90-year-old mistake corrected with new historical marker in northeast Tennessee

JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) — On Saturday, along the banks of the Nolichucky River in Washington County, Tennessee, a 90-year-old historical mistake was corrected.

A historical marker correcting the exact location of John Sevier’s Plum Grove Plantation was unveiled on the north side of the river in the Conklin community. The previous marker, placed in 1934, was on the south side of the river on what we now know as Sevier’s Mount Pleasant Plantation.

John Sevier, who was Tennessee’s first governor and served six terms, lived at Plum Grove for his first three terms as governor. Community member David Kyker said he worked to apply for a new, correct marker with the Tennessee Historical Commission once the correction was decided.

Once accepted, Kyker said he wrote and edited what would go on the marker, then raised funds over a matter of years to place the marker with help from the property’s owner and Sevier’s 6th great-grandson Jeremy Dykes, among others.

“History is history, and I’m so thankful, for the record, we do have [it], this is what’s been so important here, knowing there was a mistake and we can make the correction,” Dykes said. “I’m thankful for him (Sevier), as it was brought out in Rusty’s speech.”

Kyker said he organized Saturday’s unveiling event to celebrate the correction, including statements from State Sen. Rusty Crowe and Rep. Rebecca Alexander.

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