Maury County Historical Society - Columbia, TN 38401

Maury County
Historical Society

Current Projects
The Maury County Historical Society is working on the following projects at present:
1. Genealogical Section, Maury County     Public Library.
   The Maury County Historical Society is working with the Board and the Staff of Maury County Public Library to improve its already important Genealogical Section. Friends who have visited the Library in the past months have noted that the Genealogical Section has been moved from the balcony to the main floor. This gives better access to the area; provides more space for shelving, work tables, microfilm readers and storage of important documents; and makes it possible for the Library Staff to supervise the sector; and provides space for future growth.
   In the past few years, the Society has been able to fund several important items for the Library. When Mrs. Jill Garrett decided to dispose of her volumonous personal library some time before she passed away, she gave it to the Society, directing that it be archived, indexed and stored in the Public Library so that it could be used by persons interested in general or family history. (NOTE: The Jill Garrett collection is now in the Archives. In fact, most of the genealogical library is now at the Archives.) The Society provided funds to carry out Mrs. Garrett's wishes and the materials are now available. Funds have also been appropriated for additional cabinets; for the aquisition of the back issues of Columbia newspapers (notably, The Columbia Daily Herald) from the first extant issues in the late 1800's to about 1990; for the purchase of the important four volume set of Genealogical Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pension Files and for the four volume set of Index to Revolutionary War Service Records; and for the microfilms of Maury County Deaths, 1914 to 1925.
2. Historic Site Marker Project.
   There are several important sites in Maury County that are almost unknown to friends who pass along our streets and highways. For some years, the State of Tennessee was able to fund the erection of markers to indicate the location of many of these historic places. Budget restrictions have now almost eliminated State funds for these markers. Interested local groups can, however, erect them at their own expense. The same rules and regulations that the State applies to its own signs must still be observed for those erected by local groups. These include the presentation of adequate proof of historic importance of the event, place or person being memorialized.
   In 1997, the Society funded the erection of the first of what is planned to be a series of these markers in the county. The first was placed in the square in Santa Fe where Captian James Madison Sparkman organized the MauryLight Artillery. It contains the following legend:

"This Confederate unit was formed here on the square and on October 30, 1861 marched to war. Maury Co. farmboys with no military or artillery experience, were led by Capt. J. M. Sparkman. With little training, they manned the heavy guns of the river batteries at Ft. Donelson. Two days later, on Februrary 14, 1862 they fired upon the Union ironclads moving up the Cumberland River and repulsed and disabled them in a two-hour battle. With the fall of the fort to the Union forces, they were sent to Camp Douglas POW Camp, were exchanged and went to Port Hudson, La.
"It was here on March 14, 1863 that the unit, firing 24-pounder 'hot shot' rounds burned and sank the U.S.S. Mississippi. On May 17, 1863 the MLA helped to defeat an attack from the landward side, where Capt. Sparkman was killed. The fort surrendered on July 8, 1863 and the unit disbanded, some going to other units and some recaptured. Of the unit's 170 men, 47 died in service and many were crippled for life."
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   Two other markers have recently been erected. One of these has been locatedon Hwy. 31, in front of the Rippavilla Mansion. It's legend reads:
"In 1811, the Cheairs family settled at this site. Nathaniel and Susan McKissack Cheairs began construction of this house, Rippavilla, in 1851. Cheairs raised two companies of the Confederate Army in 1861. In February of 1862, Maj. Cheairs carried Gen. Grant's "unconditional surrender" demand to Gen. Buckner at Fort Donelson. Gen. Hood's command had a rancorous breakfast at Rippavilla the morning of the Battle of Franklin, November 30, 1964. The Saturn Corporation, the United Auto Workers , and the Maury County Government restored the home in 1997."
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   The third historical marker has been placed near the old Webster house on Hwy. 412 in Cross Bridges. It states:
"3-D-71; JONATHAN WEBSTER; 1767--1854.
"A veteran of the American Revolutionary War from Georgia, Jonathan Webster purchased this large farm. He came here when the area was a wilderness and was credited with killing the last panther in this area. In 1810 he began this house. Known as the person who brought mules to Maury County, Webster was the first breeder in this county. His actions eventually made Maury County the "Mule Capital" of the nation. Jonathan Webster is buried in this family cemetery."

