SERVPRO Mitigates Water Damage in Knoxville

12/10/2020 (Permalink)

For any level of water remediation in your home, contact the experts at SERVPRO right away.

Knoxville Residents Can Trust Our Technicians to Provide Professional Water Removal 

Home to over 187,000 people, Knoxville is rich in history. From its humble beginning as a relatively isolated town, it has grown to become Tennessee’s third-largest city. 

Indigenous People Arrive

Knoxville can trace its history back thousands of years to indigenous people who settled in the area. The first arrivals are believed to be people from the Woodland period. A burial mound is preserved from the Mississippian culture period (c. A.D. 1000- 1400) and is one of the oldest man-made structures in Knoxville. Other prehistoric sites include:

•   Early Woodland (c. 1000 B.C. – A.D. 1000) habitation near the Knox-Blount county line
•   Dallas Phase Mississippians villages – Post Oak Island
•   Dallas Phase Mississippians villages – Bussell Island

Native American Influence

The Cherokee people were thought to have migrated from the Great Lakes area into what would become Knoxville. By the 18th century, they were the leading tribe in the East Tennessee region. The Cherokee were part of the Iroquoian language tribes and were continually fighting with the Creek and Shawnee tribes. The Cherokee name given to the area was kuwanda'talun'y. It means “Mulberry Place”. They resided mainly along the Tennessee River in what is known as the Overhill settlements.

Europeans, Traders & Explorers Come to Knoxville

Hernando de Soto is supposed to have been to Bussell Island in 1540. Explorers and white traders started arriving in the later years of the 17th century. One early record notes that a British gentleman, Henry Timberlake, was sent as an emissary to the Overhill settlement. Timberlake is recorded as stating how pleased he was that the waters of the Tennessee River were deep. His party had struggled to navigate the shallower waters of the Holston River.

Settling the Appalachians

After the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, European settlers flocked to the Appalachians. They established a settlement to the west of the mountains. White settlers were not unfamiliar with the area. There was a group already well established in the Holston and French Broad valleys. These locations were considered part of Cherokee lands, and the illegal settlers were ordered to leave in 1785 by Congress. It was an order that fell flat, and tensions between the Cherokee and the Euro-Americans grew.

James White – An American Pioneer

James White was born in North Carolina in 1747. He was not only a soldier in the American Revolutionary War but a pioneer as well. During the Revolution, White extinguished himself as a militia captain. He would eventually become the lieutenant colonel commander of the militia in Knox County. In 1783, White took a group of men on an expedition that would lead to the discovery of the area that would become Knoxville.

White’s Fort & The Beginnings of a Town

James White and James Connor built White’s Fort in 1786. The fort was built on land White had purchased a few years earlier and is located near the mouth of First Creek. The land was surveyed for the creation of a town in 1790 by White’s son-in-law Charles McClung. The borders of the town ran between First Creek and Second Creek. The result of the survey included:

•   64 half-acre lots were established
•   Waterfront area was set aside for a town common
•   2 lots were designated for a church and graveyard
•   4 lots were set aside for a school

A Church, School, and New Governor

In 1792 the First Presbyterian Church was founded. On the lots designated for a school, Blount College was chartered in 1794. It would be the basis for the University of Tennessee that claims that starting date as its own. William Blount, a North Carolina surveyor, was appointed the governor of the Territory South of the River Ohio in 1790. He was appointed to govern this newly established territory by President George Washington.

Cherokee Nation & the Treaty of Holston

Tensions were still on the rise between the Cherokee and the settlers. Governor Blount needed to bring peace to the situation. The problem of boundaries and illegal settlers had to be dealt with, so there was clarity on both sides. The Treaty of Holston was developed quickly and was signed by Blount and others, including John Watts, a Cherokee representative at White’s Fort in 1791.

Knoxville Becomes the Capital

The territorial capital did not end up where Blount originally wanted it because the Cherokee nation would not cede the land. He then chose White’s Fort as the new capital and named it Knoxville. This was in honor of Henry Knox, a Revolutionary War general who was then Secretary of State. 

War & Peace with the Cherokee Nation

It was not long before trouble began. From the Holston treaty, Blount understood that he had purchased land from the Cherokee that made up much of what is now East Tennessee. This was under debate by the Indians, and violence broke out over the issue. In 1793 Knoxville settlers attacked the Cherokee unlawfully. Eventually, peace would be established in 1794.

SERVPRO is Proud to Serve the Knoxville Area

SERVPRO of Rocky Hill/Sequoyah Hills/South Knoxville provides professional water removal services. If you have experienced water intrusion from a burst pipe, dishwasher overflow, or something similar, we are here to help. Our technicians arrive quickly once your call is received. They will then:

•   Scope the area to determine the depth of the problem
•   Put together a plan of action
•   Deal with water extraction immediately
•   Dry the premises using powerful air movers and dehumidifiers
•   Use controlled demolition to enhance drying if needed
•   Repair and restore damaged structural elements
•   Clean content
•   Leave the home, “Like it never even happened.”

We understand the effect home flooding, from something as simple as a washer overflowing, can have on a home. If not dealt with promptly, the damage can become worse and costly. Secondary problems such as mold is a concern as well when moisture is not cleaned up right away. 

If you need assistance with any type of water spill, no matter how big or small, call the professionals at SERVPRO. You can contact us at (865) 862-8907 for more information.