The Legacy of Davidson, Hicks and Greene on Keith Springs Mountain

Submitted by L. Jarod Pearson

In the July 2025 issue of Franklin County Historical Tidings, we shared an article written by the late Malcom Williams, former president of Cowan Railroad Museum, and based on a 1986 interview with Mr. Pearson Maynard Smith.

This interview along with photos from the Coulson Collection preserves the fascinating story of the railroad operated by Davidson, Hicks, and Greene Timber Company. But there was more to the story than the railroad itself.

D. H. & G. steam locomotive. Source: Coulson Collection

The logging communities of Hicks, Cold Springs, Coon Town, Sal City, Jerico and Lakeview were established along the 25-mile rail line as it was built to access the timber ridges along the Tennessee/Alabama State Line. Many of the workers and families had relocated from D. H. & G's former location near Cooktown in Barren County, Kentucky.

The logging operation was always on the move, so very few permanent structures were built.

The local schoolhouse was, in fact, a mobile structure built using two railcars so that classes could always be held within a reasonable walking distance. The hotel at Lakeview was probably the longest surviving structure standing well into the 1950's.

The Lakeview Hotel 1920's

The Forgy Brothers operated a store in Cooktown, Kentucky. When D. H. & G. relocated to Keith Springs, the brothers relocated and opened a general store on the mountain. A few years before the logging operation ceased, the brothers opened a department store in Cowan's depot district. Forgy Brother's Department Store emerged as one of the largest stores of its kind in rural Tennessee.

The families who moved into the area with D. H. & G. helped increase the local population.

However, the economic activity generated by the business operation had an even more noticeable impact.

At the junction of the D. H. & G. Railroad and the mainline railroad at Cowan, the timber company operated five sawmills. The enormous operation processed thousands of hardwoods harvested from Keith Springs. Most of these were turned into wooden spokes - over 60 million of them - for the Ford Motor Company. In other words, the steel wheels of the largely forgotten D. H. & G. railroad helped put wheels on the automobile industry that we know today.

100 years have passed since the last train ran from Keith Springs Mountain to Cowan and since the tracks were removed, but the legacy of D. H. & G. lives on.

D. H. & G. Band Mill No 1 at Cowan Made In 1920 to 1925

Two Of Largest Poplar Logs Ever Cut From The Mountain

D. H. & G. Mid 1920's Saw (Band) Mill No 2

 Forgy Brothers: The Largest Department Store in Franklin County

"We Buy and Sell Everything"

By: L. Jarod Pearson

in the early half of the Twentieth Century, the largest department store in all of Franklin County was Forgy Brothers. Between the years 1921 and 1945, this family-owned company in downtown Cowan operated under the slogan "We Buy and Sell Everything."

Forgy Brothers Department Store. Source: Coulson Collection

Jim, Ellis, and George Forgy started out in Butler County Kentucky near Forgytown where they operated a small mercantile. The brothers relocated to Davidson, Tennessee in order to operate a company-owned commissary for the Davidson, Hicks & Greene lumber company.

DH&G relocated from Davidson to Cowan in 1917, but did not relocate the Forgy brothers' mercantile. According to Mrs. Norma Rhea Forgy Anderton's published memoirs, "the owners of the company believed there to be ample retail outlets in Cowan." A few years after the relocation, DH&G asked the Forgy brothers to open a private, family-owned mercantile in downtown Cowan. This new enterprise would receive business from the company plus the opportunity to do business with the people of Cowan.

All three brothers along with their wives and children relocated to Cowan in 1920 and rented the largest retail building in Cowan, which was owned by Mr. Glenn Clark Hodges. The store opened in 1921 as J.N. Forgy and Company. Some years later, the name was changed to Forgy Brothers.

With fifteen departments plus a seed & feed center, Forgy Brothers was unusually large for a town the size of Cowan. According to store records, customers came from as far away as Winchester, Decherd, Sewanee, Sherwood, Monteagle and Tracy City to trade with the Forgys due to their amazing selection.

