Hello David My name is Herb Garner. You mentioned A John F. Garner in your letter. Do you have any info on this Line? I have been doing research on my Garner line that lived in Hardin County >From about the mid 1840's to the late 1860's. My great Great Grandfather was William Marshall Garner. Born abt 1801 in Rutherford County Tn. He died in Gibson Co. in 1874. He was married to Elizabeth (maiden unknown) who was born in 1812, Tn and died in Hardin Co. in 1856. I have no idea who his parents were or who his brothers and sisters were. I have all his children and their families, and his will. Info from Hardin County seems to be scarce. I understand that a lot was lost during the civil War. Anything you might have would be most appreciated. Also if you know of anyone looking for info on his children I have a lot to share. Herb -----Original Message----- From: tnhardin-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:tnhardin-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Teresa Smoke Sent: Wednesday, July 11, 2007 4:34 AM To: tnhardin@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [TNHARDIN] Callens Cave @ Cerro Gordo David, I really enjoyed reading your article. Keep them coming, Teresa -----Original Message----- From: tnhardin-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:tnhardin-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of David Cagle Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 7:19 PM To: tnhardin@rootsweb.com Subject: [TNHARDIN] Callens Cave @ Cerro Gordo The Callens Cave At Cerro Gordo I grew up on a one hundered acre farm known as the Cave Tract in the division of the lands of Thomas Lafayette Callens at his death in 1901. This farm was about 50 percent tillable land and pasture and 50 percent wooded. The land was defined by high limestone bluffs overlooking the Tennessee river with a few upland farm tracts between steep hollows which drained the land from the Old Patton Ferry Road to the Tennessee River. There was only one good access to the river at a place which was originally called Green Polk's Landing. The land was best suited for pasture and a few cotton patches. I spent my share of time in those cotton patches and needless to say, used every opportunity available to go hunting along the bluffs or fishing on the river banks. As a youngster, I spent many happy hours along the river and was always intrigued by the mystery and history associated with what was then known as the Callens Cave. I grew up hearing tales of activities associated with the "Ca! ve," some of which may be true and others--I don't know. With several owners over the years, the Cave has now been in possession of a Cagle for the last 63 years. The first family to hold sway over the Cave was that of my g/g/g/grandfather, Charles T. Polk, 1780-1839, who settled the land in these parts about 1824. The first official owner of that land was also part of our family, Cyrus Granville Alexander, 1819-1880, the brother of my g/g/grandfather William Taylor Alexander, 1816-1878. C. G. Alexander is shown as owner of the land by virtue of Entry No. 725 as recorded in Survey Book 3, Page 215, on 24 September 1841, in the Register's office at the Hardin County Courthouse. Entry No. 725 founded on the occupant law of 1840-- One hundred seventy eight and one fourth acres of land surveyed for Cyrus Granville Alexander on the waters of the Tennessee River in Range 14, Section 1, beginning on the bank of the Tennessee River on the southwest corner of Entry No. 801; runs thence East 21 poles; North 35 poles; East 205 poles; South 53 poles; West 8 poles; South 112 poles; and West 115 poles to a cedar on the bank of said river; thence Northwestwardly with same to the point of beginning containing 178.25 acres. Adjacent land owners were: Hanson Grove, John F. Garner, Solomon Hudiberg and William B. Ross. Survey Chain carriers were Green H, Polk and James Courtney, the survey being made on 24 September 1841. The property appears to have been transferred without deed to Green H. Polk, brother-in-law of C. G. Alexander, on 16 July 1849. As we see above, After Alexander, the land came into the possession of Green H. and Ruth Alexander Polk, then going to their daughter Martha and her husband, Thomas Lafayette Callens. When T. L. Callens died, he left most of his land to his 4 youngest children: Irvin, Thomas, Tallmadge and Mammie, one of which got the Cave Tract. However, thinking that the Cave had value, Callens gave his three sons each a one third interest in the Cave. Eventually Tony Blackwelder bought the Cave Tract and in 1943 sold same to my dad. I owned part interest in the land for a while, but, Bobby Cagle now owns the land on which the Cave is situated. Callens Cave is described by "Caves in Tennessee," written by Thomas C. Barr, Jr. and published by The State of Tennessee, Department of Conservation and Commerce, Division of Geology, Nashville Tennessee 1961, as follows: "Callens Cave is the best known cave in Hardin County. The entrance is quite conspicuous and is easily seen from the (Tennessee) river. It is keyhole shaped, 18 feet high and 12 feet wide. A large pile of slab breakdown is in front