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 This presentation begins on the southern section
of Long Branch at the modern bridge crossing and continues northward, almost to
the creek's source.
Click on any photo below to see a larger version. A new window containing the
photo will open. Click on the image to the left to see a map of the photo
locations.
Unlike Line Creek and the Walnut Grove valley, there is no one living on Long
Branch today. You can no longer drive through the valley, without a small,
high-clearance, four-wheel drive vehicle or ATV.
(1) The Concrete Bridge
Both of these photos were taken from the concrete bridge that crosses Long
Branch (called Sinking Branch today) north of the
Walnut Grove
Cemetery.
The top photo is facing south--this land was owned by Holbert McClure Sr, then
Holbert McClure Jr.
The bottom photo looks north up Long Branch. In 1866 Holbert Sr owned the land
on the right side of the creek, Holbert Jr owned the left. Malakiah Linville's
and Holbert Jr's land would have intersected on the left-hand side about where
the creek begins to turn left and fade from view. |
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(2) The Big Spring
Part of Long Branch's water flow comes from the "Big Spring" (top).
Water bubbles up through the center of the pool creating almost a boiling
effect on the surface.
The bottom photo show the discharge from the spring alone which then runs into
Long Branch itself.
There's no doubt this was an excellent water source for several generations of
lower Long Branch families. It's possible this spring was mentioned in an 1825
land grant to John Baker. The reference was to
Jacob Renner Jr's
spring; we know at the very least Jacob owned some property nearby (probably
owned the spring itself), perhaps this spring attracted him to this particular
area.
2,300 feet from (1) on the left side of the creek |
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(3) The Old Bridge
Remnants of an old bridge that spanned the creek running out of Opossum Hollow
into Long Branch.
3,500 feet from (1) on the right side of the creek |
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(4) The House on the Rock
This is the oldest homeplace on Long Branch according to sources in the
landowner's family. It sits on a peninsular rocky outcropping up Opossum Hollow
(the first large hollow to the right as you go up the creek), elevated 100 feet
above the Long Branch valley.
The story is that the home was so situated in a protected area with a
commanding view up the hollow in order to provide a good warning in case of an
Indian attack.
I can neither confirm nor dispute any aspect of the story. However, the tale is
intriguing, especially considering the home's location.
Perhaps it's a romantic thought on my part, but there is a possibility that
this was the home of
Jacob Renner Jr.
From grant records, we know Jacob was living on Long Branch in the early 1820s
and that his land, and that of his son Vincent, was very near this location. In
fact, the land where the ruins are located may have been owned by Jacob. There
is a small amount of error in the placement of the land grants in the area and
this property is within the range of error I know exists for Jacob's land.
The top photo is a close-up of the home's chimney. It is unusual in that the
arrangement of the stones indicate it was a corner chimney.
The middle photo is a wider view of where the site. Remains of one foundation
corner can be seen on the left. There are no logs or wooden remains visible.
The bottom photo shows the approach up to the home. There is a bluff of
moss-covered boulders on the front and sides of the site. An old road runs in
up Opossum Hollow, passes in front of this bluff, and continues to the left and
over the ridge, intersecting with the East Fork of Skeggs Creek Road. It was
once the main route connecting Long Branch and the East Fork. Exactly when the
road was built is not known; it was called a "path" in the 1860s.
2,200 feet from (3), up Opossum Hollow northeast of Long Branch |
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(5) Solomon Rowe's Farm
These photos (the top looking to the north, the bottom to the south) were taken
from the what would have been Solomon Rowe's farm. His house was probably out
of the frame and to the right of the bottom photo, but it could also have been
a bit farther north.
When cleared, there was a surprising amount of what looks to have been fairly
good bottom land running the length of Long Branch. These photos give an idea
of what much of the area would have looked like when the valley was inhabited.
I believe there is a "lost" cemetery somewhere along Long Branch.
There are way too many people who lived and died while living along the creek
over the years to have been buried in the known cemeteries. There are some
remembrances of a cemetery near this spot, up on the hill to the right of the
bottom photo. This would seem logical, as we don't know where Solomon and much
of his family are buried. His father, John, was among the earliest residents of
the northern section of Long Branch.
1.1 miles from (1) on the left side of the creek |
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(6) Wesley Mink place
Ruins of a home on the former property of Wesley Alexander Mink (1856-1950).
