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Cowan was
part of the first settlement of Franklin County, being linked to the
major planters moving into the area. Major William Russell’s house
served as the county’s first courthouse in 1807. Yet, this area, sited
at the very foot of the Cumberland Plateau, drew its major importance
from the railroad. Just to the south and east of town, the Nashville
and Chattanooga powered the Cowan Tunnel through the plateau in 1852 in
order to reach the Rush Creek and Crow Creek coves down to the Tennessee
River line—rather an engineering feat in its time. More than this,
however, Cowan became part of a railroad-inspired industrialization of
the Cumberland Plateau area. The Sewanee Mining Company bought lands
and timber on the plateau in the vicinity of what would become Tracy
City (named for Samuel F. Tracy of New York, the company owner). By the
late 1850s, the area was producing coal for Nashville, replacing an
older supply of the fuel from up the Cumberland and Ohio Rivers.
Cowan
became the furthest point of Union army penetration during the Tullahoma
Campaign. General Philip Sheridan’s cavalry division reached here, only
to find that both Confederate generals Hardee and Polk had moved up the
Cumberland Plateau and were working their way to the crossings of the
Tennessee River. Cavalry skirmishing took place up the road from Cowan,
as advance elements of the Union army tangled with the Confederate
rearguard.
Historic and Historical Civil War Resources:
Railroad Museum
– Open from May through October, the museum is housed in the restored
1904 depot and tells the story of Cowan’s experience with the railroad.
A locomotive and caboose are on display outside the depot. Surrounding
the site is a park with a replica of Cowan’s first courthouse, a water
fountain, outdoor stage, and gazebo. The depot is on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Cumberland Mountain Tunnel
–
The longest and steepest railroad tunnel in the United States at 2228
feet, the Cumberland Mountain Tunnel was built between 1849 and 1852 to
overcome the obstacle of the plateau. Bragg failed to destroy the
tunnel as he retreated up the mountain on July 3rd, thus
allowing the Union Army the opportunity to hold a vital gateway to
Chattanooga. The tunnel is on the National Register.
Mountain Goat Trail
– The trail was the original railroad corridor from Cowan to the coal
town of Tracy City on top of Mounteagle. The now abandoned railway is
used as a recreational trail, beginning near the Cumberland Mountain
Tunnel and ending at Sewanee, for bicyclists and hikers.
Bell
Buckle, Fairfield,
Beech Grove, Wartrace,
Shelbyville,
Tullahoma,
Manchester, Estill Springs/Allisonia,
Decherd,
Winchester,
Cowan, Sewanee |
