Last updated: November 7, 2024
Place
Napier Mine, Milepost 381.8
Courtesy Lawrence County Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Natchez Trace Parkway, Milepost 381.8 near Hohenwald, Tennessee
Significance:
Old Mining Site
Amenities
3 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Parking - Bus/RV
This open pit was worked in the 1800s to supply ore for the tools the settlers needed. Shellfish deposited here throughout this part of Tennessee more than 400 million years ago have transformed into limestone layers containing phosphate, an important fertilizer at least since the 1860s.
John Catron was a principal promoter of the activities here in the 1820s and 1830s. Catron later became the Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The mine took its name from Catron's predecessors, the Napiers.
John Catron was a principal promoter of the activities here in the 1820s and 1830s. Catron later became the Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The mine took its name from Catron's predecessors, the Napiers.