This article is from "To Loy's Crossroads" published by the Union County Historical Society. -WGT
Although Loy's Cross Roads was a farming community, some of the local people provided important services to the community in addition to their farm activities that made the settlements self-sufficient.
Local storekeepers were the most important element in the community's economy arid society. Indeed, many communities would not have survived had it not been for the general store. Scores of these country establishments were scattered throughout the country as necessity warranted, and they served as centers for voting, bartering, news, weather reports, mail, politics, wars, and gossip. Credit accounts were established for the customers, and a number of merchants served the community by loaning money to those hard pressed for cash. Credit was guarded closely at the general store, and each item purchased was listed along with the name of the person making the purchase.
At the Manon Hill store in Big valley a Snodderly family established a credit account. On one occasion the elder Snodderly found his account to be unreasonably large and asked to see Hill's ledger. He found it properly filled out as to date, item purchased, and the amount of each purchase. He paid up, went home, and led his son George to the woodshed and before each application of a leather strap to his behind, he grunted, Tobacco by George! Candy by George! Cheeze by George! Firecrackers by George!
The storekeeper's stock consisted of such items as shoes, denum shirts and overalls, piece goods, notions, feed, seed, fertilizer, plow points, harness, kerosene, candy, crackers, salt, sugar, baking powders, soda, smoking and chewing tobacco, and a few canned goods. On the counter lay catalogues for ordering rnerchandise not offered from the racks of general stores.
On the average of once a week, sometimes more often in summer months, merchants hauled exchange items such as chickens, turkeys, butter and eggs, and other farm produce to markets in Knoxville, twenty-six miles away, for exchange. The journey took two days by wagon with traders having to lay-over one night. In the winter months, the trip took longer because of hazardous roads and bad weather. Often extra teams were sent out to meet the returning wagons. Although local merchants were infrequent during the early years of the twentieth century in Union County, the number grew from fifty-two in 1922 to eighty in 1928, with the combined value of stock reaching $3,420.53, an average of about $42.00 worth of stock per store.
In the area of Loy's-Cross-Roads the number of general stores grew with expansion of population. The town was about one mile from the Clinch River, five miles to the Powell River, and eighteen miles from the confluence of the rivers. Lett's Ford was on the Clinch River about three miles from Loyston. At the ford, Rufus Rice and Brice Longmire erected the first alleyway for a ferry to be named Longmire Ferry. A road was graded to the ford in 1931 and "piked" in 1932, and in 1933 Longmire bridge was built, replacing the ferry. At different times John Loy, Elijah Sharp, and an Irwin owned a store situated near the bridge. Another store was established by Rufus Longmire at the cross-roads, and Sherman Hill's store and grist mill were constructed on Big Spring Branch two and one-half miles from the settlement of Loy's Cross Roads. Ferrin Bridges opened a store about six mile northeast of the cross-roads in the 1900's. The area around the store became known as Bridges' Town. With the coming of the Tennessee valley Authority, Bridges relocated his store to the Alter Springs community.
In town, Cana Stooksbury's store was situated on the southwest corner of the village. In the 1920's, when the automobile was introduced, pumps were installed for dispensing Gulf gasoline. On the opposite side of the gravel road from Stooksbury's store, Hastin LaFollette Turner established a store in the 1900's. At the death of Turner, his widow, Nancy, sold the establishment to George F. Fox. Besides offering a variety of goods, Fox sold store-bought coffins, had gasoline pumps installed for vending Esso gasoline, and later gained the first dealership for Ford Motor Company products in the county.
Early in the nineteenth century Arthur Miller built a grist mill behind the site of Stooksbury's store that was later operated by France Stooksbury followed by Marv and Jake Loy and later still, by Jona and Harvy Loy. Union Hill built a sawmill near the site in 1869 powered by an undershot water-wheel. Two years later he built a grist mill on the opposite side of the trace. Hill's millstones supposedly were from France having formerly been used by Basher's Mill in Knoxville. A few years later Jim C. Hill added a flour mill to the composite.
Gip Hill was the town barber. His shop was at one time located in Rufus Longmire's store and later in an abandoned mill. Hill was gifted in music and directed singing at Loyston Baptist Church services where he was superintendent of Sunday school for many years. Because of his music ability, Hill was called on to teach singing schools in the neighborhood. Isaac Loy pocessed a musical tallent and was also called on to teach singing schools.
The community blacksmith was Newton Ray, whose primary work consisted of shodding horses and mules.
Elvin Warwick travelled through Lay's settlement buying cattle that he drove to the Knoxville Market.
Lewis Miller and his son, Herman, at one time tried their hands at forging iron, but "went broke" and sold their assets to Dickerson Company in Knoxville. Following the failure of this endeavor, they operated a distillery for a time and later manufactured wool hats.
Bob Brantley of the Mossy Springs community obtained a government license to manufacture distilled liquers. Regulations governing the distilling of alcoholic spirits also restricted their production. On one occasion Brantly was arrested by government inspectors and placed in the county jail for thirty days for exceeding the limit. While Brantley served his sentence the operation at Mossy Springs continued and samples were brough to the jail for his approval. One such sample did not meet his specifications and he instructed the workman to make the run a leedle stronger.
The lack of refrigeration probably prevented commercial fishing on the Clinch and Powell rivers. However, there were a number of fish traps that provided food for home consumption. Mack Loy had a trap on the Clinch and used it to suppliment his income. On a regular basis Loy took his catch to LaFollette and sold it. One day to his surprise the trap produced a seventy-two pound catfish. Immediately he set out toward LaFollette but was nabbed by "fee-grabbers" who confiscated the catfish and charged Loy with not having a commercial license.
The instillation of electricity in the Great valley never did reach Loy's settlement. Homes, schools, and churches were lighted by fireplaces, kerosen lamps and lanterns. Two homes in the village had carbide tanks installed to supply gas for lighting but did not gain wide acceptance because they were considered dangerous. An explosion in one of the tanks had claimed the life of one resident and injured her son. Investigating a safer method of lighting, George F. Fox had a Delco electrical system installed to light his home.
There were never any commercial pearl fisheries on the nearby rivers; however, a number of young people tried their luck with muscles that were plentyful in both rivers. Although a number of pearls were found, it has been said that "Tink" Sharp was the only one to find a pearl of considerable value. Prof. Thomas records the discovery of two diamonds on the Clinch River by fishermen. These gems were purchased by the late Supreme Court Justice E. T. Sanford and were in the pocession of his widow in Memphis in the 1940's. Along the northern bank of the Clinch, mining explorations produced the discovry of several red crystals which Thomas believed to be garnets. Atop the mountain above the pits, specimens of ore were found that would pick up a nail. A post office called Magnetic was located nearby.
The manufacture of gunpowder from saltpeter found in many of the caves in the Clinch and Powell valleys was important during the early settlement of the area, and increased during the period of the Civil War. Earth bearing niter from cave floors was placed in a hopper and water added to remove the compound. The liquid was boiled in large vats until crystals formed, and later mixed with willow charcoal and sulphur to make gunpowder.
For more information on this article or any article or publication of the Union County Historical Society please write them at:
Union County Historical Society
P.O. Box 95
Maynardville, TN 37807
Or
E-mail the Union County Historical
Society.
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