Crepe Myrtle blooms at The Castle Barn -Pressmen's Home
Pressmens Home, Ebbing & Flowing Spring & Amis Mill
Kenny & Dana Koogler
Sunday Sept. 13, 2020
Photos are here
Kenny has been working his backside off lately. Barnhart Crane business is booming. It is tough on him and tough on our family. Good money,but too much of anything especially long days and weeks of work are a strain. He worked but finally got one day off this weekend. He said he'd get out and do something with me, but was too tired to hike. We'd have to do something easier. I had a couple options in mind. We talked them over and he liked the idea of heading up toward Rogersville to see some sights. It would be a little walking around and mostly auto touring. It takes us about an hour and a half to get there so the drive is not terrible.
I had a running list of many sights I wanted to see in that area.
I was intrigued by the now abandoned Pressmens Home. I had seen photos of it and read up on the history. I wanted to visit Ebbing and Flowing Spring plus the next door Ebbing and Flowing Spring Methodist church. It was very picturesque.
I wanted to visit Amis Mill Eatery and the mill itself. I had the idea that if all that worked out and we had time and energy left over we'd drive home through Bulls Gap to check out some of the historic buildings and railroad history.
We set off on this sunny Sunday morning. It was warm, but not too hot yet.
The drive up was mainly interstate so we got there pretty easily. We were heading through Morristown at 11:45 so Kenny said we should go ahead and eat lunch now.
We did that and got back on the road.
Above: One of the first spots we came to was the Castle Barn at the entrance or start of the Pressmens Home grounds as they now exist.
Pressmens Home is a well known landmark. It is in the middle of nowhere though the address is Rogersville. It was the home of the International Union of Pressmen. Back in the days of newspapers and printing presses this was a skilled trade. Difficult, technical work for its time with odd hours. It must have been a demanding profession. George Berry who was president of the union talked the union into buying the old Hale Springs Resort and turning it into a headquarters for the union. They agreed and moved the headquarters from Cincinnati, Ohio to Hawkins County Tennessee in 1909.
Above is another angle and view of the castle barn. It has no doubt be altered from when it was first built. It appears to have been at one time a restaurant and club house associated with a golf course that came later. It also appears it may have been used for a time as a residence.
Above is a view out across the golf course in front of the castle barn. Kenny has his foot up on the outer rim of a fountain.
Above: front view of the castle barn.
His vision was a self sustaining community. They had a fully functioning farm. They had a home for retired pressmen and assistants. They had a trade school to train pressmen in the craft. They had offices. A power plant supplied the electricity for the entire place well before anyone else in the region had electric power. It was before TVA brought electricity to the rest of Hawkins County.
They had a facility for water and to handle sewer and sanitation. At one point in the past it was believed that printing press ink exposure helped spread and worsen tuberculosis. They constructed and staffed a fully functioning TB sanatorium for pressmen who fell ill. It had an interdenominational church. When George Berry died in 1948 he was interred in a mausoleum on the grounds. His remains have since been moved to a cemetery in Rogersville. His death began the steady march into oblivion for the place.
Below is a closer look at the very interesting stonework fountain.
The place was swanky. It had a pool, tennis courts, baseball diamond,and a lake. The grounds were massive and beautiful. It was also something of a vacation spot for pressmen. It was also a place for people to bring their families to enjoy the grounds and the amenities offered. It thrived for forty years. Newspapers we know now have fallen into a slow, steady death spiral being replaced largely by online news sources, television news, podcasts, and even radio news broadcasts.
I still recall going on a class field trip to see the News Virginian being put to press in little Waynesboro, Virginia. I always had a flare for writing and fancied myself one day being a reporter. My father worked for the News Virginian now and then as a free lance photographer. I was totally enthralled by the whirring of the printing presses, the smell of the printer ink, and the busyness of the place.
The Pressmens Home fell into decline gradually. It was open until 1969 when it was abandoned at last. Part of the grounds were operated later as a golf course, but even that failed and the grounds and all the buildings in their grandeur faded. They sit now being consumed by mimosa trees, shrubs, grasses and great swaths of kudzu overtaking it all inch by inch. It is but a dim shadow of its former glory.
Next we went down the road to a tall stack with a big P.H. on it. This was some sort of boiler plant to make electricity back in the day. It is also a central hub that appears to have parts of it still operational. The sewage and water treatment facilities behind this appear to still be working. You can hear whirring and clicking sounds as something electrical runs.
The power plant was the first place we began to see just how nature was taking the grounds back. All around it were beautiful, lush late Summer wildflowers. I had so hoped I'd see some. I most assuredly got my wish. I realized before coming here that the exploration of the grounds would be hindered by the overgrowth if it was too heavy. It was and the ground around here had spots that were very marshy and wet. I would not have wanted to go tromping through that mess.