His first wife was Emily Doan, who died about 1881. He remarried to Elizabeth
Barron in 1881. She died in 1935. Wesley and Elizabeth are buried at the High
Dry Cemetery, but we don't know where Emily is buried.
Wesley's house was actually a short distance to the south of these ruins.
Several of his children also lived on Long Branch; this could be one of their
homes.
1.56 miles from (1) on the right side of the creek |
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(7) Long Branch School
The top photo shows the location where the Long Branch School once stood. In
the background on both the left and right, are the outhouses. The girls'
outhouse is shown in the bottom presentation.
The Long Branch School was a relatively new structure. The operation dates
aren't known with certainty, but it was probably constructed after 1900 and was
still in operation in the 1950s.
1.68 miles from (1) on the left side of the creek |
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(8) The Tall Chimney
It's unknown who owned this home, but it was probably one of the larger, and
nicer, dwellings on Long Branch. Solomon Rowe's father, John, and later
Solomon, owned this property for much of the 1800s. Only the chimney remains
today, but it is unusually well-preserved. Tall and stately, it is remarkably
well-built and still stands almost perfectly straight.
Another unusual feature is that it originally had a double hearth; in other
words, it was open on both sides. This suggests the chimney was near the center
of the home, not on an end like most.
The top and middle photos are different angles of the same site. The bottom
photo shows the remnants of a stone wall which ran some distance along a path
or road in front of the house (the mossy rocks in the foreground of the middle
photos are also remains of the wall).
The road in front of the house is the eastern end of a route that led from Long
Branch up a hollow to the top of the ridge and continued on to today's High Dry
Cemetery where it then connected with the High Dry Road. On some older maps,
the route is called the Kirby Branch Road.
1.72 miles from (1) on the left side of the creek |
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(9) Sam Rowe place
This is a classic example of an older log house which was later expanded and
covered with wood siding (best illustrated in the bottom photo).
The original stone chimney had deteriorated and a newer brick top section was
added in relatively recent times.
John Rowe Sr once owned this property; the cabin was on or very near his
original 1824 land grant. Sam Rowe was the last remembered person to live here.
This Sam may be the son of William Harvey Rowe, son of Solomon. If so, he was
born in 1885. He and his wife, Lena, were living on Long Branch in the 1920s.
1.9 miles from (1) on the left side of the creek |
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(10) Adams Cemetery
This is the only cemetery in the Long Branch valley that is known today. There
are two graves with readable stones: Lucinda Rowe Adams (1872-1901) and her
daughter, Girdie May Adams (1895-1898). Lucinda, who married Allensworth Adams
in 1891, was the daughter of William Harvey Rowe and Armilda McClure; William
was the son of Solomon.
This doesn't appear to be a large cemetery. In addition to the two Adams
stones, there are only five other identifiable graves. Two of those are a few
yards beyond the Adams stones and are marked with fieldstones. They are of
similar size and shape and may be the graves of William Harvey and Armilda.
The cemetery is on property given to William by his father, Solomon.
2.0 miles from (1) on the left side of the creek |
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(11) Lone Chimney
This lone chimney stands near the head of Long Branch, near an old road which
once connected the creek with the Blue Springs area. There are no timbers
remaining.
Although the land was originally owned by Andrew Baker (b. 1802), there's no
evidence that he lived here; another of his grants, near Blue Springs, mentions
his house. So whose home this was is unknown.
2,850 feet from (9) on the right side of the creek |
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(12) Falls of the Long Branch
An 1847 land grant issued to Andrew Baker (b. 1802) mentions the "falls of
the Long Branch" as inside the grant, near northwestern boundary. The
falls will provide a northern anchor point in reconstructing the configuration
of the original Long Branch land grants.
Taking into account both drops, the falls are about 15 feet high.
3,250 feet from (9) on the left side of the creek |
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(13) Old Log Home
These photos are of the remains of another old log home. This one was located
near the main route from Long Branch to Price Branch Road. We don't know who
lived once here.
3,700 feet from (9) on the left side of the creek |
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(14) Home and Well
This home is unusual in that it had a dug water well a few yards away from the
house itself.
The site is in a hollow about halfway up the ridge from Long Branch on a road
called "Kirby Branch Road" on some older maps. This is the same road
that runs in front of (8) above. This road is mentioned as a "path"
in the 1847 Andrew Baker land grant (see 12, above).
The first photo is an wide-angle view of the home's remains. The second is a
close-up of what's left of the chimney. The third looks down the well.
2,000 feet up the hollow from (8) |
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