Jerry Summers
Occasionally, a new voice is heard from the traditional University of the South school of alcohol temperance fame that contributes to the historical background of the high ranking liberal arts vanguard academy on Monteagle Mountain.
A descendant from one of the early settler families the Castleberrys, conveyed that an early member, John Henry Castleberry (JHC), had met Bishop Leonidas Polk and other Episcopalian luminaries in 1857.
He had given them a tour of a potential location when the selection of the site of the university was still being discussed.
After arriving as a surveyor for the Nashville and Chattanooga railroad in 1847, JHC built the first of two log cabins. The second structure during the Civil War was the only one not burned either by Yankees or roving guerillas, and stands today as the oldest building on Sewanee’s Castleberry Lane.
The most current available information to describe the historical residence from another anonymous source is that it is currently painted a mind boggling blue color.
One of several publications by the late historian Arthur Ben Chitty, (1914-2003) and his wife, Elizabeth N. Chitty, who were collaborative writers on Sewanee since 1946, was the Sewanee Sampler (1978 Proctor Hall Press).
It is a series of articles and letters that convey many known and unknown events that led to the creation and aftermath of the University of the South. Some are based on fact, some are based on fiction- but all are entertaining!
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If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact him at jsummers@summersfirm.com)