‘A county of stories' Anderson County's rich history revealed through archival records
In the hallways of Clinton's courthouse, Anderson County records archivist Zach Foster holds the keys to the rich history of where he grew up. If you need to know something about your family in Anderson County, Foster has you covered.
'I did have someone from California once reach out to me, needing to see her ancestor's will from right around the turn of the century. And we actually had it, which was fantastic,' said Foster.
Foster can tell you all about Anderson County's roots too. It was initially Cherokee land, and was later claimed by people coming over from Virginia in the late 1700's.
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'The three biggest things for Anderson County: agriculture when we were first founded, that moved into pearling of all things in the 1890s, and, of course, that moved into coal industry,' said Foster.
That's right, finding pearls along the Clinch River was rather lucrative.
'The pearling industry was so big because we had people come as far away as Chicago, they would get off on Market Street. That is where the actual merchants would come and buy pearls up from the local guys like crazy. Some of the pearls made it as far as Paris, France to be showcased for how fantastic they were,' said Foster.
The county's history can be found throughout the area, including at the David Hall Cabin, which sits just outside of town. It was built in 1799.
'Well, it was built on Emory Road. So, all the pioneers and gunslingers would go right in front of it, so I supposed it was quite popular,' said Libby Bumgardner.
The cabin has been in Bumgardner's family for generations, with documents and artifacts dating back to the Civil War found inside.
'When we got in it and found all those receipts and letters it just told a story, told a history. And I had to save it,' said Bumgardner.
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Between Bumgardner and Foster, the rich history of Anderson County is not hard to find.
'There's countless stories in Anderson County, we're a county of stories. And I guess I'm kind of the steward of that, which is a huge honor,' said Foster.
Foster jokes he is related to everyone in Anderson County, but has time to learn everyone's names, eventually.
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