| Sources |
- [S118] History of early Sevier County Doctors , Beulah Linn, (www.sevierlibrary.org/genealogy/doc/doc.htm).
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 27 Jul 1960.
Dona Huffaker obituary
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 14 Dec 1984.
Brownlow Lafayette Newman obituary
- [S101] 1880 Census, District 22, Knox County, Tennessee, 302B.
Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
James E. NEWMAN Self M Male W 30 TN Farmer TN TN
Martha NEWMAN Wife M Female W 26 TN Keeps House TN TN
Jesse D. NEWMAN Son S Male W 8 TN TN TN
Mary NEWMAN Dau S Female W 6 TN TN TN
John P. NEWMAN Son S Male W 4 TN TN TN
Nancy C. NEWMAN Dau S Female W 6M TN TN TN
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 23 Jan 2012.
Upland Chronicles: Steamboats once flowed over area waterways
Capt. Newman and his wife Martha Ann Atchley. Photo courtesy Smoky Mountain Historical Society.
Capt. James Newman stands atop his steamboat, the Lucile Borden. Photo courtesy Bob Newman
The Flora Swann, owned by the Knox, Sevier and Jefferson Steamboat Company. Photo courtesy Bob Newman
By JO HARRIS
The piercing blast of a steamboat’s whistle; the slosh and spray of water churning beneath a paddlewheel; the exuberant voices of children calling out, “steeeeeamboat a-comin’!” might sound like phrases from Mark Twain’s “Life on the Mississippi,” but these were all part of Sevier County’s history in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Steamboats with intriguing names like Lucile Borden, Annabelle King, Adeline, Flora Swann, Isabella, and Onega navigated the waters of the French Broad River in the 1840s, and for the next half-century were a primary method of transporting freight to market.
With many of the area’s farms being located in and around the fertile valleys of the French Broad and Little Pigeon rivers, it was convenient, as well as practical, to ship by steamboat. Farmers who lived away from the river were encouraged to bring their goods to Sevierville where merchants prepared them for shipment. The goods were then loaded onto flatboats which carried them to warehouses at Catlettsburg, a community that was located along the Pigeon River near the present intersection of Highway 338 and Highway 66.
At Catlettsburg, when the goods were transferred to the steamboats for delivery to market, the flatboats were pulled back to Sevierville by horses.
There were several steamboat depots. Ferry landings such as the Ellis (Kyker), Underdown, Hodge and Brabson were also used as loading docks. One of these depots is still standing a few feet from the river near Pollard Road in Kodak. It was from this small building that goods that had been bartered or sold at the nearby Kodak Store were loaded aboard a steamboat.
One well-known steamboat stop was the Rock House, a large cave on the north side. This cave was once occupied by Indians and considered to be sacred. Later on, pioneers stopped there. It is said that some of the earliest churches in the Boyd’s Creek area originated at the Rock House.
Eventually, a wooden floor was built in the cave and it was used as a “dance hall.” Today, the Rock House is located on private property.
James Newman, a local steamboat captain, lived for a time at Catlettsburg. He was married to Martha Ann Atchley and they lived in Sevier County before finally settling in Knox County.
Newman began his career on the river operating a yawl on which he transported freight to market. He later built and operated a flatboat that allowed him to transport more cargo. A round trip to Knoxville usually took as long as a week. Newman leased vessels before finally building his own steamboats, one of which was the Lucile Borden.
The hull and superstructure of the 86-foot long Lucile Borden were built in 1889 at Catlettsburg. The boiler, engine and paddlewheel were installed in Chattanooga. At the time, Newman’s company was known as the French Broad Navigation Company. Newman’s son, Brownlow, once said in an interview that owning and managing a steamboat wasn’t the way to quick riches.
One of Capt. Newman’s customers was the canning company, Stokely Brothers. On one trip downriver, the Onega, a relatively deep-draft vessel, struck a rock shoal and the barge it was pushing, loaded with canned tomatoes from Stokely, was damaged so badly all 2,500 cases were sent into the river. The boat owners had to pay Stokely $4,000 for their loss.
Along with freight, steamboats also carried passengers. As many as 40-50 passengers could be accommodated by the Lucile Borden. In an Aug. 15, 1890, advertisement in the Sevierville Republican, a schedule showed that a trip from Catlettsburg to Knoxville took 10 hours, owing to all the stops. The return trip against river current took approximately one hour more.
With as many as 50 merchants between Knoxville and Dandridge, including several in Sevier County, and a steamboat traveling only 8-10 mph, it was still the best way for farmers and businesses to get their goods to distant markets.
The ad boasted good rooms for both ladies and gentlemen with nice beds. The passenger fare was about $1. Meals were between 15 and 25 cents each.
