), feature on the restoration of Vose School

Tennessee Historical Commission historical markers and local interpretive panels throughout Blount County

Additional archival materials, historical maps, local histories, and reference sources reviewed by the author.

Field research conducted by the author throughout Blount County, including Alcoa, Maryville, Rockford, Townsend, Louisville, Friendsville, and numerous historic sites across the county.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional Tennessee history content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, behind-the-scenes research, and stories from across the Volunteer State.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

It's INTERVIEWSDAY!

The Battle of Athens remains one of the most fascinating and controversial events in Tennessee history.

To better understand the story behind Episode 20: Taking Back a Town, in this INTERVIEWSDAY (Interview Tuesday) bonus content, I traveled to Athens, Tennessee, to sit down with Tyler Boyd, President of the McMinn County Historical Society.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Tyler explains not only what happened during the Battle of Athens, but why the event continues to generate debate eighty years later. We discuss the rise of the Cantrell political machine, election fraud, fee grabbing, police brutality, the influence of E. H. Crump's statewide political organization, the reforms that followed the battle, and the importance of separating documented history from local legend.

Along the way, Tyler shares insights gained from years of archival research, discusses the major books written about the Battle of Athens, explains why different interpretations of the story still exist, and walks us through the events of August 1-2, 1946, almost minute by minute.

Whether you've already listened to Episode 20: Taking Back a Town or are simply interested in one of the most remarkable chapters in Tennessee history, this conversation provides context and perspective that you won't find anywhere else.

If you're interested in how historians evaluate sources, weigh competing interpretations, and work to reconstruct the past as accurately as possible, I think you'll find this discussion especially rewarding.

📚 Topics Discussed

• The rise of the Cantrell political machine
• Why the Battle of Athens remains controversial today
• Election fraud and political machines in 1940s Tennessee
• Fee grabbing and police corruption
• The influence of E. H. Crump's statewide political organization
• The role of the GI Non-Partisan League
• The events of Election Day, August 1-2, 1946
• What happened during the overnight Battle of Athens
• The reforms that followed the battle
• Recommended books, documentaries, and research resources
• Why historical nuance matters

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by: Big John Summers

Guest: Tyler Boyd, President, McMinn County Historical Society

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional Tennessee history content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, behind-the-scenes research, and stories from across the Volunteer State.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

For nearly ten years, the people of McMinn County lived under the control of one of Tennessee's most powerful political machines.

Elections were marred by intimidation and allegations of fraud. Deputies profited from fee grabbing. Citizens pleaded with state and federal authorities for help, but little changed.

Then World War II ended.

Thousands of veterans returned home after fighting for democracy overseas, only to discover that many believed it no longer existed in their own hometown.

In this episode, we follow the rise of the Cantrell-Mansfield political machine, the corruption that fueled it, the veterans' decision to organize a non-partisan reform movement, the escalating violence surrounding the August 1, 1946 election, the dramatic overnight Battle of Athens, and the remarkable aftermath that reshaped local government and left a lasting mark on Tennessee history.

Along the way, we'll separate legend from fact, explore the personalities on both sides of the conflict, and examine why the Battle of Athens remains one of the most debated events in modern Tennessee history.

This is not simply a story about gunfire in the streets.

It is a story about power...

...about principle...

...and about the extraordinary lengths ordinary citizens believed they had to go to restore confidence in the ballot box.

Eighty years later, the Battle of Athens still challenges us with difficult questions about government, citizenship, and the responsibilities that accompany a free society.

Sometimes history is about how a town is lost.

Sometimes...

...it's about how a town is taken back.

📚 Sources

Chris DeRose, The Fighting Bunch: The Battle of Athens and How World War II Veterans Won the Only Successful Armed Rebellion Since the Revolution

Interview with Tyler Boyd, President, McMinn County Historical Society

Lones Seiber, "The Battle of Athens," American Heritage

Jennifer E. Brooks, "Battle of Athens," Tennessee Encyclopedia

Donald Janeway Jr., "The Battle of Athens," Appalachian Free Press

Neil Kumar, "The Battle of Athens, Tennessee," Abbeville Institute

Paul Meany, "The Battle of Athens: An Obscure American Revolution"

Don Moyer, "Never Forget the Battle of Athens 1946"

Tennessee Historical Commission historical marker

Tennessee History for Kids

United States Department of Labor inflation statistics

Additional historical reference materials reviewed by the author.

