By Tim Farmer
The roots of the people of Cumberland County run as deep as the river for which it is named. The swift waters of the Cumberland River flow from one end of the county to the other, and it is a living landmark of the county’s history.
The river has hosted the likes of Daniel Boone, the Long Hunters, and the Cherokee and Iroquois Indians before them. All along the river and its tributaries signs of the early travelers are apparent.
To say that the county is dominated by the river, though, would be to ignore the rest of the 313 square miles which constitute the county. The economy centers on agriculture and garment factories.
Burkesville, the county seat, is a center of trade and commerce for the area. The town was laid out and marked off on a piece of land given by lshum Burkes on Feb. 27, 1798.
The people of Cumberland County are, in many ways, much the same today as when the county was formed as the 32nd county in the Commonwealth. They are conservative, strongly religious, and have a solid sense of family ties. Because of their traditional values, Cumberland Countians are convinced that nobody enjoys a better quality of life. They are a proud people, not afraid to speak their minds.
On the morning of March 11, 1829, a man named Martin Beaty was drilling a salt well on the banks of Renick’s Creek. He and his helper had been drilling for what seemed like forever and had reached a depth of 170 feet without hitting salt.
As Beaty began his work on that fateful morning, he is quoted as having said, “Today I’ll drill ‘er into salt or Hell.” Many accounts detail what followed. Oil burst forth with such force that it sent oil flying above the tree tops, covering the Cumberland River
The oil slick caught fire and burned for days, causing folks to call it the “river of fire.” It was thought that Beaty had indeed drilled into Hell, children hid under porches, churches were filled to capacity and revivals sprang up everywhere.
All this made Cumberland County the nation’s first oil-producing area, 30 years before the Titusville, Pa., strike that is generally credited as being first.
Cumberland County also has the distinction of having the largest concentration of Methodist churches of any county in the state, with at least 22 within its borders.
One of the most noted characters the county has produced, though, is remembered with an historical marker atop Alpine Mountain.
Legend has it that Capt. Jack McClean was hanged for murder. Before his death, he asked to be buried on the hill overlooking the county because it was “the closest thing to heaven” he could ever hope to attain.
To the residents of Cumberland County, that was no brag, just plain fact. The comparison may be a bit lofty, but nobody there seems to mind.