Before she died in 2009, Sevier County resident Stella Underwood often said she remembered her Uncle Ambrose Underwood, a legendary steamboat pilot from Knoxville. In an interview with Bill Landry of The Heartland Series, Mrs. Underwood said when she’d hear a steamboat whistle, she’d run to the river and peer into the wheelhouse; if the pilot was smoking a pipe, then she knew it had to be her Uncle Ambrose.
Underwood was a captain for the Oliver King Company and in 1911 he piloted the steamboat Annabelle King when it left the dock near Market Street in Knoxville bound for the Pollard cemetery in Kodak. Aboard were family and friends and the flower-draped casket of his cousin, Commodore Underwood.
Steamboat pilots had to be wise to the ever-changing river. They either had to have an innate sense about the river or had to memorize, or estimate, its varying depths and the potential obstacles.
The steamboats’ length and width, along with their flat bottoms and high superstructures, made them difficult to maneuver. Even with skilled pilots, the life span of a steamboat was usually less than 8 years.
The April 3, 1896, issue of the Sevierville Star stated, “The Lucile Borden took advantage of the ‘tide’ on Tuesday morning, February 29th and steamed up to a point where about 300 Seviervillians viewed the steamer from the county bridge.” This was the first to navigate the waters of the Little Pigeon River all the way into Sevierville, which was possible only at times of high water, referred to as the tide. Other boats steaming all the way into Sevierville were the Telephone, a boat built by the Cates brothers in the Dumplin area of the county, the Flora Swann owned by the Knoxville, Sevier, and Jefferson Steamboat Company, and the Onega owned by the Three Rivers Packet and Transportation Company.
Steamboats continued to be a viable means of shipping and personal transportation until the Sevierville Pike was completed in 1900. With that road, and the completion in 1909 of the Knoxville, Sevierville and Eastern Railroad, the steamboat business in Sevier County floated into history.
— Jo Harris is a free-lance writer residing in Kodak. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; please contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or email to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or email to ron@ronraderproperties.com
- [S112] Census, 1900.
Name: James E Newman
Titles & Terms:
Residence: Civil District 22, Knox, Tennessee
Birth Date: Nov 1849
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Spouse: Martha Newman
Spouse's Titles & Terms:
Spouse's Birthplace: Tennessee
Father:
Father's Titles & Terms:
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother:
Mother's Titles & Terms:
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Race or Color (expanded): White
Head-of-household Name: James E Newman
Gender: Male
Marital Status: Married
Years Married: 29
Estimated Marriage Year: 1871
Mother How Many Children:
Number Living Children:
Immigration Year:
Enumeration District: 0091
Page: 2
Sheet Letter: B
Family Number: 37
Reference Number: 82
Film Number: 1241583
Image Number: 00336
Household Gender Age
James E Newman M
Spouse Martha Newman F
Child John Newman M
Bertie Newman F
Child Dana Newman F
Child Brownlow Newman M
Child Batherest Newman M
- [S112] Census, 1910.
Name: James Newman
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Residence: Civil District 15, Knox, Tennessee
Marital Status: Married
Race : White
Gender: Male
Immigration Year:
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Family Number: 98
Page Number: 5
Household Gender Age
James Newman M 60y
Spouse Marthan Newman F 56y
- [S112] Census, 1920.
Name: James E Newman
Residence: , Knox, Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1850
Age: 70
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to Head of Household: Self
Gender: Male
Race: White
Marital Status: Married
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Film Number: 1821748
Digital Folder Number: 4389731
Image Number: 01101
Sheet Number: 7
Household Gender Age
James E Newman M 70y
Spouse Martha A Newman F 66y
Rhoda Conner F 16y
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: James E Newman
Event: Census
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 15, Knox, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Age: 80
Marital Status: Married
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1850
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Head
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Enumeration District Number: 0094
Family Number: 26
Sheet Number and Letter: 2A
Line Number: 23
NARA Publication: T626, roll 2260
Film Number: 2341994
Digital Folder Number: 4548174
Image Number: 00511
Household Gender Age
James E Newman M 80
Spouse Martha A Newman F 76
- [S147] Find a Grave, (Memorial: 33681167).
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Groom's Name: James E. Newman
Groom's Birth Date:
Groom's Birthplace:
Groom's Age:
Bride's Name: Martha A. Atchley
Bride's Birth Date:
Bride's Birthplace:
Bride's Age:
Marriage Date: 02 Feb 1871
Marriage Place: , Sevier, Tennessee
Groom's Father's Name:
Groom's Mother's Name:
Bride's Father's Name:
Bride's Mother's Name:
Groom's Race:
Groom's Marital Status:
Groom's Previous Wife's Name:
Bride's Race:
Bride's Marital Status:
Bride's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M51968-1
System Origin: Tennessee-VR
Source Film Number: 969965
Reference Number: 2:DQCB6G
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