LOCAL LEGENDS

Henderson County TN

**********

"Buried Treasure"

"In Dec. 1862 Gen. Nathan Forrest crossed over the Tenn. River on his way to Jackson, Tn. to disrupt the Union supply route by destroying RR tracks in that city. On his way he encountered the Union forces at Parkers Crossroads, after a brief battle in which history has decided victory went to the Confederates, Forrest went south through Lexington on his way to Jackson and was engaged in a brief skirmish there, once again heading west to jackson, after destroying the tracks, taking prisoners etc. He headed back through Lexington heading for the Tenn. River once more. Hearing that Forrest was returning to Lexington the Union Commander did not think he could win a battle with Forrest decided to retreat, however the Union forces had in their over a million dollars in gold with them at the time. Realizing he could not out run Forrest while carrying two wagons loaded with gold he decided to bury it and come back after Forrest had left the area. This was around Dec. 31st 1862. The gold was buried somewhere along Owl Creek in Lexington, Tn. ( now rt. 412E, east of Lexington). That unit from the Union Forces never made it back to reclaim the gold. Several Union soldiers returned after the war to try and find the buried payroll with no luck, several expeditions have been made to this site over the years and so far nothing has been found. Side note: prior to the battle at Parkers Crossroads, the Union Commander had all the gold, money etc. buried at that time totaling several hundred dollars that also has for one reason or another never been recovered either."

Contributed by Matt Morris who adds this note:
My grandad and dad have both lived in houses around owl creek and of course, as a kid being told that story, I had to go look around every summer when I was out playing to find the "gold." Although by now, I'm sure its nothing more than a rumor. It suprised me to find it mentioned in an old treasure hunting book I found at a yard sale in northern KY in a small town on the Ohio river as a possible unfound treasure load!

**********

Miles Darden
"The Largest Man In The World"

Miles (some say Mills) Darden, the worlds largest man, lived, died and is buried in Henderson County. He wa born in NC in 1798 and in 1821 settled near the village of Millin. There he cleared the land, built a home, married and raised five children. It was said that his coat could be buttoned around three normal men, that his hat was the size of a beehive and his trousers, if the cuffs were tied together, could hold ten bushels of corn.

Dardens continually increasing size prevented his doing the manual labor required on his farm so he moved to Lexington and opened a tavern and inn on the present site of Stewart's Drug Store. Darden's business prospered since he was was an intelligent man with good business sense, who not only provided excellent food but good service too. His size also atracted people who came hundreds of miles to see him and to visit the tavern. But again, his continued growth made it difficult for him to carry on his business, so he sold it and moved to what is now known as the Dunnivant farm (1979), eight miles southwest of Lexington.

At the time of his death on January 23, 1857, Darden's weight was about 1050 pounds, and his height was seven feet, 10 inches. The coffin constructed for his body used 520 feet of lumber and measured 8' 4" long and 40 inches wide at the shouler. He was buried near his farm in Chapel Hill. Darden's 90 lb. wife died shortly after he did and is buried next to him. The Tennessee Historical Society has placed markers on their graves and a historical marker has been placed on the Life and Garnerstown Road where the interesection leads to the grave sites.

**********

"The Mysterious Preacher"

On the last Sunday in April 1886, a strange man appeared in what was then known as Warrens Bluff Community. The man claimed to be a minister ordained by Christ. At this appearance he stated that he would again appear at Lexington on a particular Saturday and on that day a roar of thunder would fill the air even though the sky would be clear. As predicted, the noise like thunder was heard for several miles when he makde his appearnce.

A serialized article, "Mysterious Preacher" written by Hyrum Belnap, was published in the Mormon publication "Juvenile Instructor" at Salt Lake City in 1886 and talked about the appearnces.. summarized as follows."

On the afternoon of the same day there appeared near Lexington the county seat, a strange man of spare build, medium height, fair skin, dark brown curly hair, and a light beard of reddish cast. He was poorly clad. His appearance indicated that he was about 30 years of age. He announced a religious meeting to be held in the neighborhood that evening. Because of the unusual nature of his arrival, his apparent knowledge of the roads, and even paths in the fields, the meeting was well attended. He conducted the meeting alone, sang and preached in manner unlike that of the evangelistic preaching current at the time. At the conclusion of the meeting, when plied with questions, he said that his name was Robert Edge, and that he belonged to the Church of God. He refused to reveal whence he had come. At the solicitation of the congregation he appointed other meetings to be held in the vicinity, and soon his fame as a preacher had spread far and near. In due time, by an exchange of notes and gossip, it was discovered that no one had ever seen him any distance from a place of worship, and that he was never seen until he arrived in the crowd or had assumed his place in the pulpit. Persons appointed to watch him lost track of him before he had proceeded far. He never inquired directions from one place to another, and yet always arrived according to appointment.

The preacher disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared, leaving behind numerous rumors and speculations. Many residents believed the man to be the mysthical "Wandering Jew," often chronicled in the lore of the European Middle Ages.




H O M E