Old Gray Cemetery

06/21/2026

Albers Fountain Postscript

A rich design detail of the original Ella Albers Memorial Fountain has been forgotten over the last 136 years, and when an Albers descendant recently brought an artifact from the original fountain, we thought we should add to its story.

The artifact was one of the panther head spouts which circled the tier above the two seated muses. The Greeks and Romans widely incorporated panther and lion heads into fountains, baths, and public architecture, and these motifs were popular in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially during the Gilded Age. As in the Albers Fountain, the mouths of the animals often functioned as water spouts, combining decorative beauty with practical water flow.

There are no photos of the original Albers Fountain which show water spraying from the panther heads, but two newspaper clips provide evidence that it did. A Journal & Tribune description of the formal dedication of the fountain on Aug 6, 1890, noted that at the end of the ceremony “Alber’s daughter, 4-year-old Eleanor, stepped up and turned the lever which sent the water spraying from the many jets of the fountain.” Also, a sketch of the fountain with operational spouts appeared in the Aug 7, 1890, Journal & Tribune.

The installation of the fountain was a major event in Knoxville. The Aug 9, 1890, Journal & Tribune noted that “hundreds of people have visited Gray Cemetery during the last few days to see the Albers Memorial Fountain.” The design was by J. W. Fiske & Company of New York City, the most prominent American manufacturer of decorative cast iron and zinc in the second half of the 19th century. There are at least two other similar Fiske fountains in the US, one on a private estate in Atherton, CA, and one in a public park in Clinton, MA.

Because of the expense of installation and upkeep of a water treatment system, the Albers Fountain replication has only one working spout, the one in the water bearer’s urn. In mythology, the water bearer represents spiritual nourishment, emotional healing, renewal, and transformation. The grieving maidens below are the beneficiaries. The Ella Albers Memorial Fountain, once again the centerpiece in Old Gray, continues to inspire, console, and enthrall both the casual visitor and the one seeking momentary respite.

06/16/2026

Thank you Tennessee America 250 and WVLT! ❤️🇺🇸

One of Knoxville’s oldest cemetery unveils new flagstaff, offers tours and ice cream

06/15/2026

Flag Day was celebrated yesterday in Old Gray. Many thanks to Tennessee America 250 and Axle Logistics for contributions making this possible.🇺🇸

06/11/2026

06/04/2026

The arboreal embrace of William Henry Fizer’s (1861-1937) gravestone has increased since the photo taken six years ago. The change spurred this deeper look at his interesting life.

Fizer was born in Mt. Sterling, KY, where his father, Samuel Fizer, drove the stagecoach from Paris to Mt. Sterling. William moved to Knoxville in 1885 and that same year married young widow Tennessee (“Tennie”) Young Gurley (1860-1938), daughter of Civil War Col. Isham Young. Tennie’s first husband, an engineer with the ETV&G RR, died at age 30 in a railroad accident in 1881, leaving her with two small children.

Fizer first worked for the Knoxville Brick Co., and, as co-owner and VP, was later in charge of building the brick, 4-story Palace Livery Stable* on State St which he bought in 1886. He was a fine brick mason (the Palace was described as mammoth and palatial), but his main interest was horse racing and training. He sold the brick company in 1889 and from approx. 1900-1903, his primary residence was in St. Louis where he stabled up to 20 horses and raced several at the Delmar Park Jockey Club. He and Tennie traveled widely attending races. They had only one child of their own, a son who died in 1896 at age three of pneumonia.

For several years Fizer owned as many as 100 horses which he kept at his New Orleans stable.
His horses were some of the biggest winners in 1902 there, but the following year he was barred from entering after using stimulants on his horses. He made every effort to have the horses reinstated as the property of Tennie but was repeatedly denied. Doping was a common practice, and in 1904 he was reinstated and dominated racing news for the next several years. He won acclaim as the trainer of Pink Star, the 1907 winner of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. In 1908 his horse Pinkola took first place in the Latonia Derby in Latonia, KY; and in 1909 Florial took first place at KY Oaks. In 1920 he was the trainer for a string of horses owned by silent film actor William Farnum in New Orleans.

Fizer’s last win was at the 1929 Rainbow stakes in Yonkers, NY, netting $2,530. Tennie, who no longer traveled with him, said that he wrote 4 or 5 letters a week sharing his enthusiasm for the races. In 1931, four of Fizer’s horses perished in a stable fire in New Orleans, and this was the last time his name appeared in St. Louis newspapers. In Feb 1932 his name appeared in a Notice of Bankruptcy list in the News-Sentinel. In ensuing years, Fizer continued to attend the winter races in NYC but no longer entered horses. In Feb 1937, against his doctor’s advice due to high blood pressure, he traveled to NY to attend the races and died there in Bellevue Hospital at age 75. His obituary in the Knoxville Journal said that “the sport of kings lured him to his death.” Tennie said she didn’t know how the family would ever manage without his letters. His step-daughter said he always called Knoxville his home, although he stayed mostly in hotels in the Blue Grass region.

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*The Palace Livery Stable on State St. and the Pryor Brown Stables on Church Street were consolidated in 1895. The new business, known as the Knoxville Livery and Stock Co., on the corner of State and Clinch Sts, was owned by Pryor Brown and managed by D.A. Carpenter. Around 1915 the original Pryor Brown stable on Church Street became the Pryor Brown Garage and Transfer Co., and the first automobiles to use it were parked in horse stalls (KNS, Jan 15, 1952).