Above: a pretty clump of giant New York Ironweed (purple), goldenrod (yellow) and tall spires of pink Joe Pye weed. I saw this little critter going from flower to flower.
Below is another image I captured that I liked. I took a photo of the wands of Joe Pye weed waving in the breeze. Behind them in the distance is a little pink house! My grandma and granddaddy had their house this Pepto Bismol pink color at one time.
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| Tall Joe Pye weed and a tiny pink house! |
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| Kenny's truck in front of the water works and sewage treatment facility. The sign on the gate says something about Lakeview Utility Water Improvements and has a USDA emblem on it. It appears that this part of the grounds was taken over by the federal government to keep and use for the surrounding homes. I saw many private residences. |
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| Pressmens Home as seen from the road |
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| A better look at the power plant and the smoke stack. I liked the goldenrod and wildflowers in front of it. If you look closer you can see the big P.H. emblem on the stack. We continued down the road and passed some areas where there were huge fields of nothing but purple New York ironweed. I told Kenny before we left I'd like to double back to get some photos of that. We next came within sight of the top part of the former trade school building and the home itself.  |
Above: The first glimpse we got of the trade school building. I think I read it is four stories tall..brick structure on the left. The black roof building on the right I believe is the home. It was like a group residence for retired pressmen.
It is becoming more evident how nature is overtaking the buildings and reclaiming them. 
Above: you can see how this pretty gate is swallowed up by kudzu vines. You can see the roof of the service station behind it.
We went on down the road a bit further on "Pressmens Home Road" and it entered a big sweeping curve. It was awash with kudzu on all sides. It draped over a power line hanging across the road. It engulfed a nearby building on the left. It covered more than half of a formerly pretty lighted archway. A building sits right by the road that looks like exactly what it was... a former gas station. They had a convenience store and filling station here as well. Route 94 passes through the grounds and continues north toward Rogersville.
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| Above: Kenny's truck in front of what remains of the filling station. |
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| above: Here a one lane, paved road turned left and went into this side holler. You can see the corner only of a brick building. I have no idea what this was used for. I hope to find out. I'll update the report if I do. It was really something to see. I don't spend any time fretting over how kudzu spreads in the South,but this was distressing to me. I hate to see this. |
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Above: This was as close as we dared come to the trade school building or the home. We doubled back and went toward a road that leads down to the main buildings. We saw for the second time big signs stating in stronger language "This is a private road. If you are here you are trespassing on private property". It was large and serious looking. We backed into the road to get a glimpse of the buildings. Between the threatening signs and the overgrowth of Summer vegetation and weeds we decided regretfully we'd have to let it alone. I had seen an abundance of photos where people visit this place. I was unaware it was so touchy and prohibited. I decided then and there I was not going to wander down through a field to take photos of the big patches of ironweed as I first thought. The no trespassing signs were in that area, but not anything out of the ordinary. These warning signs took it to a whole new level. We had no idea the worst was yet to come. We put the Pressmans Home in our rearview mirror and continued up Hwy 94 toward Rogersville. We would move on to our next planned destination.. Amis Mill and dam. The Amis Mill and the UN-Welcome Center We found Ebbing and Flowing Springs road easily and it was not at all far up the road. We followed it down through a residential area. It is a very narrow road. It is about a lane and a half rather than a true, two way road. We are accustomed to that so it didn't worry us. Kenny took his time along this road being very careful. Along came a sports car barreling past us speeding and taking his half the road in the middle. He nearly side swiped us. We came down to the bottom of the hill. A stream crosses the road here and this is the site of the Ebbing and Flowing Spring. A little shack sits there that must be the springhouse. We had followed a small creek down the hill most of the way. It crosses the road and apparently the spring adds its tidal flow to the water volume every three hours. A look to the left showed a blue gate with a sign indicating that up this hill was the Ebbing and Flowing Springs Methodist church. I had wanted to visit here also. I just wanted to see the outside of it and take a photo. It was quaint looking on photos I'd seen. Here stood this closed gate with a sign stating Ebbing and Flowing Spring Methodist Church. Open to Everyone! Welcome! ... and then the closed gate. I've never seen a church gate off access before. Ever til today. When I am traveling and in unfamiliar territory I am always thrilled to see churches. I consider them little islands of refuge. I can feel at ease to pull in there and sit out of the way to use my cell phone, get reoriented, get out to stretch my legs and get organized. There would be none of that here. We continued out the road around a curve hoping perhaps there was a different, open access to the church? Perhaps they just didn't want folks using that entrance ? We quickly realized that was not the case. We could see the steeple and part of the church, but no additional entrances. We turned and went back toward the spring and the intersection. Now we noticed on the side of the road a huge sign saying "NO STOPPING, STANDING, OR PARKING AT ANYTIME". I suddenly had the feeling I knew why the church was gated. They didn't want anyone parking up there and walking down to the road to take a photo of the spring and creek. A grumpy looking woman was in the private residence next to the spring. She was watching like a hawk. First of all I was under the impression this was a tourist attraction. Second of all if I can see it from a state road I can take a photo of it. Ain't nothing they can do about that. The vibe of the place grew worse by the minute. We turned left and headed toward Amis Mill and the eatery and Big Creek Welcome Center. We got there and the eatery was on our right. The place was very busy. The mill ruins and dam were to our left. The so called welcome center is a house that is owned by the eatery. It was closed. Finding a safe spot to park was a real trick. No parking in the two spots at the "welcome center" unless you are handicapped. Below is a photo of the eatery.  |
Kenny was about over it. I could see on his facial expression. Two things. 1. I am not impressed and 2. Get me out of here. I figured we'd come this far I might as well wrap it up. I walked up toward the mill ruins and the dam.