Forgy Brother's Department Store. "We buy and sell everything"

The departments operated at Forgy Brothers give us some insight into the incredible variety the store offered.

The Candy Counter was a large glass display case filled with colorful selections. In the early days, the candy counter was stocked with homemade loose candy displayed in porcelain trays. in later years, the counter featured popular regional and national brands, such as Lifesavers, Wrigley gum, and Tennessee's famous Goo Goo Clusters.

The Farm and Field Department took up a large amount of floor space in the one-story section alongside the Domestics Department. Local farmers could choose from traditional farm equipment, such as horse-drawn plows and mechanical corn huskers, to everyday tools such as wrenches, saws, rakes and hammers. Tack and saddles for horses were also popular as many people in the area did not own automobiles. The Forgys also sold guns and ammunition, which were very popular during the autumn hunting season.

The Domestic Department was a two-story section of the store with men's and women's clothing. Men could choose from selections of shirts, formal and casual, socks, suspenders, and ties. Women had a larger selection with undergarments, hosiery, lingerie, and both casual and formal clothing. The Domestic Department also had a sewing desk where women could order materials, buttons and accessories to make their own clothes at home. A display case contained fancier accessories such as pocket watches, wrist watches, hatpins, garters, brass buckles, and other fancier, trendier items. A customer who could not find his or her desired item could order from one of several store catalogs. Special orders could be processed and delivered by the Railway Express Agency to the Cowan Depot across the street from the store.

The Grocery Department carried staple goods including coffee, cereal, produce, dairy products, fruit preserves, flour and cornmeal, and freshly baked bread. As snack foods became more popular, this department started carrying Cracker Jacks popcorn, animal crackers, and other well-known items.

The Household Goods and Appliances Department carried cookware, dishes, flatware and cutlery along with gas and oil lamps. As electricity grew in popularity, the Forgys carried electric light fixtures, electric lamps, and modern electrical appliances. This department also carried "knick-knacks" and ornamentation for home decorating.

The Meat Department was probably the most distinguishing part of the Forgy Brothers enterprise. One of their claims to fame was building one of the first refrigerated meat departments in the entire rural South. Refrigeration allowed the brothers to carry a variety of meat selections in large volume with a higher degree of freshness and flavor than was previously available in the area. Before the Forgy brothers came to town, about the only meat the locals could afford was high-salt bacon. The refrigerated meat department at Forgy Brothers gave residents easier access to quality pork, beef, and chicken, all cut fresh to order by a dedicated butcher.

The Medicine Department carried modern medicines, such as pain relievers and salves, but also carried basic ingredients for popular home remedies, such as ginseng, leafy herbs, turpentine and old-fashioned tonics. This department also sold sundry items such as lotions, shave cream, soap and women's cosmetics.

The Music Department, perhaps the smallest of all the departments, sold musical instruments and sheet music. On certain summer nights the store would bring in live music to entertain the store patrons.

The Seed and Feed Department was a separate building behind the store where farmers and ranchers could purchase ground corn, oats and other animal feeds. Seeds for crop planting, seeds for vegetable gardening, fertilizer and other related items were on hand as well. Across the street from the small feed mill was a fenced yard where customers could buy coal, cement mix, and even roofing materials. Some of these items were housed in one-story wood frame buildings.

The Sporting Goods Department contributed to the love of sports and athletics in the Cowan community. Everything from baseball mitts to golf clubs was on display and priced to sell, in addition to fishing poles and tackle.

The Tobacco Department was probably the biggest money-maker in the store. Men could choose from name brand chewing tobacco, popular cigar brands, pipe tobacco and related accessories, or a simple, hand-cut-to-order locally grown tobacco. Cigarettes became more popular with men and women alike as the years went by.

The Toy Department was busy year round with something for every age, from infancy through the teen years, and for boys and girls. However, it really came to life in the Christmas season when the trendiest sellers made their way onto the retail floor amidst decorations and special sale items.

