Briceville, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Briceville is an unincorporated
community in Anderson County
, Tennessee
. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community is named for railroad tycoon and one-term Democratic U.S. Senator Calvin S. Brice
of Ohio
, who was instrumental in bringing railroad service to the town.
The Briceville zip code, 37710, which also includes a large remote mountain area west of the community formerly served by the now-closed Devonia, Tennessee
post office, had a population of 1,441 as of the 2000 U.S. Census.
Briceville's economy was historically based on coal mining
. Briceville played an important role in three major late-19th and early-20th century incidents related to the region's coal mining activities: the Coal Creek War
in 1891, the Fraterville Mine disaster
of 1902, and the Cross Mountain Mine disaster
of 1911.
, cofounded by Welsh
immigrants in 1868, began mining coal in the Coal Creek Valley in the late 1860s, initially hauling the coal from the mines via wagon, and later by railroad after the completion of a Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad line between Knoxville and Coal Creek (now Lake City
) in 1869. In subsequent years, Knoxville Iron and other companies gradually worked their way up the Coal Creek Valley, opening mines in The Wye, Fraterville, and Slatestone Hollow. In 1888, at Senator Calvin Brice's behest, a railroad spur was built connecting Coal Creek with Slatestone Hollow. After this line's completion, the Slatestone Hollow community was renamed "Briceville."
Briceville and the Coal Creek Valley grew rapidly in the 1890s as the demand for coal soared. By 1900, the valley had over 4,000 residents, and by 1910 Briceville was the largest community in Anderson County. Briceville's most prominent structure, the Briceville Community Church
, was built by volunteers in 1887 on a hill near the center of the community. The church was initially non-denominational, but as the community's population grew, Baptists and Presbyterians built their own churches, and in 1896 the Briceville Community Church became a Methodist church.
In the early 1890s, Briceville played a central role in the Coal Creek War, a labor uprising that grew out of local coal miners' opposition to the state's practice of leasing prisoners to businesses
, which reduced the need for conventional labor. Three of the conflict's chief instigators— Eugene Merrell, George Irish, and S. D. Moore— lived in Briceville. Merrell, a French-born Knights of Labor
activist, had been chased out of mining towns in Indiana
before settling in Briceville, where he was blacklisted for Union activities in 1889, and made his living operating a mercantile store. Irish, who also operated one of the community's mercantile stores, had lived in the area since 1880. Moore was a local Baptist preacher and farmer.
In the spring of 1891, miners at the Tennessee Coal Mining Company (TCMC) mine in Briceville went on strike after the company demanded they sign an iron-clad contract. To break the strike, TCMC leased several dozen convicts from the state, built a stockade in Briceville to house them, and reopened its mine on July 5, 1891. On July 14, 300 armed miners attacked the stockade and marched the convicts out of the valley. This action prompted Governor John P. Buchanan
to lead the state militia into the valley to restore order. On July 16, Buchanan met with the Briceville miners at Thistle Switch (just north of Briceville), where he made a plea for calm, but was shouted down by Merrell, who demanded the governor enforce the state's laws against iron-clad contracts.
The miners seized the TCMC stockade again on July 20, prompting Buchanan to request a 60-day truce while he summoned the legislature to discuss the issue. The legislature rejected the miners' demands, however, and on October 31, the miners burned the Briceville stockade and freed all of its convicts. The conflict, which eventually spread across the state's entire Cumberland Plateau
region, dragged on for several months before the militia launched a crackdown in August 1892, arresting hundreds of miners. Merrell fled the state, and Irish and Moore were arrested. While the uprising was crushed, it induced the state to end the convict lease system.
was established in 1888. As of 2011, it served a population of about 1,400 in Briceville and northwestern Anderson County, with 332 post office box
es in the post office and one rural postal carrier route extending from Fraterville
to the New River community. In July 2011 the U.S. Postal Service identified it as one of 3,653 retail post offices proposed for closure.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
community in Anderson County
Anderson County, Tennessee
Anderson County is a U.S. county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2010 census, its population is 75,129. Its county seat is Clinton.It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee, Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community is named for railroad tycoon and one-term Democratic U.S. Senator Calvin S. Brice
Calvin S. Brice
Calvin Stewart Brice was a Democratic politician from Ohio. Born in Denmark, Morrow County, Ohio, Brice dropped out of Miami University in 1861 to join the Union Army. After a short stint in the army he returned to Miami and earned his undergraduate degree in 1863...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, who was instrumental in bringing railroad service to the town.
