Sharp's Fort

Reports of Indian attacks on the John Raccoon" Miller Station located on Bull Run Creek seven miles east of Holmack's and three miles south of the present town of Maynardville, was attacked at different times. On August 12, 1794, a Knoxville newspaper reported 15 horses belonging to men named Hinds, Barton and Hamilton were stolen during a raid on the blockhouse, John Miller (Revolutionary War soldier) established Miller's fort in the late 178()s, He was appointed a Captain in the Knox County Militia by John Sevier, A grandson, Alfred Miller wrote While Captain Miller was away on a campaign, he left his wife and three small children at the fort, A pet dog sensing trouble brought her puppies from the barn to the forte The dog barked toward the hills where Indians lurked in ambush, That night Lucy (Eve) Miller barred the door and fixed the guns, When Indians approached the stockade the dog attacked and dragged one of the intruders under the building. The Indians soon fled and were later traced to the Clinch River.

WGT NOTE: Holmack's Station was located near the junction of Suck Stone Creek and Bull Run Creek while the John "Raccoon Miller Station was established about seven miles east of Holmack's also on Bull Run Creek, Both of these forts or stations have been referred to as the Bull Run Blockhouse often confusing the historian,

The Knoxville Gazette published Saturday, December 7, 1793: "On Monday last Nicholas Ball (Revolutionary War soldier) passing from Galliher's Creek to Well's Station was fired on by five Indians and received three bullets through his clothes, In action at Hightower with Captain Evans, Ball had two bullets through his hat," Less than a month later Ball was not as fortunate; his death was reported by the Gazette. "On Monday 23rd Roger Oats and Nicholas Ball were killed by Indians near the Well's Station as they were transporting a load of corn to the block house for the support of their families, The raiding party consisted of ten at least, as that number of guns were heard firing, The raiders took four horses and a melatto boy,"

Sharp's Station was singled out for attacks because a number of men from the station had participated in the attack on Hanging Maw's camp, Moreover, Sharp's Station was near the Clinch River, which provided an escape and was closer to the Indian camp, On November 13, 1794, Peter Graves from Sharp's Station was tricked into exposing himself to an ambush as he followed the sound of what he believed was the call of a wild turkey, Waiting in ambush, the Indians shot him from behind, scalped, and inutulated his body with a sword, For days the station was alerted for attacks but none came and the settlers relaxed somewhat.

Dr, C, L, Ridenour's book, The Land Between The Lakes published in 1941, recorded the following: "For several days (after Peter Grave's death) the people around the station were on the alert (for Indians, but there was no sign, Around the first of December, the weather was mild and several of the settlers crossed the Clinch and Powell River to a large salt peter cave (Meredith's Cave near Shanghai on property belonging to the Sharps) for niter for making gunpowder. Nicholas Gibbs (Revolutionary War soldier), Henry Sharp, Coonrod Sharp and Levi Hinds were the only men left at the station. About a score of small children perhaps as many women and girls and several boys were gathered from the cabins near-by."

"Just at dusk Gibbs heard several owls hooting on the mountain above. Something in the notes of the owls aroused his curiosity. The other men were convinced that a considerable force of Indians were about. The small children were placed in one of the cabins of the station while the women and girls with the boys were divided into four companies to withstand the Indian attack. Suddenly the owl calls ceased."

"In a short time the heavy chain at the stockade gate rattled and a gutteral 'open' aroused the bear dogs which rushed about the stockade barking furiously. The reply to the Indian at the gate was a rifle shot. The battle lasted through the night with no casualties to the people in the station. Before daybreak the Indians lifted the seige leaving blood on all sides of the station. This unreported Indian battle was perhaps the most hotly contested fight in the annals of East Tennessee. The bullet holes on the old log station remained as a silent reminder of the battle of Sharp's Station."

There were other attacks and killings in the area of East Tennessee as spasmodic fighting continued into the summer of 1795. When hostilities ceased altogether, East Tennessee homesteaders were able to devote more time to establishing their livelihoods. William Sharp (1780-1862), son of Henry Sharp Sr, lived at the fort until his death earning him the nickname "Station Bill." Daniel Sharp, a brother, died at the fort in 1809 and was buried in an unmarked grave near the old fort. McHenry Sharp, son of Station Bill lived and died where his son Lon Sharp lived until the exodus of 1935 caused by the creation of Norris Lake. McHenry used some of the logs from the old fort to build a barn on the homestead.

Marshall Wilson worked in a number of capacities for the Tennessee valley Authority in the 1930s. He was interested in the early settlement of the Norris Basin so he compiled a book in 1982 which he entitled Tales for the Grass Roots of TVA 1932-1952. In his compilation he made a few brief notes regarding Sharp's Fort. "In 1935," he wrote, "Mrs. Lon (Lertie) Sharp walked with me from her house about a hundred yards to the site of the 'old blockhouse,' as she called it. Some of the old stones from a chimney were still protruding through the sod. Suddenly she stumbled and, with one foot, scratched the ground and came up with an Old English penny having the image of King George II on it. That King George had died in 1760." Wilson went on to say that in July of 1942, he led a group from the Smokey Mountain Hiking Club to the site and "erected a large sign designating its name, dates and, briefly, its purpose" A year later when he visited the site by boat, he discovered that the sign had disappeared.

