Militia Hill could become park
Militia Hill, the site where the Tennessee Militia stationed to put down a coal miners’ rebellion, could become a Tennessee state park and historic site through the State Equalization Board.
That’s what Anderson County Commission voted to request of the state board at the commission’s Monday meeting. The vote was unanimous, except for Robert J. Smallridge, who was absent.
As the late Courier News Editor Ken Leinart reported in his feature story “The Haunting of Militia Hill,” the state of Tennessee in the late 19th century leased convicts to work in mines. In 1891, the state sent convicts to replace striking miners in Briceville and Minersville near present-day Rocky Top.
While miners tried to negotiate with the governor to stop this incident, their negotiations failed, leading to an armed conflict between the Tennessee Militia and the miners called the Coal Creek War. The Tennessee Militia built Fort Anderson on Militia Hill during that conflict, and the miners later laid siege to it. Even though the miners lost in the short term, the convict lease system ended in 1892.
Claxton Park
The commission voted at its June meeting to send a letter to the Tennessee Valley Authority asking it to refrain from closing the Claxton Community Park until either Nov. 1, or until the playground equipment there has been moved to a new site.
“We are working diligently to find a new site and secure funding to relocate the playground, which is a vital part of the social fabric of the community, and we would like to have a smooth transition to the new location,” County Law Director James L. Brooks stated in the letter, to Aaron B. Nix, TVA’s senior manager of realty services.
The recreational easement, which permitted the county to use the site as a playground will expire Dec. 1, 2025. The county, Brooks stated, hasn’t found funding or a location for a new playground.
At an earlier meeting, Anderson County Commissioner Tracy Wandell, who represents Claxton, said the process of closing the park had come due to an Environmental Protection Agency rule requiring the park close and that all coal ash material be fenced in. However, he has stated he believes the park is safe in spite of concerns about coal ash, citing a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation study.
Health Department Roof
The commission approved replacing the roof of Anderson County Health Department.
Flashing Signs
The Operations Committee voted to have the Highway Committee look at adding flashing “no turn” signs to Carroll Hollow Road and Highway 116.
The measure has yet to come up for a vote before the full County Commission.