Then there was the Third Floor - a part of the store rarely visited and scarcely ever talked about. This was the infamous department where patrons could purchase ready-made caskets, coffins, tomb stones, binding cloth, shrouds, and other funeral-related accessories. Forgy Brothers even offered to transport deceased loved ones to local cemeteries using the company wagon! Mrs. Anderton could not help but mention the thick dust and numerous cobwebs that complemented the spooky ambiance of the mysterious Third Floor!

As you can see from this overview, "We Buy and Sell Everything" was a slogan the Forgy Brothers truly lived up to. The store was a legend in its own right and a vital part of Cowan history.

Anderton, Norma Rhea Forgy, The Forgy Department Store: A Reminiscence of Norma Rhea Anderton, October 1999.

MEMOIRS OF A MOUNTAIN SCHOOL TEACHER

By Agnes Pearson

(Reprinted from the Cowan Bell, Vol. III, No. 4, pages 8, 9; February 19, 1976.)

Many times as I observe the news media, both T.V. and the press concerning the controversy over text books, strikes by teachers, budget deficiencies, school lunch programs and the ever present bussing question - along with many other phrases of our modern education system - my mind returns to a little one-room school house in the 1920's, painted red, situated atop a Cumberland mountain ridge about ten miles from Cowan and not too far from the Alabama state line.

There was no school bus, not even a dirt road to follow. Only paths made by the children lead to the front door. Yet, that little school house was the seat of learning for beginners who would later make their mark.

The school was located in a remote community made up of families comprising employees of a large lumber company known as Davidson-Hicks & Greene Co. There was more than one of these communities called "Lumber Camps", with houses spaced along the side of the narrow gauge railroad tracks.* The trains hauled big logs on flat cars down to the saw mills in Cowan and served as the only means of communication to the outside world, other than the manually operated telephones that connected the camps with the headquarters in Cowan.

There were no absentee records. The mountain children and their parents were all too anxious for an education, never passing up an opportunity to grasp an idea and any new thoughts that came their way. Being born with quick minds and exceptionally sharp senses, learning came easy for them.

The school house was made from two box cars fastened together in a T shape. The windows were cut into the walls. There were no glass panes but doors for each with catches on the inside. When it rained they were often closed making the room too dark to go on with the lessons. It was at such times that the teacher was asked to tell a story. A good teacher had to have an unlimited repertoire of such.

The furnishing of the little school room was comprised of the ever-present black board on a stand. A home-made pine table with a drawer was the teacher's desk. Her chair was a hickory split bottomed one. The students' desks were hand-me-downs from various county schools. However, there was a lovely old pump organ that made up for all the crude furnishings. Always, there would be a bright school girl who was able to pick out the notes for singing if the teacher wasn't so inclined.

Sometimes the new teacher didn't fit into the niche carved out for her. Her attitude of superiority may have been the cause or her mode of dress or her teaching not being up to par by comparison with her predecessor. At such times, along with the complete change of living habits and being depressed by her inability to conform, it is needless to say her tenure as a mountain school teacher didn't last long. There is a record saying eight teachers tried out for the position before one was able to fit in.

Never let it be said that learning was for the students only. The teacher usually left with a much greater education. Living among such people during the school term and learning from them the mountain wisdom that would always be put to good use rewarded the teacher with a life rich in tradition and fulfillment, leaving incidences and fellowship that remained in her memory for as long as she lived. There was no room in the hearts and minds of these mountain people for snobbery or flattery. Life was lived close to the nitty-gritty, learning no middle ground for beating around the bush. You either were or were not, whatever the case may be.

The little school house was the only meeting place for social life. There were Christmas, Easter, and Mother's Day programs - looked forward to with great excitement. These occasions furnished the only diversion for the settlement, leaving out the Annual Brush Arbor religious services that sometimes lasted for weeks, to the enjoyment of the entire population and for the Glory of God. There was shouting and joyous singing lacerating the mountain air when an occasional sinner saw the light.