   Two other sites are in the planning stages, one noting the location of the famous Forrest/Gould Duel in downtown Columbia and one calling attention to the widely acclaimed "Culleoka Cantelope", to be erected in Culleoka. Others will be added to the program at a later date. Robert Duncan, County Historian, is heading this project.
3. Loose Records Project.
   Eight years ago, the Maury County Historical Society voted to initiate what came to be known as: "The Maury County Loose Records Project". During its almost two centuries of existence, Maury County has not had a courthouse fire, flood or invasion that destroyed its files. It has been stated that if a scrap of paper was ever presented to one of the departments of the Maury County government, it is probably still in one of the storage rooms in the basement. Although natural and other disasters have not destroyed these precious documents, time, moisture, and human pilferage have contributed to the loss of some of them. In order to avoid the continuation of this loss, a dedicated group of volunteers has been working to collect, clean, repair, abstract, and produce a computer database of the abstracted names. Microfilms are being prepared of the original documents and will be made available for future generations of researchers. Dr. William Haywood has been the coordinator of the project from the start and several dozen volunteers have given thousands of hours to the effort.
   Some years after the project was initiated, the Society worked out an agreement with Maury County government with respect to the administration of the Project. It now works under the oversight of the Maury County Historical Commission. The Society is still active in the work of the Project, however, and furnishes financial and volunteer assistance.
The First Phase of the Project involved the preservation of some 4,000 of the Chancery Court cases for the early years of the county's existence, 1807--1874. This phase is complete and the names contained in them have been entered into our computer database and microfilms are now available at the Tennessee State Library and Archives.   The Volunteers are now finalizing Phase Two, Chancery Court Records (1875-1900).   Work has started on the Wills, Marriages and Settlements Records. The courthouse basement is still filled with records of other courts and agencies that may be processed in the future. It is the dream of many interest persons, both in the county government and out, that within the near future an adequate site may be provided for a full-fleged County Archives, with full-time personnel, adequate storage, etc. so that these records may be available to the public. There is even talk of turning the old, recently abandoned jail into an Archives. The Project Director has now set 2007, Bicentennial of the founding of Maury County, as the date when the Project should be completed.
4. Historic Photographs Project.
   Many members of the Maury County Historical Society, and others, possess old photographs related to the area's past. Members Charles Hinson and Bob Duncan are seeking to discover these pictures, make negatives of them, and file them so that they will not be lost forever. If you have photographs of events, persons, places, etc. of Maury County's past, please contact them and permit them to make copies of these treasurers. They will make photographic negatives and return the originals to you. The Society is financing this project.
5. Publication of Books.
   One of the ways that the Maury County Historical Society has sought to carry out its chartered aims is to publish materials of a historic nature. Last year a Special Publications Committee was chosen to plan a publications schedule, select materials to be published and carry out the plan. The Committee, composed of Fred Hawkins, Charles Hinson and Virginia Alexander has been busy at the assigned task. The first efforts involve the reprinting of several works that were first printed some years ago and are not presently available to the new generation of researchers. The first book is now being distributed. It is the compilation of Jill Garrett's newspaper articles, called HITHER AND YON, Vol. 1, which was first published in 1986. (Go to: Publications Available.)
   The second book the Committee is working on is Frank Smith's History of Maury County. This work requires quite a lot of preparation but it is hoped that it will be ready during the coming year. Another work that may be published is Memories of Columbia, or other title that may be chosen for the book. During his last years, Frank Sowell, well-known Columbia undertaker, took upon himself the task of putting into manuscript his memories of Columbia. He did it in a street-by-street manner, citing all of the residents, businesses and events related to the determined city block from the 1920's to the 1990's. Probably no one but Frank could have done this since he lived in the downtown area for his entire life and few things passed his notice. We will advise our readers when it is published.
6. College Scholarship Program.
   Another project of the Society is a College Scholarship Program. Its aim is "To provide a means in which students of Maury County, Tennessee are encouraged and supported in the study of history and/or historical preservation. The scholarship would be awarded to a student that has graduated from high school and is about to enter college or is a current college student. The student must be majoring in, or is planning to major in history and\or historical preservation."
   The Scholarship Committee will accept applications and pre-screen candidates. They will then select and recommend to the Board of Directors the cadidates that are deemed appropriate to receive the scholarships.
   The Society has included in its present budget a total of $2,000.00 for this program. No scholarship will exceed $1,000.00 per year, per student.
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