News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Fentress County Historical Society is hosting a Civil War Presentation at the Fentress County Courthouse on Thursday.
The presentation is called “The War For Southern Independence”. Member of the Historical Society Clark Matthews said the presentation will talk about Fentress County before, during, and after the Civil War.
“The first skirmish that happens in Tennessee during the Civil War actually happens in Fentress County,” Matthews said. “Champ Ferguson the Confederate captain in Fentress County Was actually one of only two that hung after the war.”
The presentation will cover Union Captain Tinker Dave Beatty and his encounters with Ferguson. The two captains were experts of the Upper Cumberland who played a game of cat and mouse during the war. Matthews said the goal of the presentation is to educate locals about what happened in the area during that time.
“I think it’s important that we share these stories and keep this history alive,” Matthews said. “The old saying goes if the history is forgotten it has a tendency to repeat itself.”
Matthews said the historical society asked him to do the presentation as they are trying to increase participation in the meetings.
“They would start having a public speaker and speak about something each month,” Matthews said. “I was asked to do one on the Civil War. I’ve done a lot of research on the Civil War in the area, so I was asked to do a Civil War presentation and talk about Fentress County and how it was involved.”
Matthews said the Historical Society has plans to host more presentations like this on various historical topics. The historical society hosts meetings every third Thursday night of each month.
