You are here: Home > Community History > The Shiney Rock Community
The Shiney Rock Community
The Shiney Rock community is located three miles south of Smithville on Pine Creek. The name is said to have come from the illegal selling of whiskey, when a customer would place money under a "shiney rock" and leave. When he returned after a little while, a bottle of whiskey would be waiting there. But, if he appeared before a grand jury under oath, he could truthfully say that he did not buy whiskey from any person!
The post office at Shiney Rock operated from 1882 until 1904, and was named Hollandsworth, after the merchant in whose store it was located. The store had many different owners, including Athol Foster and Will Underhill. The present Shiney Rock Market is owned by Ronnie Mack Davis. It is located where John P. Tittsworth lived in 1900. Tittsworth was a nurseryman and traveled to other states selling fruit trees, etc. It was through his influence that two families moved in from other states: the Lentz family from West Virginia and the Eller family of North Carolina.
The Zachariah Davis family moved from near Dowelltown with sons Wyatt Lee, Charlie and Virgil, along with a daughter, Nola, who was, for many years, the Smithville Review correspondent from Hollandsworth.
Jerome Mangum and his son-in-law Riley Turner lived on nearby farms. Riley Turner and his sons Will and Charlie made and sold sorghum molasses for many years. Claude Miller also made molasses at his farm on McMinnville Highway.
The school at Shiney Rock was named Oak Grove, and had two teachers most of the time. The land for the school was donated by Richard Tittsworth in 1873. In the 1880's, Sunday School was held in the school building. In 1889, the Whorton Springs Baptist Church was organized, and remains active today. The Whorton Springs Cemetery was established in 1929 on land donated by D.R.L. (Red Bob) Turner, and is also still in use today.
The big spring near the church was owned by Abraham Farrington in 1819. Farrington had a sawmill, a grist mill and a paper mill there, but all had been destroyed by 1838, possibly due to a flood. This spring and the land around it was aquired by Joseph P. Whorton in 1845, 1846 and 1866. The Whorton name stayed with the spring, even though Joseph P. Whorton apparently never lived in DeKalb County at all. In 1860, he and his family lived in Wilson County. In the 1890's the land and spring were owned by John W. Jacobs. In later years, it was owned by Elzie Tittsworth.
The post office at Shiney Rock operated from 1882 until 1904, and was named Hollandsworth, after the merchant in whose store it was located. The store had many different owners, including Athol Foster and Will Underhill. The present Shiney Rock Market is owned by Ronnie Mack Davis. It is located where John P. Tittsworth lived in 1900. Tittsworth was a nurseryman and traveled to other states selling fruit trees, etc. It was through his influence that two families moved in from other states: the Lentz family from West Virginia and the Eller family of North Carolina.
The Zachariah Davis family moved from near Dowelltown with sons Wyatt Lee, Charlie and Virgil, along with a daughter, Nola, who was, for many years, the Smithville Review correspondent from Hollandsworth.
Jerome Mangum and his son-in-law Riley Turner lived on nearby farms. Riley Turner and his sons Will and Charlie made and sold sorghum molasses for many years. Claude Miller also made molasses at his farm on McMinnville Highway.
The school at Shiney Rock was named Oak Grove, and had two teachers most of the time. The land for the school was donated by Richard Tittsworth in 1873. In the 1880's, Sunday School was held in the school building. In 1889, the Whorton Springs Baptist Church was organized, and remains active today. The Whorton Springs Cemetery was established in 1929 on land donated by D.R.L. (Red Bob) Turner, and is also still in use today.
The big spring near the church was owned by Abraham Farrington in 1819. Farrington had a sawmill, a grist mill and a paper mill there, but all had been destroyed by 1838, possibly due to a flood. This spring and the land around it was aquired by Joseph P. Whorton in 1845, 1846 and 1866. The Whorton name stayed with the spring, even though Joseph P. Whorton apparently never lived in DeKalb County at all. In 1860, he and his family lived in Wilson County. In the 1890's the land and spring were owned by John W. Jacobs. In later years, it was owned by Elzie Tittsworth.