Field research conducted by the author in Athens, Tennessee, including the McMinn County Historical Society, the McMinn County Courthouse, the Battle of Athens historical marker, and other locations associated with the events of August 1-2, 1946.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional Tennessee history content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, behind-the-scenes research, and stories from across the Volunteer State.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

It's INTERVIEWSDAY!

In this bonus Interviewsday material, we go deeper into the story of the old Nicholson Springs Resort Hotel in Warren County, TN and the research involved in uncovering that.

Marie Summers shares how the history of the resort was uncovered in her article in the Fall 1986 Tennessee Historical Quarterly, what made it significant in its time, and how a place that once drew visitors from across the region could gradually fade from memory.

If you enjoyed Ep 3 - The Lost Resort, this conversation provides additional context and insight into the people, the place, and the process of preserving its story.

Although this is only being widely shared now, it was actually the very first interview done for the podcast. 

Credits:

Hosted by Big John Summers

Guest: Marie Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Follow & Support:

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos and historical insights from around the state of Tennessee as well as other places that bear relevance.

🔗 Links 

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

🎧 Check out our other podcast, Dauphin Island Diaries:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/DID

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

Driving Across Tennessee continues this week as we head into the rugged beauty of Bledsoe County, where the mountains have shaped the county's history for more than two centuries.

Along the way, we'll explore the Sequatchie Valley, the Trail of Tears, Tennessee's first ghost county seat at Madison, and the rise of Pikeville. We'll visit some of the county's oldest surviving landmarks, including the John Bridgman House, the Dr. James A. Ross House, and the historic AME Zion Chapel, while remembering lost places like the Story Hotel and the mining community of Atpontley.

We'll also examine one of the most complicated Civil War stories in Tennessee. Although Bledsoe County voted nearly three-to-one against secession, many of its men ultimately served in Confederate units, reminding us that loyalty in East Tennessee was often far more complicated than simple Union versus Confederate.

From there, we turn to the events that earned the county the nickname "Bloody Bledsoe." We'll trace the origins of the Swafford-Tollett Feud, the era of moonshine running and the Whiskey Wars, and the culture of violence that shaped the county for generations.

Finally, we examine one of the darkest chapters in Tennessee history: the 1944 lynching of sixteen-year-old James Scales at the Taft State Vocational School for Colored Boys. The murders, the lynching, and the controversial handling of the case drew national attention, yet justice was never served.

Today, Bledsoe County tells a different story.

Its historic buildings are being preserved, its downtown has been revitalized, and a community once known for violence is working to ensure its history is remembered honestly while looking confidently toward the future.

Sometimes the most fascinating counties aren't the ones with the biggest cities.

Sometimes they're the ones hidden in a beautiful mountain valley, where every winding road seems to lead to another story.

📚 Sources

• Ruth Sapp Burton, Bledsoe County's Best Stories
• Elizabeth Robnett, Bledsoe County, Tennessee: A History
• Elizabeth Robnett, articles and historical research for TNGenWeb
• Tennessee Encyclopedia, "Bledsoe County"
• Andrew P. Cohen, The Lynching of James Scales: How the FBI, the DOJ, and State Authorities "Whitewashed" Racial Violence in Bledsoe County, Tennessee
• Thomas V. Swafford, Moonshine Man: The Life of Church Lester
• Thomas V. Swafford, Whiskey Wars: The Life of Jim Hamilton
• Thomas V. Swafford, The Swafford-Tollett Feud
• Tennessee Historical Commission historical markers
• Bledsoe County Historical Society and Dr. James A. Ross House Museum
• City of Pikeville historic walking tour materials
• Additional newspaper accounts, archival documents, historical maps, military reports, and reference materials reviewed by the author.
• Field research conducted by the author throughout Bledsoe County, including Pikeville, the Sequatchie Valley, and surrounding communities.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional Tennessee history content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, behind-the-scenes research, and stories from across the Volunteer State.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

It's INTERVIEWSDAY!

For this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Paul DeHaan—collector, researcher, and author of Damn the Torpedoes: Farragut & USS Hartford—whose work served as a primary narrative source for this week’s episode on Admiral David Farragut.

