Blue Ridge Fire Towers by Robert Sorrell

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

While the title might sound dull to some, this book is a little gem of local history.  Sorrell has done a very thorough job of telling the history of fire towers in the area, starting in 1910.  In the early years, fire towers were the only game in town for spotting wildfires.  Nowadays, fire spotters have largely been replaced or supplemented by technology, though some towers remain staffed either by employees or volunteers. Even the abandoned ones remain as points of interest for hikers and locals.

Sorrell tells the story chronologically, beginning with the first towers as it became obvious there was a need for lookouts after some damaging fires. This was a bit more controversial than one would think: according to Sorrell the prevailing attitude was that fires were “a force of nature that could not be abated or prevented.”  Some of the early towers were built either by communities or companies, while conservationist and forest enthusiast Gifford Pinchot championed the building of a network of towers to help manage the potential damage from fires.

But let me just jump ahead to “the good stuff”—the wealthy of local stories and information about the towers.  I am not a fire tower buff myself (not crazy about heights) but even I have heard of a number of these towers.  During the fall, people talk about going up to the Mendota fire tower to get the best views of the foliage. Wise County’s High Knob Tower was so iconic that it was rebuilt not once but twice after it was destroyed by fire in the 1970s and again in 2007. The newest tower, dedicated in 2014, is considered fireproof.

Long time residents will enjoy that Sorrell has several references to local journalist Jack Kestner who wrote about his love for the mountains and even did a stint as a watcher in a fire tower. (Fun fact:  Kestner wrote a novel entitled Fire Tower, set in West Virginia.) There is a good index, which helped me find the areas I was especially interested in, and I certainly enjoyed the photos but honestly I could have read the entire book.  Sorrell has an engaging manner of writing that made me want to read more even if I didn’t know the area he was writing about.  It’s a gift that not all non-fiction writers have, so I really appreciate it in those that do.

If you have any interest in local history in general, I recommend giving this book a try. 

Secret Appalachian Highlands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Robert Sorrell

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Did you know that Kingsport claims to be the birthplace of Long Island Iced Tea?  Or that Kingsport claims Sensabaugh Tunnel to be one of the scariest places around? How about those stories of Al Capone in Johnson City, or the hidden cemetery at Tri-Cities Airport?  Remember where the movie “The River” was filmed in the area? Did you know that the “Copperhead Road” from the song is real and in Johnson County, Tennessee? Author and journalist Robert Sorrell has gathered nearly 200 interesting stories and places to visit, making this book a browser’s delight. 

I was familiar with many of the entries—Hank Williams and the Burger Bar, for instance, and the early history of Mountain Dew—but others were new:  Granny February of Elizabethton, the Gray Quarry, and the Tiffany window in Abingdon. There are also suggestions of fun places to visit, making this a great summer guidebook.  I have never made it to see the dinosaurs of Backyard Terrors, but that has been on my list and while I knew about drowned Butler, Tennessee I didn’t know there was a museum I could visit.  There’s also information on where to walk across a swinging bridge (I’ll pass, thanks) or visit wild ponies or the Devil’s Bathtub.  I was delighted to see information on Bank Street in Bristol where there is a glorious mural, as well as the Caterpillar Crawl and information on The Channels. Some of the entries are very timely:  one is about Big John, the Indian Statue at Pratt’s BBQ which has just announced that it is closing.

The entries are brief, but that makes it all the more tempting to read just one more. The book features beautiful full color photographs as well. It also makes me want to visit a lot of these places, like the General Shale Brick Museum or the Woodbooger statue.

Sorrell provides addresses, contacts, and other information on each entry.  This is a gem of a book packed with information and best of all, there’s an index!

The Story of Becoming Piney Flats by Robert Sorrell

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

As we prepare to celebrate Independence Day, it’s a good time to also reflect on our local origins.  Piney Flats is at the center of some of that history: it was the first seat of government for the Southwest Territory in 1790 when Tennessee Governor William Blount had his headquarters here until moving to Knoxville in 1792.

Many may be familiar with Rocky Mount, where pioneer William Cobb built a house that is now a popular tourist site.  Other familiar names show up in Piney Flats history, including King, Masengill, and DeVault.  Less familiar to me was the name Wolfe, so I was intrigued to learn that about the furniture factory set up by the Wolfe Brothers. Their primary product was customized church furniture.

The book is entertainingly written as well as being a wealth of information, and well-illustrated with photographs. There are some brief family histories, as well as information about businesses, churches, schools, and other local attractions such as Bristol Motor Speedway and Boone Dam.  Sorrells received the “Project Excellence Award” from the East Tennessee Historical Society for this book, and it’s easy to see why.

If you have any interest in local history, this may be a book for you!