The Briceville zip code, 37710, which also includes a large remote mountain area west of the community formerly served by the now-closed Devonia, Tennessee
Devonia, Tennessee
Devonia was the United States Post Office designation for the former coal mining camp in Anderson County, Tennessee, also known as Moore's Camp. The Devonia post office, established in 1920, served Moore's Camp, plus the nearby communities of Rosedale, Fork Mountain, Braytown, and Charley's...
post office, had a population of 1,441 as of the 2000 U.S. Census.
Briceville's economy was historically based on coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. Briceville played an important role in three major late-19th and early-20th century incidents related to the region's coal mining activities: the Coal Creek War
Coal Creek War
The Coal Creek War was an armed labor uprising that took place primarily in Anderson County, in the American state of Tennessee, in the early 1890s. The struggle began in 1891 when coal mine owners in the Coal Creek watershed attempted to replace free coal miners with convicts leased out by the...
in 1891, the Fraterville Mine disaster
Fraterville Mine disaster
The Fraterville Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion that occurred on May 19, 1902 near the community of Fraterville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. 216 miners died as a result of the explosion, either from its initial blast or from the after-effects, making it the worst mining disaster in the...
of 1902, and the Cross Mountain Mine disaster
Cross Mountain Mine Disaster
The Cross Mountain Mine disaster was a coal mine explosion that occurred on December 9, 1911 near the community of Briceville, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. In spite of a well-organized rescue effort led by the newly-created Bureau of Mines, 84 miners died as a result of the...
of 1911.
History
The Knoxville Iron CompanyKnoxville Iron Company
The Knoxville Iron Company was an iron production and coal mining company that operated primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, and its vicinity, in the late 19th and 20th centuries. The company was Knoxville's first major post-Civil War manufacturing firm, and played a key role in bringing heavy...
, cofounded by Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
immigrants in 1868, began mining coal in the Coal Creek Valley in the late 1860s, initially hauling the coal from the mines via wagon, and later by railroad after the completion of a Knoxville and Kentucky Railroad line between Knoxville and Coal Creek (now Lake City
Lake City, Tennessee
Lake City is a town in Anderson and Campbell counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, northwest of Knoxville. The population was 1,888 at the 2000 census...
) in 1869. In subsequent years, Knoxville Iron and other companies gradually worked their way up the Coal Creek Valley, opening mines in The Wye, Fraterville, and Slatestone Hollow. In 1888, at Senator Calvin Brice's behest, a railroad spur was built connecting Coal Creek with Slatestone Hollow. After this line's completion, the Slatestone Hollow community was renamed "Briceville."
Briceville and the Coal Creek Valley grew rapidly in the 1890s as the demand for coal soared. By 1900, the valley had over 4,000 residents, and by 1910 Briceville was the largest community in Anderson County. Briceville's most prominent structure, the Briceville Community Church
Briceville Community Church
The Briceville Community Church is a nondenominational church located in Briceville, Tennessee, USA. Built in 1887, the church served as a center of social life and community affairs for the Coal Creek Valley during the valley's coal mining boom period in the late-19th and early-20th centuries...
, was built by volunteers in 1887 on a hill near the center of the community. The church was initially non-denominational, but as the community's population grew, Baptists and Presbyterians built their own churches, and in 1896 the Briceville Community Church became a Methodist church.
Coal Creek War
Convict lease
Convict leasing was a system of penal labor practiced in the Southern United States, beginning with the emancipation of slaves at the end of the American Civil War in 1865, peaking around 1880, and ending in the last state, Alabama, in 1928....
