John S. Henderson, the son of a Scottish immigrant, came to the area from Tennessee with his brother William and an enslaved woman named Millie. He bought land including the old farm of Jesse Lane, where the stage stopped, the Hawkins place, the Dr. A. Q. Simmons place, and 180 acres of woodlands, for a total of 720 acres. His house stood on the east side of the LaFayette Road with cedar trees in the yard, and he also brought boxwood from his home in Tennessee. At the time of the 1860 census, Henderson was 52 years old and owned $12,800.00 in real estate and $12,385.00 in personal assets. His household included his 42-year-old wife, five sons, and a daughter. At the start of the war, two of his older sons joined Confederate service, one entering the 26th Tennessee Infantry and dying in prison after his capture at Fort Donelson, and another serving throughout the war in Joe Wheeler's Cavalry, Colonel Avery's Regiment Fourth Cavalry. In the spring of 1863, as the opposing armies drew nearer, Henderson hid gold in the woods east of the house with Millie, whom he trusted to keep it safe. On September 18, 1863, Confederate General Thomas Hindman's Division moved up the LaFayette Road to the plantation, and General Leonidas Polk established his headquarters in the Henderson house while a courier station was set up there for communication with the rest of the army. After a brief artillery duel with Federals at Lee and Gordon's Mills, the Confederates camped on the grounds, and the next day crossed the creek to take part in the main battle. Following the Battle of Chickamauga, a Confederate hospital was established at the Henderson house. After the war, Henderson returned and used the money that Millie had kept safe to rebuild the plantation.

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington

Photo: Dale K. Benington