Fox Hunting in Rutherford County

Fox Hunting One of the earliest sports in the community was fox hunting. Several men in the area had large packs of hounds. Mr. Ed McElroy had twelve. "John" and "Old Blue" were considered champions. Mr. Andy Hoover had nine hounds; among them were "Bugle" and "Trumpet".' Dr. J. D. Hall was another fan. At the time of the Spanish-American War he had two dogs and named his hounds "Dewey" and "Schley" after heroes of the war.

The area around Pilot Knob and Peak's Hill provided a very fine hunting range.

The baying of the hounds "coming 'roung the mountain" filled the night air with music to the fans.

In 1932 Harold Earthman (Doc), Broadus Maples, Wash Powers, and a few others organized the Rutherford County Fox Hunters Association.

Mr. Earthman was the Representative for the Fourth Congressional District at the time. Being a democratic person, he disliked the possibility of this association's becoming a "Gentlemen's Social Organization," as they are in England. He wanted the love of fox hunting to be the ground for belonging, rich or poor, black or white, and not one's wealth or social position.

In 1933 he suggested that the name be changed to the "One Callus Fox Hunters Association."

Mr. Earthman had several friends in Congress who were interested in fox hunting, and being very proud of Tennessee, he decided that he wanted to show those people what a real Tennessee fox hunt was like.

In 1934 he came home from Washington and suggested to the other members of the One Callus Association that they put on the biggest fox hunt that had ever been in the United States. The other members joined readily in his plans.

They chose the harvest moon time in October, and the the area of Pilot Knob, Peaks Hill, and Craig Hollow for the hunt.

The camp was set up in Craig Hollow, and Mr. George Lassiter was put in charge of the food. He barbecued thirteen hogs and made coffee and other things in proportion. A news syndicate in Chicago announced the hunt all over the country, and people came from many areas. The Fox Hunting Magazine of England sent a reporter from London, one came from Chicago, a representative for Time, and the National Fox Hunters Association, and the state and local papers covered it.

Some of Mr. Earthman's friends from Washington, Chicago, and New York came as well as fans from all over Tennessee, and a large representation from Rutherford County. There was an estimated one thousand people there and two hundred dogs. Most of them stayed all weekend.

It was a huge success, and everyone said that there had never been such a fox hunt in the United States. The One Callus Fox Hunters Association has a clubhouse now near Eagleville. They still have annual hunts, but never another like that one.

Kittrell | Rutherford County | Tennessee

Source: Rutherford County Historical Society, Publication No. 2, winter, 1973.
(Sources: Interviews with Mrs. Sam B. Dunn, Mr. Harold Earthman, and Mr. Broadus Maples.)