LAUREL BLOOMERY, TENNESSEE - Shirley Widener, a lifelong resident of Laurel Bloomery, TN, often played as a child by a monument that was bigger than life. It was the marker located near Highway 91, honoring American pioneer legend Daniel Boone. She often gazed at the stone monument, shaped like an arrowhead, and wondered about the adventures of the legendary Boone. As she grew older, she would learn the history of Boone and his relationship to this prime hunting and fishing wilderness she called home.
Recently she was troubled that history may be lost due to the severe deterioration of the marker. She was determined not to let this happen. Now with the help of friends in Johnson County and a distant relative, she has accomplished her goal of restoring this important landmark. Because of Shirley’s efforts, others will now benefit, learn, and enjoy Daniel Boone's history and this area's beauty.
Daniel Boone, born on November 2, 1734, was an American pioneer and hunter whose frontier explorations made him one of the first great heroes of the United States. He was not only a trailblazer; he served as a state legislator, a magistrate, a justice of the peace, a militia commander, a land speculator, and even a tavern owner.
Boone is credited with opening the American West by expanding the 13 colonies into the eastern Tennessee and Kentucky areas. In 1775, he was hired by Henderson and Company to cut the Wilderness Road through Cumberland Gap. The 225-mile road flows through eastern Tennessee, southwest Virginia, and into central Kentucky. Before the end of the 18th century, more than 200,000 people entered westward by following the route marked by Boone.
Boone is famous for his hunting expeditions and explorations into eastern Tennessee. It has been well documented that he spent a good deal of time in Johnson County, enjoying the abundance of wide life and the beauty Laurel Creek.
Shirley would like to thank Johnson County Mayor Larry Potter and her friends in Johnson County, along with stone mason Andrew Sexton, for their support in preserving the legacy of Daniel Boone and this important historical marker.
