If you look closely at some of the limestone blocks in the chimney of the Lonesome Cabin, you can see small indentations or void spaces that are called “vugs.”
Beaverdam Creek & The Lonesome Spring
Beaverdam Creek
About a mile to the west of Lonesome Historic Site, the beginnings of Beaverdam Creek flow out of the ground via a spring. Several additional springs contribute water to the creek as it flows eastward toward Lonesome. Seasonally, surface runoff from rainstorms contributes additional water, and causes the creek to swell beyond its banks and create a floodplain. The floodplain was a site of fertile ground near a water source and became another attraction for the family to settle here and raise some crops. A lush ecosystem developed in the creek and its floodplain. A variety of trees, plants, mammals, birds, insects, amphibians, and fish call this creek and the nearby area their home.
The Lonesome Spring
A spring of clear cold water flowing out of the limestone bedrock near the bank of Beaverdam Creek attracted this pioneer family to build their home nearby. A Spring House was constructed over the spring to keep the spring water clean, stored foodstuffs cool, and animals out. It eventually housed an electric pump that brought running water into the cabin. The Spring House is now gone. A “Ghost Structure” of white posts now designates the former location of the Spring House.
LONESOME HISTORIC SITE
2006 TN-96 • Burns, TN 37029 • 615-804-5851
Copyright © Lonesome Historic Site. All rights reserved.
When these vugs are joined together inside the rock, there are passageways for fluids to move through the rock. Much like water can flow through a sponge, water can flow through these passageways in rock. That is how water flows beneath your feet through the limestone bedrock and comes to the surface in places like the Lonesome Spring.