Hysterical Journey to Historic Places

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DAY 15: MAY 6, 2014



Those eleven million illegals who the government can’t find? They are in Middle Tennessee at the little town of Crossville. Last night was Stinko de Mayo and I found them all trying to get supper at a pretty good Mexican joint called Romo’s. For the holiday Romo’s brought in a mariachi band. Food was good, the music was good, and that little place was jumping. This morning I suspect that little dive in Dumas, Texas was pretty lively too. Big old Texas fellas would be in there pounding down their early morning shooters before work. After a drive of 213.5 miles I am at the Days Inn at Middlesboro, KY. It appears that I will be having Mexican again tonight. Tomorrow I will visit Cumberland Gap. Daniel Boone found this gap in the mountains and every settler who came after him passed through it. Some later came down the Ohio River, but not until much of the area had already been settled. The bad storm we have been under for the past few days seems to have about worn itself out.



Sergeant Alvin Cullum York



Alvin is mostly remembered for his acts of heroism in WWI. He is the most decorated soldier America had produced in that war. On October 18, 1918 he was a corporal in a squad that was probing the German defenses in front of their sector in the Ardennes Forest. The squad was pinned down by machine gun fire and their sergeant was killed. Alvin took over the squad and single-handedly assaulted two machine gun positions, captured 4 officers and forced them to surrender 128 troops, which he and the rest of the squad escorted back to the American sector from behind the German trenches. Not a bad day’s service for a man who held deep religious convictions about killing. After the war Alvin was America’s most celebrated war hero. When he returned home to the Three Forks of the Wolf River in Tennessee the Nashville Rotary Club honored him with a lovely new home on 315 acres of good bottomland. He got married to his sweetheart, Gracie, and moved in to the home to start a family, but it turns out that the Rotary Club purchased the property on pledged donations from their members and many of the pledges were not honored. He was deeply indebted on the property and had no way of meeting his obligations, so he had to take out a mortgage from people who were not his friends and wanted that property for themselves. It was a good farm and he worked hard to make it pay, and eventually built a grist mill and opened a store. He and Gracie raised ten children on that farm. The best way Alvin could see for his community to work itself above poverty was through education. Hollywood made a movie starring Gary Cooper that was about his war exploits and Alvin used the royalties from that movie to build the York Institute in Jamesville. In order to pay the teachers’ salaries during the Depression he had to mortgage his farm again. Education was his passion. He died in September of 1964, broke as usual, and is buried in cemetery near the Methodist Church in Pall Mall. He was a man of courage, conviction, and integrity.



Cordell Hull



Cordell was born a few miles from where Alvin was born and raised and lived his whole good life. Alvin and Cordell were good friends although Cordell left Tennessee in pursuit of his distinguished career. He was a well-respected politician and diplomat who became Secretary of State during the administration of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He served in that capacity between 1933 and 1944. Those were difficult times in the history of our country and FDR and Cordell managed to hold us together longer than anyone else who ever held those jobs.

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Photos

ALVIN C. YORK
Alvin and Gracie are buried in the same cemetery as Coonrod Pile. Coonrod was the first settler in the Wolf River Valley. He died in 1821. Alvin is descended from Coonrod.

ALVIN'S CHURCH
Alvin came to Jesus in this church and attended it until his final days.

ALVIN'S HOUSE
Alvin had a hard time keeping the title clear on his house. Now it is part of the State Park System. Like as not you will meet one of Alvin's children at this house, but you better hurry; they aren't children anymore.

ALVIN'S GRIST MILL
Mostly what Alvin ground into meal here was corn. It was not a suitable place to raise a crop of wheat. Before the mill went in most of corn crop was distilled into a tasty adult beverage sometimes called "white lightning".

ALVIN'S STORE
Alvin operated this little store during WWII, when most commodities were rationed.

ALVIN'S PAL
Cordell Hull was born in this small cabin.

Comments

[kirk m]

Interesting stuff...will follow you Kirkus