Clifton, TN – Diamond Island, TN, September 22, 2008

We walked into Clifton this morning. At one time Clifton was a major port and was the home of writer T.S. Stribling. His book “The Store” won a Pulitzer prize in 1933. Clifton is now quite small, population about 800. The business district is 2 blocks long and there are several empty storefronts and many businesses with a ‘for sale’ sign in their window.

We were back to the boat by 10:30 and decided not to stay another day. There wasn’t anything to do in Clifton and it was quite hot in the shelter of the marina. It’s much better to be on the water with a nice cool breeze. We were underway at 11:15.

There are a lot of new homes on the banks of the Tennessee River, many still under construction. All the newer homes are on stilts, to allow for the occasional flooding. Tennessee does not have state income tax and we’ve heard of many retirement communities springing up here.

We also saw many homes being threatened by erosion. For many the river bluff has eroded well into their yards. Some have lost fences and the river bank was within 10 ft of the home. Most are using rock to limit erosion. Some homeowners have resorted to reinforcing the ground with steel pipes and plates.








We saw one example of very aggressive vegetation being used to stabilize the bank.












This two-story house with the square wooden columns is Cherry Mansion, located close to Savannah, TN. Cherry Mansion was constructed by David Robinson in 1830 on top of one of 14 mounds which had been built along the river thousands of years ago. The house was given to his daughter as a wedding gift when she married W.H. Cherry.

General Ulysses S. Grant was eating breakfast here on April 6, 1862, when he heard artillery fire as Confederate forces attached his army at nearby Shiloh. The house served as Grant’s headquarters during the two-day battle. It also served as a field hospital and hospital boats were moored below the house.

We anchored at Diamond Island at 4:15.