Video of William Walton Days from September 28, 2013
William Walton Days
Saturday, September 26, 2015
9 am to 5 pm
Journey back in time with us, learn the history of Smith County and the founder of Carthage, Captain William Walton from the American Revolutionary War and enjoy this Pioneer Celebration. The Historic Courthouse will be transformed into a Colonial Craftmen’s Fair with blacksmiths, cotton weavers, soap makers, basket weavers, quilters and other period craftsmen demonstrating their heritage. Historic Courthouse and Heritage Museum will be open to the public and food vendors will be available.
History of William Walton
William Walton was the first settler in the frontier area which later became Carthage, Tennessee in
Mr. B.J. Reich portraying William Walton in 2012 at the Walton gravesite in Carthage, TN
1783. Mr. Walton was given the Carthage, Tennessee land area for his loyal service in the American Army during the Revolutionary War for freedom against the British Empire from 1776 to 1781. Many historians believe that Mr. Walton built a log cabin on the northeast bank of the Cumberland River in the future Carthage land area during 1783 very near his grave site of 1816. In 1804, Mr. Walton decided to donate for the small amount of $1.00 fifty (50) acres of land to the Town of Carthage, Tennessee in order for a community to develop and create a future city government for the public welfare. 1n 1813, Mr. Walton donated more than two (2) acres of his land inside the Carthage area to the Geneva Academy, which was a Tennessee State government public education institute which supplied teachers if the local community raised a portion of the money and provided a land area for a school as well as a school building. Later in 1814 he built the first Carthage public school in the area where the 1997 Citizens Bank of Carthage now stands. Geneva Academy of Carthage lasted from 1814 to 1907 when Carthage Mayor L.A. Ligon and the Carthage City Council of John Shaw, T.J. Fisher, F.B. McGinness, W.V. Lee, Frank Swope and W.E. Myers took it over until the Smith County School System was formed in 1914.
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