Here is the letter:.....  I also would like to share some information and my understanding of the history of "The Chimney" located in the Knobs.  About fifteen years ago my parents briefly considered purchasing the old Roy McClure home in the Knobs above Windsor Avenue when it went up for sale.  I was about 12 years old at the time, and made several trips up to the house with my parents over the course of a few weeks before they eventually decided against the purchase.  I became fascinated with the property, and the Knobs in general, which were unknown to me up until that time.  They seemed to have some sort of mystique about them.  Anyway, I began hiking all over the trails located in the northeastern part of Steele Creek Park, and stumbled upon "the Chimney" with the aid of an old USGS quad map of Bristol that I found which was dated 1938.  The map clearly showed a house located on that site at the time, and I knew that the house no longer existed so I hoped to find some sort of ruins - I was pleasantly surprised to find the Chimney that you wrote about.  I began researching the history of the area and was able to determine the following:

The Border Magazine article from 1946 that I mentioned was reprinted in Families and History of Sullivan County, Tennessee Volume I 1779-1992 (page 182).  This article makes reference to the Clifton Heights Park/Kimmons home/McClure home as being the same site, and also addresses the Chimney.  Evidently a man by the name of Frank Wright owned a considerable amount of land in the "Trinkle Valley" section of the Knobs.  From what I can gather, Trinkle Valley is located below the back side of the Pete Moore house, and extends all the way to the present Three Oaks Drive located off of Vance Drive.  Frank Wright, originally from Tarrytown, New York, was president of the Bangor Railroad in Maine.  At some point he constructed a home in the Knobs, and built a reservior in the valley below his home from which to pump water to his house (I wonder if the cistern you found was part of his original waterworks).  According to the article, Oliver Taylor later lived in this house.  The house burned to the ground in 1943, leaving only the rock chimney that stands to this day.

 

Although the history is somewhat sparse on the Knobs, the 1946 magazine article seems to clear up a few things.  I appreciate your time, and hope to meet you at some point in the near future.  I'd be interested to know where some of these structures that you have found are located as well, particularly the cistern.  Thanks and have a good day.

 

Sincerely,

Will Witcher

Bristol, Tennessee