Mary Blount Chapter, Maryville, TN


	The original Fort Henry Marker was placed by the Mary Blount Chapter in 1953 on US 411, about eight miles south of Maryville, TN. Fort Henry, built in 1790, was the nearest fort to the Cherokees. The marker was a gift of the descendants of Samuel and Polly Henry. When the highway was widened three or four years ago, the marker was damaged and disappeared. During the process of photographing the markers for this web site, Regent Mary Nell Clevenger visited the Maryville Monumental Works to ask about marker cleaning techniques. The owner surprised her by saying, "I have one of your chapter markers!"


The Tennessee Department of Transportation had taken the broken monument into the Maryville Monumental Works several years ago, and ordered a duplicate marker to replace the broken one. The chapter was never told. No one ever returned to tell the company where to reinstall it. Photo of the marker as it appeared in August 2003, in the back lot of the Maryville Monumental Company.


	If it were not for this web site project, this marker would probably have remained in the back lot of the monument company for many more years.

But the Ft. Henry Marker was moved from the back lot of the monument company to the property originally part of the Samuel Henry land grant, eight miles south of Maryville on Highway 411. The formal Marker Rededication was held in November 2003. Pictured are four direct-descendants of Samuel Henry who built the fort in 1790.

	Mrs. Patton is a member of Mary Blount Chapter, who also attended the first dedication of Fort Henry Marker, 50 years ago in 1953. Her son, who was six then, also attended this ceremony.



Some of the DAR members attending the rededication of the Fort Henry Marker. Knoxville television and the Maryville newspaper provided coverage. Approximately 75 people attended, despite the bad weather forecast. And now you know...the rest of the story...