The earliest reference to the name "Shackle Island" was June 8, 1797, when surveyor William Lytle recorded a North Carolina land grant to William Tyrrell.[5] He wrote, "Beginning at a sweet gum, honey locust, and elm standing on an island. . . on the West side below the Great Road". The great road he referred to was Long Hollow Pike, and the body of water that created the island was Drake's Creek .[5] An 1878 county map (below) labels the site "Shackle Island" and shows Long Hollow Pike running east-west through it.[5] The name became official when the post office recognized it in 1900.[6]
Shackle Island, Sumner County, Tennessee, 1878. Arrows show bifurcation of Drake's Creek to create an island (see coordinates above).
The “Island” was made by Drake’s Creek, flowing south toward the Cumberland River. Centuries ago the creek's path split into two channels (see image) that shortly rejoined, thereby created a small section of land in between them that Lytle described as an “island.” But over time, the eastern brach dried up The western branch remained, so there was no longer an island. As of 2016, the eastern branch has largely disappeared but remains identifiable.[7]
The origin of “Shackle” is uncertain. One local legend attributes it to a small shack on an island in the creek where illegal whiskey was sold,[8] but this explanation has been discounted, as even the earliest settlers referred to the area as “Shackle Island.” Another unproven theory suggests the name derived from a site where enslaved people were held, referencing the fact that hundreds of enslaved individuals were marched through Tennessee to western markets.[7] The Tennessee State Archives and Museum holds one documented connection to a distillery in the area: a letter from Dr. Joshua Franklin to Daniel Montgomery (born 1789) ordering one dollar’s worth of whiskey for medicinal use.[7] Montgomery operated the distillery along with a farm, sawmill, and gristmill. He died in 1855 at Shackle Island and is buried in nearby Beech Cemetery."[7]
Incidents with Native Americans
To receive land granted for their service in the Revolutionary War, many Americans traveled from the north over the Cumberland Mountains to establish settlements on their new property.[9]:5 Many traveled along Sumner County creeks like Drakes, Manskers, Bledsoe, and Station Camp, all leading to the Cumberland River.[9] The Cumberland was a gateway west to Texas, or south to New Orleans.[9]:5 In the last half of the eighteenth century, the White settlers of Sumner County were in constant peril of Native American attacks, and never ventured from home without being armed.[10]:21 Attacks by Native Americans in this area peaked from 1780 to 1800.[11] The Cherokees and the Creeks were constantly on the war path and incidents with them were recorded to strengthen the case for militia protection for the residents.[10]:21 In April, 1788, three sons of William Montgomery were killed and scalped on Shackle Island at Drake's Creek.[10]:23[11]
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,331 people, 1,042 households, and 916 families residing in the CDP.
Geography
Shackle Island is located in the southwestern portion of Sumner County at the crossroad intersection of Tennessee State Routes 174 and 258, about 4 miles (6.4km) north of Hendersonville.
↑ Miller, Larry L. (2001). Tennessee Place Names. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. p.186. ISBN0253339847.
1 2 3 Drake, Doug; Masters, Jack; Puryear, Bill (2009). Founding of the Cumberland Settlements The First Atlas 1779–1804 (2ed.). Gallatin, Tennessee: Warioto Press. ISBN9780982462706.
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