The Deserted Sycamore Village of Cheatham County

Privately printed/Josten Printing Company, 1980. Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine/Very Good. Vintage Hardcover with DJ and related ephemera, Stated Limited First Edition (This copy is #274 of 1000 copies) Signed by the Author 1980 Privately Published/Jostens Printing Company 234 pages. Fine, in a Very Good DJ. Mustard cloth boards with gilt titles - corners sharp. Minor shelf/edge wear, rubbing, a couple of small closed tears and spine fading to unclipped DJ - now in mylar. No previous owner markings - all pages are clean and unmarked. Front endpapers are full color paintings by Glady Kelley Dyer and the rear endpapers are a full color painting by the Author Lois Barnes Binkley. (JUST A QUICK NOTE: This is one of the nicest privately printed books I've come across in over twenty years. The binding, cloth, layout, text and photographs are just superb. Well done. Wish more books were made this well.) Stated Limited First Edition, #274 of 1000 copies, signed by the author on Dec 5th, 1980. Gifted to Joseph and Annie from Theodore and Mary. Laid in is a full page article from The Tennessean dated Nov 18, 1979 that has a listing of all the names of early settler's of Nashville. In 1835 Samuel N. Watson established Sycamore Mills, located on Sycamore Creek four miles north of Ashland City. In 1842 he sold half-interest in the operation and five thousand acres of land to Richard Cheatham, at which time the name was changed to Cheatham, Watson and Company. The operation included a cotton gin, grist mill, and a powder mill, but the manufacture of gunpowder was the most important industry. As one of only two large powder mills in the South, Sycamore Mills became a target for both Federal and Confederate armies in the opening days of the Civil War. In 1862 it quickly came under Union control and suspended operations until the close of the war. In 1869 the Cheatham heirs sold their interest in the mills to the Sycamore Manufacturing Company. The company purchased the machinery of the destroyed Confederate Powder Works in Augusta, Georgia, and moved it to the mills in Cheatham County. In 1893 E. I. Du Pont de Nemours Company purchased the mills. At the time of the closing of the mills in 1904, the daily production had reached 400 kegs of powder. Today Cheatham County retains its reputation as a manufacturing center. With 2,600 employees, State Industries of Ashland City is one of the world's largest suppliers of water heaters, producing 2.3 million heaters a year. A great local history with lots of names, businesses, etc. Filled with vintage photographs. A superb Signed Limited First Edition in a slightly flawed DJ.LOC SSM-08