A "LICKSKILLET" LAND MARK
Before the coming of the Tennessee Valley Authority in the early 1930's,
Old Highway 33 crossed Hind's Ridge one mile north of Maynardville and traveled
northward across Hind's Ridge to the Hickory Valley Road at Lickskillet.
Fate Tolliver in the early 1900's contracted to build a new road across Hind's
Ridge that moved the roadbed out of the hollows on both sides
of the ridge. Although much of the new road continued
to be steep with many sharp curves, it was easier to negotiate wagons, hacks
and later automobiles and trucks. From the Lickskillet community Highway
33 continued its course across the Clinch River to link Sharp's Chapel with
the Knoxville Road. At the junction of Old Highway 33 and the Hickory Valley
roads stands the Hamilton Brothers' Store building. On the hill behind the
store is Cedar Grove Baptist Church established in 1856 in the Sylvan Academy.
A large spring in front of the store served the occupants of the store, the
church congregation, workmen and travelers in the community.
Hamilton Brothers also owned a store on the Clinch River west of Crooked Creek, a lumber yard; and they dabbled in real estate and stock. In the Cedar Grove Church community, which boasted a population of eighty, John Miller had a law practice and J. M. Pugh a blacksmith shop. John and William Toliver owned and operated saw mills. James Wilson (who may have lived in the Robert Waggoner homeplace, later Rob Carter home), served as pension agent. A second general store was operated by A.J. McNew. Northward of the settlement was an ax handle factory with barracks where some of the workmen lived.
Ezra A. Hamilton (who married Pernena C. Smith in Union County on September 29, 1870), built this store in the community in the mid-1880's. A few years later a post office was located in the store building. On December 28, 1887, Ezra A. Hamilton was commissioned postmaster. He named the post office after his son Esco Hamilton.
Ezra A. Hamilton gave up the store and his commission as postmaster and spent a few years in Kansas with other family members. In his absence Paralee Smith (who probably later married Calvin Nicely), was commissioned postmistress on October 9, 1893. She held that position until September 28, 1897 when Ezra A. Hamilton returned to Tennessee and was again appointed. He served as postmaster until November 18, 1903 when the post office at Esco was discontinued. The mail in the Lickskillet area was then delivered from the central station at Maynardville.
In later years the Hamilton Store changed hands several times. Sam and Julie Waggoner owned and operated it for a time. Argil Marine bought the store and finally in 1919 (Lorene Sexton Simmons was born that year) John Elvin (Uncle Jack)
Sexton bought the store. Union County telephone exchange was set up in this store building possibly in the early 1900's when telephone service was extended to this rural community. Waggoners operated the exchange for a while and then Marsell Gilbert Kee served as the switchboard operator for two years at the Hamilton Store. Later the switchboard was moved to the John Gilbert home where Marsell served as the operator. People's Telephone and Telegraph Company published a telephone directory which listed subscribers to the Union County Exchange in 1913. The directory contains local residents named Beeler, Buckner, Evans, Cox, Graves, Huddleston, Hundley, Hamilton, Myers, Malone, McHone, Railey, Sweat, Smith, Oaks, Tharpe, Tucker, Ward, Warwick and Wolfenbarger west of the exchange in Hickory Valley. Other families named Butcher, Bladen, Burnett, Cook, Debusk, Brazell, Hacker, Inklebarger, Lyons, McBee, Needham, Palmer, Vandergriff and Waggoner were subscribers living in community surrounding the exchange.
In 1925 the switchboard was sold to a company at Halls and moved out of the county. An investigatin of the Hall's company reveals that the exchange was probably sold to John Sanderson. He sold it to George Dees who named the switchboard the "Hall's Grapevine" and ran it for a number of years. Mrs. Dees said, "because of the maintainance of the operation the switchboard was sold to Ben Turner for $1.
Uncle Jack Sexton and his wife Amy Wallace Sexton raised their family in the living quarters behind and adjacent to the store. Uncle Jack operated the store until Norris Dam and Norris Lake forced many in the community to move away. As a result there were not enough customers to justify a store at Lickskillet. It closed in 1934.
With the Sylvia School, later Cedar Grove School, and Cedar Grove Baptist Church on the hill behind the store, much activity was centered in this area. An account of one such event was recorded in the Union Eagle, Volume III, Number 14, published at Maynardville, Tennessee on April 6, 1893 by a Mr. Sharp who called himself the Eagle. Heading the article "Esco," he began: "Friday was a gala day at Cedar Grove. At 1:30 the Academy was first filled with youth and beauty of the surrounding country, with a sprinkle of the homely and aged, by way of variety. The platform was tastefully decorated by skillful hands with flowers and wreaths and presented a beautiful appearance as the Eagle walked up the center isle to a front seat, where a good view of the young gentlemen and ladies could be had. Prayer was by Rev. Eli Branson." The Eagle continued to list the entire ( program with a comment at the close of the article.