William H. Thomas organized the Sharp's Station Improvement Association and erected bronze plaques marking the site of the station and the ledge of limestone where Peter Graves was killed on November 13, 17944 Thomas' documentation of the fort site came through Claude Sharp and his uncle Harvey Sharp.

TVA Land Survey No4 1604 assigned to the Lon Sharp farm shows two cemeteries were located on his property One of these cemeteries was designated by TVA as an "abandoned" cemetery (Old Lon Sharp) containing sixteen graves according to the survey. However, in the TVA Cemetery Removals the count is 19 graves. The second and larger cemetery was recorded by TVA as the Lon Sharp Cemetery and on the survey 68 graves are listed, while the survey of the cemetery records 73 graves. This writer searched the TVA Grave Removal records and counted only 70 graves removed Mattie Sharp Stooksbury remembered only one cemetery on the Lon Sharp property near the fort site She went on to say that Rube Sharp was not buried in the cemetery on her father's farm as recorded by TVA, but he was buried in a cemetery near Harbison's Crossroads. The Old Lon Sharp Cemetery located in the meadow near the Sharp homestead was inundated by Norris Lake.

Sharp's Fort Cemetery (Old Lon Sharp) located on the site of Sharp's Fort in Big Ridge State Park, was disinterred by TVA for the Norris Dam Project in the 1930's.
It is interesting to note that although the murder and scalping of Peter Graves near the fort on November 13, 1794, and the burial of Daniel Sharp near his grave was well known among the families along the Clinch River in the 1930s, no mention of their names appear in any of the grave removal records. It has been reported that Graves' remains were the first to be buried in the cemetery near Sharp's Fort and that Daniel Sharp was buried there later.

Six unidentified graves were removed from the Lon Sharp Cemetery4 Perhaps two of these graves contained the remains of Peter Graves and Daniel Sharp. There were no unidentified graves removed from the "abandoned" cemetery (Old Lon Sharp).

It can be concluded that Henry Sharp Sr migrated to the Southwest Territory in 17824 At that time he believed the settlement was in Virginia. The land transaction in which he purchased land was recorded in Botetourt County. Later when Botetourt County gave up a portion of it land mass to form other Virginia counties, he registered his land in Montgomery County, Virginia over time, boundary lines changed many times and Sharp's property in later years was considered to be in the colony of North Carolina.

In 1792 the northern boundary line of Knox County, Tennessee was the Clinch River. That year the county court ordered roads to be built in the county in several directions from Knoxville--to Kelley's Mill and Craig's Mill on Nine Mile Creek; west to Campbell's Station; east to the mouth of the French Broad River; and north to the Clinch River. The northern route was probably chosen because of the early settlement at Sharp's Fort. More than thirty years passed before "The Roads and Distances from Place to Place along the State and Steam Boat Routes" was drawn by J.& W.W. Warr and published by H.S. Tanner of Philadelphia as a New Map of Tennessee in 1833. The "new map" traced the Jacksboro Road from Knoxville by way of Church Grove at Bull Run Creek to Loy's Cross Roads, then on to Jacksboro, the county seat of Campbell County.

On November 3, 1991, the compiler organized a field trip via boat from Hickory Star Boat Dock to the site of Sharp's Fort. The participants included Dr. Charles H. Faulkner with the Archaeology Department UTK, Alan Wesik, ranger with the Park Service stationed at Big Ridge State Park, Bobby Fuicher, and John Freshour. Billy Sexton served as escort.

The group found several artifacts, including ceramic and glass shreads in a perimeter near the fort site. However, Faulkner's examination revealed the artifacts were not of the period (1783).

A second visit was organized for May 3 and consisted of Dr. Faulkner, Alan Wesik, Kelmer Reynolds, the compiler, and again Billy Sexton was the escort. Before reaching shore, the commerative marker designating the fort site was clearly visible at the 1,020 feet (mean sea level) contour of Norris Lake. This marker was erected by the descendants of the early settlers and the Tennessee Department of Conservation, under the leadership of Professor William H. Thomas in 1968. Many artifacts were found in the immediate area of the marker including a number of hand crafted nails. A study of these artifacts dated them to the early 1800's. The Lon Sharp Cemetery that was disinterred in 1935 by TVA was located a short distance from the marker.

A photograph provided by Gladys Stooksbury Snodderly of the fort site taken in the 1930s, was compared to a section of Lone Mountain that overshadowed the fort site. This comparison revealed the camera had in fact captured the site of the fort. However, the photograph is very misleading because the eye is lead to believe the fort stood near the center of the frame which is not the case. The fort site in the Snodderly photograph is at the extreme left and faces northwest (see photograph).

The settlers at Sharp's Station were of German descent and included families named Sharp, Albright, Clapp, Foust, Ridenour, Snodderly, Keck, Graves, Tiliman, Hinds and Gibbs.

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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