This conversation was recorded on location at the Dauphin Island Welcome Center Museum, where several items from Paul’s personal collection are currently on display. As a result, you may hear some background noise throughout—but what you’ll also hear is something far more valuable:

Perspective shaped by decades of hands-on experience with the artifacts and stories of the Civil War.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Farragut’s life and legacy beyond the famous quote
• The realities of the Battle of Mobile Bay
• The contrast between Farragut and Admiral Franklin Buchanan
• The role of geography, logistics, and decision-making in the battle
• The story—and loss—of the USS Hartford
• And what it means to serve as a “caretaker” of history

This is not just an interview.

It is a conversation with someone who has spent a lifetime preserving the story behind the story.

Source and Source Context

DeHaan, P. (n.d.). Damn the torpedoes: Farragut & USS Hartford: 158 years of service. Self-published.

Paul DeHaan’s work was a primary narrative source for the Farragut episode, particularly in relation to:

• The Battle of Mobile Bay
• The USS Hartford
• The historical evolution of the “Damn the torpedoes” command

This interview provides additional depth and context beyond the episode itself.

For full narrative treatment, refer to:

Credits:

Hosted by Big John Summers

Guest: Paul DeHaan

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Follow & Support:

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos and historical insights from around the state of Tennessee as well as other places that bear relevance.

Support the show on Patreon for:

• Early access to episodes
• Ad-free listening
• Exclusive bonus content, including full-length interviews

🔗 Links 

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

The Battle of Fort Donelson is often remembered for one famous phrase:

"Unconditional Surrender."

But the story of Fort Donelson is about much more than a single letter or a single battle.

It is the story of a campaign that opened Tennessee to Union invasion.

It is the story of bold leadership...and costly mistakes.

It is the story of opportunities seized...and opportunities squandered.

And perhaps most of all, it is the story of men whose friendships were tested by civil war.

In this episode, we follow the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign from its strategic beginnings through the fall of Fort Henry, the race to reinforce Fort Donelson, the first large-scale use of Union ironclad gunboats on the western rivers, the Confederate breakout attempt, Gideon Pillow's fateful decision to halt rather than immediately evacuate,  Ulysses S. Grant's decisive counterattack, the remarkable chain of command that ultimately left Simon Bolivar Buckner responsible for surrendering the Confederate army, Nathan Bedford Forrest's escape, Bushrod Johnson's quiet disappearance into the Tennessee woods, and the famous exchange of letters between Grant and Buckner that forever earned Grant the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.

Yet once the surrender was complete, something extraordinary happened.

The stern commander who had demanded unconditional surrender immediately resumed the role of an old friend. Grant extended courtesy to Buckner, offered him financial assistance should he need it, and ensured that the surrendered Confederate soldiers were treated with dignity.

Sometimes history isn't defined only by who wins the battle.

Sometimes it is defined by how people conduct themselves after the fighting has ended.

More than sixty years after serving together in the Mexican War, Ulysses S. Grant and Simon Bolivar Buckner remained friends until Grant's death, when Buckner served as one of his pallbearers.

It is a fitting conclusion to one of the Civil War's most remarkable stories.

A surrender...

...between friends.

📚 Sources

• James R. Knight, The Battle of Fort Donelson: No Terms but Unconditional Surrender
• Kendall D. Gott, Where the South Lost the War: An Analysis of the Fort Henry-Fort Donelson Campaign
• Hank Koopman, Decisions at Forts Henry and Donelson
• Benjamin Franklin Cooling, The Campaign for Fort Donelson
• Edwin C. Bearss, The Fall of Fort Henry
• Edwin C. Bearss, Unconditional Surrender: The Fall of Fort Donelson
• Darryl R. Smith, The War Department Tablets of Fort Donelson National Battlefield
• Roy Morris Jr., "Bushrod Johnson: Yankee Quaker, Confederate General," Warfare History Network
• Additional battlefield interpretation, historical maps, military reports, and reference materials reviewed by the author.
• Field research conducted by the author at Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Fort Henry, Fort Heiman, Dover, Tennessee, and the Land Between the Lakes region.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional Tennessee history content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, behind-the-scenes research, and stories from across the Volunteer State.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

It's INTERVIEWSDAY!