Music
Class A
Words of Welcome
...............................................................................Miss
Lily Hamilton
Welcome Address
.................................................................................Charlie
Sexton
The Young Soldier
.................................................................................Charlie
Cox
The Little Boy That Lived by Himself
......................................................Charlie Hamilton
Little Things
............................................................................................Dixie
Miller
TheBoy and the Bird
...............................................................................Henry
Cox
Music
Class B
Old Bachelor
........................................................................................Landon
Waggoner
Mary's Good Morning to God
..............................................................Maud Waggoner
An Idle Dance
......................................................................................Wesley
Branson
Mother's Fool
.......................................................................................Ludlo
Lambdin
The Dead Girl
.......................................................................................Vesty
Kidwell
Popping Corn
.......................................................................................George
McAfee
Ring, Happy Christmas
.........................................................................Dora
Waggoner
Is There Room in Angel Land
...............................................................Cora
Hamilton
Speak No Ill
........................................................................................Henry
Miller
The September Gale
............................................................................Rector
Butcher
Our Sweet Unexprerssed
.....................................................................Lassie
Sharp
Psalm of Marriage
...............................................................................Carrie
Hamilton
The Guilty Soul Cannot Keep
Its Own Secret
....................................................................................Johnie
Myers
Nobody's Girl .....................................................................................Berty Waggoner
Music
"Professor Sharp next called upon Professor W. L. Gentry, who in a happy style combined with a grand execution effort, entertained the audience for a half hour with subjects pertinent to the occasion, urging the youth to press forward and prepare to take their place in this, the educational age of the world," the Eagle wrote. "The remainder of the afternoon," he wrote, "was pleasantly passed in visiting families in the vicinity or social chit chat with friends and at dark the house was packed to its utmost, with standing room on the outside only." Prayer by Rev. Eli Branson opened the evening session.
Evening Session
Class C
Address of Welcome
........................................................................Charlie
Sexton
A Boy's Welcome to Spring
..............................................................Daw Buckner
Shall We Meet Again
.........................................................................Lonie
Toliver
Music
Filial Piety
..........................................................................................Lottie
Sexton
Value of Time and Knowledge
...........................................................Michael Lambdin
The Hour of Death
.............................................................................Dora
Buckner
North American Indiana
.....................................................................J. L.
Toliver
Life and Death
...................................................................................Bell
Miller
Onward! Onward!
.............................................................................Susan
Lambdin
Music
South Carolina and Massachusetts
.....................................................William Toliver
True Momen
......................................................................................Tinie
Cox
Don't Run in Debt
...............................................................................Elly
Keck
Glad Tidings
.......................................................................................Betty
Sharp
Music
The Pilgrims
.......................................................................................W.
L. Myers
Duties and Responsibilities of
Women................................................. Emma Toliver
Tom Cat
.............................................................................................Holden
Harvey
The Men to Make a State
...................................................................Miss L.
A. Miller
The Memory of Our Fathers
...............................................................D. A.
Hamilton
No Sect in Heaven
.............................................................................Miss
Mollie Toliver
Linger Not Among the Tombs
............................................................Vasco Buckner
The Bible
...........................................................................................Miss
Paralee Smith
Prosperty of America's Greatness
......................................................G. B. Sharp
Prizes Awarded
Class
A..........................................................................................Miss
Lilly Hamilton
Class
B..........................................................................................Miss
Berthey Waggoner
Class
C..........................................................................................Mr.
Vasco Buckner
In conclusion the Eagle wrote:"After the audience dispersed, some of the young men, who call themselves gentlemen, and had been filling up during the evening with that which "steals away the brain," brought their part of the entertainment to a climax. Pistols were freely used in the presence of the large crowd. Sheriff Sexton slipped the bracelets on Paris Miller, who called up his friends and made a bond to settle before Judge Hicks in June. Two or three other young gentlemen saw their girls safely home, turned away and began to fire. Deputy Sheriff Smith and Constable Isaac Waggoner, being in the vicinity, gave chase, but most of the young men were well mounted and distanced the officers. A bay mare deserted by his rider, was arrested for being in bad company, and near him a pistol was picked up which awaits an owner. Don't all speak at once boys."
"The orchestra consisted of violins and banjos and made excellent music. J. C. Harvey, James Graves, Joe Hubbs and William Cook were the operators."
This article appears by the courtesy of the Union County Historical Society. Our thanks to them for their support. If you would like more information about this Society, books they sale, other articles, or joining their organization please visit their homepage by clicking here.
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