The story of a remote community in Tennessee with a frontier spirit. So remote, it even attracted Jesse James. Located less than 10 miles from Tennessee's state capital, the area now called Whites Creek is a rural historic district settled by Zachariah White during the late 18th century. Nestled between the Central Basin and the Highland Rim, Whites Creek is located on the Cumberland, or Shawnee, River Plateau, which is the largest wooded plateau in the world. Known for its resiliency to climate change and alluvial soil, the area boasts rich farmland comparable to the Mississippi Delta. It is surrounded by desolate hills and hollers that even drew Jesse James to the area with hopes of laying low and living off the land. Today, the frontier spirit still lives on throughout the region as residents typically embody a similar bold and independent ethos much like those who settled here long ago.
Thomas B. Oliverio is a writer, musician, and multi-medium producer based in Whites Creek, Tennessee.