Butler Museum in Butler, TN "The Town That Wouldn't Drown"

Butler 1900 and 1999

History comes alive at the Butler Museum in Butler, TN.  Built  in 2000 out of native lumber, the Museum is a replica of the train depot which once brought settlers and speculators to the mountains. The Museum is Dedicated to telling the story of the communities along the Watauga River Valley and Butler, TN “The Town That Wouldn’t Drown.

Founded by members of Watauga Academy in Butler, TN, Shoun's Lumber Company, the Butler Ruritan, and built by the inmates of the Northeast Correctional Facility, the Museum recounts 200 years of life in the mountains of northeast Tennessee.

From the time of Daniel Boone there had been a settlement at the headwaters of the Watauga River.  Legend has it that while traveling on his way to Kentucky, Boone stopped next to the river in a lush pasture.  Here he turned his faithful horse, Roan, loose to live out his days in comfort.  There was plenty of fresh mountain water and lush green grass for grazing so Boone knew Roan would comfortable in his last days.

On his return two years later, stopping at the same peaceful riverside site, he saw a fat glossy horse in the distance.  Immediately on sensing his presence, the horse ran up to Boone.  Overjoyed to see his faithful companion so healthy and welcoming of his appearance, Boone took his saddle from the horse he had been riding, saddled Roan and over the mountains they went reaching home in quick time.

In the following years, settlers arrived creating homes, farms and businesses along the fertile river valley.  Soon it was large enough for a grist mill and the town become known as Smith’s Mill.  Next came a small general store where farmers could purchase those items they couldn’t raise these items they couldn’t raise themselves.

Watauga Academy

In 1860 a secondary school was organized.  Named Aenon Seminary it soon had borders from the surrounding area as well as local students.  Boarders including some of the teachers were housed with local residents during the school year. The school grew and soon built their own brick building which was finished in the spring of 1886.  It became known as Holly Spring College. 

But war arrived in the mountains.  Although some of the settlers had slaves, most of them sided with the Union.  Times were uneasy for everyone during those war years.  No battles were fought in the area, but many of the men did leave to join one side or the other.

As the new century began, the railroad finally arrived in Butler and in 1902 Holly Springs College because Holly Springs Institute and then in 1906 it became the Watauga Academy.  From then until the last class in 1948, Watauga Academy was a leading educational establishment in Northeastern Tennessee.  Until its students were transferred to Hampton or Mountain City schools, the Academy had day and boarding students.  Today, the local students of Butler can choose to attend the schools in Carter or Johnson County because Butler straddles the county line.

 “New Butler” was created by the Tennessee Valley Authority during the Roosevelt Administration.  Started in the late 1940’s, once again war interrupted the history of Butler.  But as soon as the war was over, the TVA began to buy up the farms and homesteads of families living in Butler along the Watauga River.  The TVA’s idea was to control flooding, to bring electricity to the mountains and as it turned out, to create one of the best recreational lakes in Tennessee! The dam was completed and the gates were closed in December, 1948.  Soon Butler was just memories and photographs.  When completed the dam was the largest earthen dam in the world.  Today it is the third largest as there are two larger ones in China along the Yellow River.

But it disrupted the lives of over 700 families who had lived along the river for generations.  Houses were moved, businesses were closed down, families were split with the older members having to leave the area when the younger members were unable to find jobs.  Some were moved to a tract of land which the TVA had bought and called Carderview.  Some bought land with the money they received from the TVA for their homes and moved into the hills.  Others just gathered their belongings and moved away.  But all kept alive the memories of Butler.

So in 1998 when a group of alumni from the Watauga Academy began to talk about building a museum to keep the memories of Butler alive, there was a great deal of interest.  The Butler Ruritan led by Larry Shoun of Shoun’s Lumberyard offered some of the land which had been donated to the Ruritan by Babe Curtis on which to build the museum. Shoun Lumber donated all the lumber which was used to build the museum and the inmates from the Northeast Correctional Center provided the labor. 

Today the Museum stands as a testament to the dedication of the Watauga Alumni Association, the Butler Ruritan, the NECC and Shoun Lumber to preserve the past while looking forward to making more memories for the present citizens of Butler.

Oh, what happened to Carderview?  Well, the citizens of Butler didn’t keep that name for very long.  In fact, the only use of the name today is as the name of the water company serving Butler.