Union Block House
Block houses were built during the Civil War for use as defensive position to protect critical assets. The military bridge spanning the river located here was protected by a block house similar to the example pictured here.
Block houses were constructed with an exterior wall above an embankment made from the dirt excavated from a ditch surrounding the structure. They used heavy vertical and horizontal timbers to withstand artillery fire. Small openings were cut in the timbers just above the dirt embankment to accommodate defensive weapons fire. The tower on top served as a lookout vantage point.
Each block house would have housed from ten to as many as thirty soldiers. The blockhouse troops were often composed of members of regiments from the United States Colored Infantry.
Marker can be reached from River Street south of Cherokee Boulevard (Tennessee Route 8).
Courtesy hmdb.org