Photos I'd seen of it were so pretty. Today it was anything but pretty. It was dry and the rock of the dam was hot and white. Poor photography conditions for certain. We need rain.
I walked up along Big Creek and checked stuff out for ten or fifteen minutes.
Kenny went with me, but was not feeling it. Who could blame him?
Finally we just packed it up and left. I won't be back. Once in the truck Kenny astutely summed up the situation. Everything round here is designed to funnel business toward that eatery. That is it.
I expect the folks who live there at the spring are over it.
The road is narrow and hardly enough for those who live and drive it regularly.
Additional tourist traffic only make a bad situation worse. They don't benefit from it at all. The Amis Mill Eatery does. I expect that is where the hostility comes from. I have found another instance of this in Dandridge. A family bought and restored a mill immediately beside a very public, traveled road. They have signs up on the outside practically screaming "No stopping. No photos!" Well excuse me. If you didnt want people to see your mill or breathe your air and this bothers you so much why the hell did you buy it and move in? Surely you were smart enough to realize this was a spectacle and going to attract attention.
I found it ironic that with regards to the Ebbing and Flowing spring... there are exactly two known tidal springs in the entire planet. One is here in Rogersville, Tennessee and Hawkins County in their infinite wisdom chose to build a road right through it. I'll just leave that right there.
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Above: ruins of the Thomas Amis mill. (apparently this is pronounced Amys like the girls name, but I'm uncertain. I've only read that. I have not heard anyone pronounce it) Below is a view of the dam remains and a hole where most of the water comes out.  Below: a streamwide view of the whole dam. Kenny up top on the left in his red shirt. It matched his angry mood. |
Below: Big Creek was kinda pretty.
Below: a view from behind the dam
Below: stone steps down to the creek and the dam
Above and below: last two photos of the area before bugging out.
I looked round and noticed Kenny had headed back to the truck. I packed up my camera and quit trying to make the best of this situation. We were both done for the day. It was a disappointing trip. Especially this last part of the day.
I have appealed to Facebook and Google to remove Ebbing and Flowing Springs as a tourist attraction for it is not. It is private property and the owners want no part of this action. It appears the church shares their views. I would hate for anyone else to drive to this area expecting this only to be disappointed and feel as unwelcome as we did. It made me feel sad.
To the credit of the Amis Mill and Dam.
Good Points:
They had porta potty access at least, but they were foul and smelly.
They had trash cans probably because they were worried about litterbugs.
They have constructed a metal overlook to view the dam and ruins.
You can walk up along the creek on a path.
I came to a realization today. Going to visit out of the way historic stuff is a risk. It is as more of a risk than hunting for waterfalls off trail.
It has too many potential prohibitions to access. I have gone off on a tangent lately wanting to do different things. Today we paid a price for my folly. Time for a serious course correction.
I came home and deleted lots of saved stuff on Facebook that I thought I'd go visit. Anything in the Rogersville area or up that way I deleted. Not saying I will never be back, but it will be a spell before I get over this shock. I made sure to post an honest, but tactful review of the situation. All these airy fairies with their painting this place as a dream trip didn't do me any favors. I refuse to be like that. The trip was not a success and I am willing to admit that. I have not included any directions to these places because of the poor quality of the visit.
NEXT!
Below is a video of the mill dam
**Edited to Add** as of 5:22 on 9/14/2020
My sister made sure I saw this on Facebook. It is funny as the dickens and she got the point across. No feeling sorry for yourself, Whine-ica. I can always count on my family to kick my backside and remind me not to take myself so seriously.
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