There are many interesting and entertaining instances for the mountain school teacher to chuckle over in the quietness of her retirement years. I know - because you see I was one of those teachers.

Mountain School - Part II

By Agnes Pearson

(Reprinted from the Cowan Bell, Vol. III, No. 5, pages 8, 9; March 4, 1976.)

The school teacher lived in the lodging hotel, a two-story frame structure occupied by a large family who had been with the lumber company for many years. Five of the children were enrolled in the school. The hotel rooms on the second floor were reserved as emergency quarters when it was necessary for the work crews to stay overnight. A room on the second floor was set aside for the school teacher.

Her room had a wood burning stove for heat and for warming the bath water. There was no indoor plumbing. Many times she would awake on a cold winter morning to find thin lines of snow across her bed covers where it had sifted through the cracks during the night. A big handful of wood shaving and kindling, however, would soon make the little stove red hot, warming up enough for the teacher to dress, tidy her room and be downstairs for breakfast before the fire died down again.

After a hearty breakfast including big baking powder biscuits, plenty of homemade butter and sorghum molasses the teacher made her way out, oftentimes through crunchy snow, sleet or rain, to the school house to build another fire in the school stove, in order for the room to be warm enough to welcome her shivering students. Afterwards, she rang the bell announcing the beginning of another days work. It was she who took out the ashes, swept the room floor and brought in the wood for the day. The older boys kept the wood pile conveniently near the door - for such consideration she was profoundly grateful.

There were many times when the teacher was sorely taxed in her efforts to prove to the community that she was capable and able to be the sort of teacher they expected her to be.For instance, sitting up late at night by kerosene lamp, trying to work the 8th grade arithmetic problems. They were terrible. Printing the sentences on the blackboard - drawing little cats and having the reader call them rats. One time that will be remembered vividly, was when two slightly inebriated men rode up to the open windows on their horses, poked their hears in and said, "What's going on in here?"

There were glorious spring days and nights to be remembered also. Just waking with joy beneath the shadowing oaks, drinking in the qualities of this great enchanted place, listening to its sounds, sensing its people and absorbing all of it, compensated for the rough winter weather. There were picnics in the woods, a nature study for the teacher, to be sure, for it was at these times that she learned the names of all the trees and flowers that grew wild, a knowledge that was recorded for all the years. The teacher was introduced to the nocturnal delight of O'possom hunting. One well-remembered occasion was when the group came too near an operating whiskey still. When they were accosted by the owner, holding high the lantern to identify each person, they were invited to come near and watch the operation. The owner in question had sat at the dinner table with the teacher many times. She knew him well.

There was a shiny mahogany piano in the front bedroom of the hotel. Oftentimes after supper the teacher was asked to join in the singing and enjoy the music. She learned the words to "The Little Red Rosewood Casket", the "Wreck of Red 97" and "My Mountain Rose".

There were chords on the piano in harmony with the strings of fiddle and guitar.

On Friday afternoons the teacher packed her suitcase and boarded one of several motor cars that would be leaving the mountain, arriving in Cowan for the weekend. A joyous holiday and reprieve. Monday morning, a little past sunrise, she was back to the Cowan station once more waiting for a ride to the top - eager to begin all over again at her Cold Springs school.

When that mountain schoolteacher reads and hears of the confusion and problems associated with our present school system - it's then she remembers how very simple life used to be and what a joy it was to teach and thereby learn a lot, too. She is amazed to see today's problems take on such great proportions. Then life was made pleasurable by simple matters and people were content by being involved in community life. However, that was more than a half-century ago. She is reminded of Omar's poem: "The morning finger having writ, moves on...

*(Note by the author: Apology for terming the RR tracks in the last article a "narrow gauge"; they were standard, only the engine was small.)

D. H. & G. Mid 1920's, Mule Pulling Log