History fair looks into Soddy-Daisy lore

For the Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association, everything old is (mostly) new again for the upcoming History Fair.

Which is to say: Members are updating their exhibits for this third annual event, scheduled Saturday, Jan. 20, at Soddy-Daisy High School.

Last year’s fair drew 700 to 800 attendees from throughout the region, says Steve Smith, president of the association. Exhibitors with ties to the North Hamilton County area will share family memorabilia, genealogical information and American Indian and Civil War artifacts. Tables are typically laden with photos, papers, tools and relics.

Member Shelia Nelson says her display is not exactly new, but it has proved to be enlightening for first- time visitors given the chance to find out more about their ancestors.

“Since my on-site genealogy research was so popular last year, I’m planning on doing it again this year,” she says. “It was a pretty good feeling to know that I might have helped some people.”

Smith will have copies of his new book, “The Good Old Days: A Short History of Soddy, Daisy & Montlake,” the fourth installment of a series he began in 1990. The four books contain more than 1,000 old photos, copies of invoices and maps from the three communities.

Smith says the main focus of t he 5 1 2- page f ourth volume is t he coal- mining industry in Soddy from the Civil War through about 1930. It includes information on historical artifacts still visible along Little Soddy Creek off Hotwater Road, the mining hub for the Soddy Coal Co.

There is also a chapter on Daisy and Montlake, including a copy of the Montlake Coal Co.’s 1912 ledger containing the names of miners.

“The 1912 ledger book has been copied in its entirety for historical purposes as well as for its genealogical importance,” he says.

The book also includes information related to the Civil War, particularly about Soddy Shoals, three islands in the Tennessee River at the mouth of Soddy Creek, where remnants of a trench and three cannon emplacements present since the war can be seen.

“During the Civil War, the Union army had at least three cannons there to prevent the Confederate army from moving soldiers from Knoxville to Chattanooga,” Smith previously told the Times Free Press.

Smith says the book also details “everyday living” in the area and offers insight into old businesses and landmarks, such as Poe’s Tavern, which was used for Hamilton County’s first court and county dealings.

“Also there is a photo in the Daisy chapter of t he Porter Poe’s Pine Pole Palace,” which Smith describes as “a two-story pine-log beer joint” located where Daisy United Methodist Church is today.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO The McRee house in Soddy was built around 1828. A history fair sponsored by the Soddy, Daisy and Montlake Historical Association on Saturday, Jan. 20, will offer information on people and landmarks from the North Hamilton County communities.