Tennessee Trek-2
Carter County, TN.
We finally made it here to the land where Benjamin spent the final days of his life. The monument below was erected to honor those who served this country in the time of war. This was the highlight of our trip. Beautiful Watagua River flowing cool and clear out of the mountains east of Elizabethton. The mountains surrounding the city were absolutely gorgeous. I was told that the water out of the mountains is purer than the bottled water you buy out of the store. What a place!!!
This is the covered bridge that crosses the Doe River right there in the city of Elizabethton.
Here is the old Drake (Fitzsimmons) Cemetery where Benjamin is buried. The new monument you see was erected by Leo Drake and others who helped. When my nephew, Brian Drake, visited this site some twelve or thirteen years ago, it was completely covered in trees brush and vines and he litterly had to claw his way in to find the gravesite of Benjamin and other Drakes buried there. Thanks to Leo and others, including the Carter County Sheriff's office and the inmates, the cemetery is at least clear enough to walk comfortably, without the brush and the vines and the trees in the way. In fact I didn't know where the cemetery was, so I went over to the Sheriff's office and he sent one of his deputies to show us where it was located. Nice folks, and they spoke well of Leo. Hope you don't have too much trouble reading the gravestones.
Accidents will happen when you're falling trees during the cleanup of the old Drake Cemetery
Looking downstream from the Watagua Dam, the cool waters of the Watagua River are seen as they meander toward Elizabethton. The dam itself stands some 400 feet above the river so you can see how deep the Watagua Lake is at the dam. TVA built this dam back in the days when Tennessee Valley Authority was curbing the waters of Tennessee for the electrical power that was generated from these dams.
Lake Watagua, Mountains, Other Lakes farther up in the mountains, and the Appalachian Trail.
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