of the mouth. The passages are developed along three sets of joints that strike north-south, N 60 degrees E, and N 30 degrees E. The main passage, which is 100 feet long, leads to two other small entrances that overlook the river. An additional 200 feet of passage was explored. Average cross-sectional dimensions of the cave are 5 feet by 5 feet. Much of the cave fill has been dug out, possibly to obtain niter." The Cave has a large bat population that over the years has left their droppings on the cave floor, being known as guano which is the Spanish name given to these collected droppings. It is highly prized as fertilizer and is an effective gunpowder ingredient due to its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen. Guano and Niter (actually Potassium Nitrate which forms on cave walls) together were used in several mixtures as propelling charges in guns and as blasting agents in mining. The first such explosive was black powder, a mixture of potassium nitrate, sulfur, and charcoal. The Cave was an early local source of the ingredients for Gun Powder in this community. It is well know that the Cave was being heavily mined at the beginning of the Civil War. The entrance was 100 to perhaps 200 feet from the edge of the river which gave easy access. Though there is no mention in the "Official Record," it is the opinion of this writer that the gun powder activities at the cave were destroyed at the same time as the capture of the Eastport and the destruction of Jesse Hobbs' mill, this being on February 7, 8 and 9 of 1862. Local evidence would support this, as Civil War bullets and mini-balls were abundant along the water's edge near the cave. Pieces of exploded shells were occasionally found in fields atop the bluffs overlooking the river. And last, a human skeleton was found in the cave along with a Civil War vintage shotgun. When I was growing up, I heard the story told many times, on the porch of Harbour Pitts Company Store, about the Civil War solder an! d his gun. The relic was found by a fisherman named John M. Bradley and purchased from Bradley by one of the Pitts brothers. The gun sat in the corner behind the front door at the store. It was still there a few years ago, but when I ask about same recently, no one seems to know where it has gone. The Cave has always held the fascination of the younger set. Many kids have explored the entrance and some brave soles have used their spelunking skills to search out every nook and cranny. My first complete trip through its crawlways was about 1958, along with a couple of college buddies. There are rooms where a person can walk erect and have room to spare. Most channels required that you stoop to keep from bumping your head, then there were places where you must crawl on your stomach. A person with claustrophobia should not go there. At the very back of the cave there is a huge room with much breakdown form the ceiling which effectively blocks further exploration. There are about a half dozen entrances to the Cave. The main entrance and one located a hundred yards north near the water line of the Tennessee River are easily accessible. A person must crawl to use the other openings. It has been suggested that there is an opening on the opposite side of the ridge from the riv! er. There has been a tale in the community, that is as old as I am, that a hunter's dog chased an animal into the cave and didn't come out. The hunter went in looking for his dog, broke his lantern, and wandered around looking for a way out. Finally finding light from a hole too small to get through, he, or the dog, was able to attract the attention of a neighbor working nearby, who enlisted help and was able to enlarge the hole. I suppose man's best friend was there waiting for him to get out? The Cave has been used in various ways over the years. Undoubtedly the yawning entrance and the overhanging bluff were used by prehistoric peoples for shelter. I have found artifacts near the entrance which would suggest this occupation. In more modern times, the same area has been used as a fishing camp, and as I stated earlier, much of the cave has been mined for the ingredients to make gun powder. The secondary entrance which is now only accessible by boat was once used as a storage place for whiskey. Barrel parts can still be found in this section of the cave. Today, the cave serves mostly as a home for bats. About sundown on most summer days one can see the bats come out in the late evening to catch mosquitoes and other insects. Inside their home, the skeletal remains of the Civil War Soldier are probably beyond reach behind the rock slab breakdown deep in the cave. I was never able to find this Soldier who perhaps died guarding his cave in 1862. Chances are that niter for gunpowder will never be mined there again nor will there be a need for anyone to guard the place. Therefore, I think it is fitting that the Cave should serve as the Old Soldier's final resting place. David Cagle October 2006 ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TNHARDIN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to TNHARDIN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message