, which reduced the need for conventional labor. Three of the conflict's chief instigators— Eugene Merrell, George Irish, and S. D. Moore— lived in Briceville. Merrell, a French-born Knights of Labor
Knights of Labor
The Knights of Labor was the largest and one of the most important American labor organizations of the 1880s. Its most important leader was Terence Powderly...
activist, had been chased out of mining towns in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
before settling in Briceville, where he was blacklisted for Union activities in 1889, and made his living operating a mercantile store. Irish, who also operated one of the community's mercantile stores, had lived in the area since 1880. Moore was a local Baptist preacher and farmer.
In the spring of 1891, miners at the Tennessee Coal Mining Company (TCMC) mine in Briceville went on strike after the company demanded they sign an iron-clad contract. To break the strike, TCMC leased several dozen convicts from the state, built a stockade in Briceville to house them, and reopened its mine on July 5, 1891. On July 14, 300 armed miners attacked the stockade and marched the convicts out of the valley. This action prompted Governor John P. Buchanan
John P. Buchanan
John Price Buchanan was Governor of the U.S. State of Tennessee from 1891 to 1893. He was a native of Williamson County, Tennessee....
to lead the state militia into the valley to restore order. On July 16, Buchanan met with the Briceville miners at Thistle Switch (just north of Briceville), where he made a plea for calm, but was shouted down by Merrell, who demanded the governor enforce the state's laws against iron-clad contracts.
The miners seized the TCMC stockade again on July 20, prompting Buchanan to request a 60-day truce while he summoned the legislature to discuss the issue. The legislature rejected the miners' demands, however, and on October 31, the miners burned the Briceville stockade and freed all of its convicts. The conflict, which eventually spread across the state's entire Cumberland Plateau
Cumberland Plateau
The Cumberland Plateau is the southern part of the Appalachian Plateau. It includes much of eastern Kentucky and western West Virginia, part of Tennessee, and a small portion of northern Alabama and northwest Georgia . The terms "Allegheny Plateau" and the "Cumberland Plateau" both refer to the...
region, dragged on for several months before the militia launched a crackdown in August 1892, arresting hundreds of miners. Merrell fled the state, and Irish and Moore were arrested. While the uprising was crushed, it induced the state to end the convict lease system.
Fraterville Mine disaster
In 1902, an explosion occurred at a mine in Fraterville— which lies almost adjacent to Briceville to the northeast— killing 216 miners, including several Briceville residents. A large memorial service for the Fraterville deceased was held at the Briceville church on June 8, 1902. At least one victim of the explosion is buried in the church's cemetery.Cross Mountain Mine disaster
On December 9, 1911, an explosion occurred at the Cross Mountain Mine, which lay at the end of Slatestone Hollow in the extreme west of Briceville. The explosion killed or trapped 89 miners who had entered the mine that morning, although five were eventually freed by an intensive rescue effort initiated by the Bureau of Mines. Several miners killed in this explosion were buried in a circular formation known as the Cross Mountain Miners' Circle, located in Circle Cemetery just off Highway 116 near the Laurel Grove Baptist Church. Others were buried in the Briceville Community Church's cemetery.Post office
The Briceville post officePost office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established in 1888. As of 2011, it served a population of about 1,400 in Briceville and northwestern Anderson County, with 332 post office box
Post Office box
A post-office box or Post Office box is a uniquely addressable lockable box located on the premises of a post office station....
es in the post office and one rural postal carrier route extending from Fraterville
Fraterville, Tennessee
Fraterville, Tennessee is an unincorporated community located on State Route 116 in Anderson County, Tennessee, between the towns of Lake City and Briceville...
to the New River community. In July 2011 the U.S. Postal Service identified it as one of 3,653 retail post offices proposed for closure.
Further reading
- Tennessee's Coal Creek War: Another Fight for Freedom, Chris Cawood, ISBN 0-9642231-0-4
External links
- Coal Creek Watershed Foundation has extensive historical articles the Coal Creek War and Fraterville Mine disaster, and current environmental and educational initiatives in Briceville