John
Hunt Seeks the Big Spring
By Tom Carney, Editor of
"Old Huntsville"
Shortly afterwards, the squatters' claims were recognized.
By 1801, the land John Hunt had settled became part of Claiborne County.
When the new community held its first election, David Rodgers was
elected sheriff, but was unable to post bond.
Hunt was elected in his place. There
were no facilities for the new government in Tazewell, so the first term of
court was held in the home of John Hunt. (This log cabin later became the first
school in Tazewell.)
The sheriff was not only responsible for keeping the peace, but also for
administering justice. A book
describing the early days of Tazewell included the following description of the
sheriff s duties:
"A whipping post stood between the jail and courthouse.
As near as I remember, it was made similar to two ox yokes, the one below
fastened in a frame and turned upside down; the one above to fit down and form
two holes large enough to confine the head and neck.
Debtors were taken out two at a time and the duty of the sheriff was to
whip them until they would promise to go to work and pay their debts."
Not exactly a job for the fainthearted.
John Hunt appears to have been living a fairly contented
life. He had recently given land
for a church and was a well-respected figure in the community.
His daughter, Elizabeth, had married Samuel Black Acklin, the son of his
old friend, Samuel Acklin. The
newly married couple made their home with John and the rest of the family.
This was a busy time for Hunt.
Besides serving as sheriff, he was also heavily involved in land
speculation and running a stagecoach inn.
Bishop Ashbury, in his travels through the south, spoke of staying, and
preaching, at Hunt's Tavern.
Even though the Hunt family had prospered, John was already
looking to the future. Hunt, along with the Larkins and many other families, had
staked everything on Tazewell's future. The
town simply refused to grow. The
land was poor for farming and the community itself provided no incentive for
commerce. The only thing the town
had going for it was its close proximity to the Cumberland Gap, "gateway to
the western lands."
By the time Hunt's term of sheriff was up on September 1,
1804, he had already made plans to leave Tazewell.
For the previous six months he had been selling off land holdings that he
owned in Tazewell and the adjoining areas.
Popular legend tells us that he went south in search of a big
spring he had heard stories of. Again, the truth is much simpler.
There were already rumors that territory belonging to Indians in what is
now North Alabama would be opened for settlement.
Anyone already living there would probably be able to exercise their
squatters' rights by paying a small registration fee.
Everyone else would have to purchase their land at a public auction,
which by its very nature tended to drive land prices up.
John Hunt was determined to have squatter’s rights.
Hunt's
Station Becomes Center of Community