For this Interviewsday edition (Interview Tuesday) of The Tennessee History Nerd, I had the opportunity to sit down with Justin Reed, longtime radio personality, host of The Justin Reed Show, and possibly one of Tennessee's foremost enthusiasts of country music history.

Justin has spent years sharing the stories behind the songs, artists, and recordings that helped shape country music. In this conversation, we explore Tennessee's remarkable influence on American music, the state's legendary recording history, and some of the artists and places that continue to define its musical legacy.

In this conversation, we discuss:

• Tennessee's role in the development of country music
• The state's rich recording history
• Legendary artists and the stories behind their success
• The evolution of country music through the decades
• Why preserving Tennessee's musical heritage matters
• Some of the lesser-known stories from the Volunteer State's musical past

Unlike many of our Interviewsday episodes, this conversation isn't tied to a specific podcast episode. Instead, it's a stand-alone discussion celebrating one of Tennessee's greatest contributions to American culture. Whether you're a history buff, a country music fan, or simply enjoy hearing great stories, I think you'll enjoy this conversation with Justin Reed.

🎙️ Credits
Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support
Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee.

🔗 Links
🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

📘 Check out our other podcast, Dauphin Island Diaries:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/podcasts/DID

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.

We'd love to hear what you think!

Benton County.

To many travelers, it's simply the place where Interstate 40 crosses the Tennessee River on the way between Nashville and Memphis.

But Benton County has been shaped by that river for more than two centuries.

Before it was ever a county, it was part of the Chickasaw homeland acquired in the 1818 Jackson Purchase. It was originally named for Thomas Hart Benton, only to become the only Tennessee county to change the person it honored without changing its name.

The Tennessee River transformed Benton County into a place of commerce, navigation, industry, and war.

River pilots used Pilot Knob as a landmark long before modern navigation.

During the Civil War, Confederate artillery overlooking the river devastated the Union supply depot at Johnsonville.

Commercial fishermen and mussel men made their living from its waters, harvesting fish, freshwater mussels, and pearls.

Today, that legacy continues through aquaculture and the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum.

But Benton County's story reaches beyond the river.

It includes the railroad community of Big Sandy, the stagecoach town and county seat of Camden, Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, and the tragic 1963 plane crash that claimed the lives of Patsy Cline, Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and pilot Randy Hughes.

In this episode, we explore how one river shaped the history of an entire county...from frontier settlement and sectional politics to Civil War battlefields, freshwater pearls, and one of country music's greatest tragedies.

Because Benton County isn't simply another stop along Interstate 40.

It's one of the places where the Tennessee River tells Tennessee's story.

📚 Sources

Interpretive materials and exhibits at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park and the Tennessee River Folklife Interpretive Center and Museum.

Interpretive materials at the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum.

Historical markers in Benton County and entries from the Historical Marker Database (HMDB.org).

The Tennessee Encyclopedia.

Tennessee History for Kids.

American Battlefield Trust summary of the Battle of Johnsonville.

State of Tennessee, Genealogical Fact Sheets About Benton County.

Bob Fulcher, Tennessee's High Points (Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation).

Additional historical maps, museum materials, local reference works, and field research conducted by the author throughout Benton County, including visits to Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, the Tennessee River Freshwater Pearl Museum, downtown Camden, and the Patsy Cline crash site, as well as conversations with park staff.

🎙️ Credits

Hosted by Big John Summers

Produced by Summers Media Enterprises

Music by Big John Summers

📣 Follow & Support

Follow The Tennessee History Nerd on Facebook, Instagram, and X for additional content, including on-location videos, historical interpretation, and stories from across Tennessee.

🔗 Links

🧢 Merch & Apparel:
https://www.summersmediaenterprises.com/merch

📘 Follow on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheTennesseeHistoryNerd/

Check out and follow Mr. Murfreesboro on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Enter BIGJOHN as the discount code in the comment field when you reserve a cabin or cottage at Birdsong for 20% off the reservation price!

Be sure to listen each week in October to the latest update for The Tennessee History Nerd...and catch up on any Season 1 episodes you may have missed!

Check out our sister podcast Dauphin Island Diaries wherever you're listening right now!

Be sure to click follow or share in your podcast app to make sure you never miss an episode of The Tennessee History Nerd...and share your favorite episode with someone!

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show, share it with someone who loves history, and leave a review—it helps more folks discover the stories of the Volunteer State.