06/01/2026

Some pretty trees blooming in Old Gray now.

05/24/2026

One of the most revered citizens in Knoxville history was Capt. Joseph Jacques (1825-1885).

Capt. Jaques was born in Knock, Westmorland, a small village in Cumbria, England. He was the son of William Jaques (1765-1852) and Mary Hudson. The family traveled from Liverpool to Baltimore on the Hannah Sprague in 1842. They settled in or near Abingdon, Washington County, VA, where his parents are buried.

Joseph started with nothing and continually advanced, first working as a stone mason, then for a planter for $5 a month. He then moved to nearby Saltville, VA, to work for a salt mining firm (the 1850 census lists him as a clerk). In 1853 and 1854 he ran a steamboat line based in Loudon which ran between Chattanooga and Knoxville, thus the title “Captain.” He superintended construction of the vessels in Pittsburgh while educating himself on every aspect of this new venture. He was also an agent of the ETn&Ga RR for which the steamers were constructed. The 1852 manifest of his steamer Loudon from Pittsburgh to Nashville lists an incredible amount of merchandise, plus 85 cabin passengers and 80 deck passengers. The three successive steamers were the Loudon, Tennessee and Knoxville. For a brief time in 1857 he operated the light steamer Joseph Jacques from Knoxville to Louisville where passengers continued on 4-horse coaches to Montvale Springs, total time on the TN River 1-1/2 hrs.

Joseph did not serve in the Civil War but did provide provisions for the Confederate Army, actions that resulted in a presidential pardon. He married Jane Whitaker of Lindell, Smyth County, VA, in 1853. Lindell is midway between Abingdon and Saltville.

Around 1855 he was appointed Depot Agent of ETV&G RR Co in Knoxville around. While DA, he was elected Mayor of Knoxville 1858. In 1859 he was elected as one of 30 delegates to attend the state democratic convention in Nashville and in 1861 to the Knoxville Board of Aldermen.

He was elected president of the ETN&V RR in 1868 and held the post for the period of its reclamation following the Civil War, which had destroyed pretty much all but the roadbed, and involved clearing an enormous debt. In 1869 he was appointed to a finance committee for the ETN&Ga RR. That year he was also elected Gen Supt of the Holston Salt & Plaster Works at a salary of $5,000 where 23 yrs before he had worked as a common laborer for $12 a month.

In 1870 the Jaques family moved permanently to Knoxville. In Jan 1873, the Jaques Italian style residence, known as Annandale, was completed on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Central which occupied an entire city block. (The house was demolished in 1909 to make way for the new Knoxville High School.) At some point he kept a pet deer in a clover field near the depot.

Capt. Jaques had a shock of bright red hair, a florid complexion and was said to have a big heart and a big brain. A favorite motto of his was “Politeness is mighty cheap.” He was known for his charity and deep humanity. In 1875 when a bridge collapse resulted in the death of the engineer, Capt Jacques, then Railroad Superintendent who had been nearby inspecting roads and arrived at the scene in time to witness the accident, was said to have wept like a child.

Jane and Joseph had no children of their own but raised Jane’s sister’s child, Susan Ayers, who came to them quite young and was their heir. In later years Capt. Jaques founded and was president of the E TN Natl Bank and was a trustee of the Deaf & Dumb Asylum. His wife was a member of the Broad Street ME Church, corner of Broad and Fifth, and though he never joined, he was beloved by its members and pastor, Rev. William Bays, and through the years he covered any deficit on church ledgers.

Capt. Jaques died of a heart attack on Jun 19, 1885, at age 60. His obituary said of him, “he was self-made, a quiet, retiring, modest man...a public-spirited citizen and a fine example of what a young man of force and sense can do for himself in this free country.” The full eulogy given in Gray Cemetery by Rev. William Bays was also published in full.

There were several sterling homages in regional newspapers, but the one that touches most was a note from Rev. Bays, also an exemplary character, to the Asheville Advance announcing the death: “He was a man of large heart and great benevolence and in some respects the best friend I have found aside from my own family. I feel that in his death one of the real props of life has been removed. Truly in the midst of life we are in death. As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.”

05/16/2026

Catching Old Gray’s catalpa tree in bloom mid to late May is always a delight. Catalpas have long been planted as ornamental specimens in parks and arboreta for years, and there are now many naturally occurring hybrids, but, still, they are not that common.

The leaves are huge and the blooms are orchid-like with central colors of purple, magenta, and yellow, and they smell wonderful. The common name is “Indian bean tree” because of the long seed pods. An arborist friend tells us the tree is easy to propagate from seeds, is a relatively fast grower, and tolerates most soil types and drought conditions once established. It’s at the end of the center drive, and if you come in the next week or so you can enjoy the blooms.

05/10/2026

An important figure in Knoxville’s railroad history is Joseph Armbruster (1831-1906). Born in Baden-Württemberg, Stuttgart, Germany, Armbruster emigrated to America in 1848 at age 17 unaccompanied by any relatives. He was a skilled cabinetmaker and worked that trade in NY for six years.

He came to Knoxville in 1854 and immediately began working for the RR as a carpenter. That year he helped build the first freight depot in Knoxville on Jackson St (now Ave) for the ETV&G RR. He became master of car building and repairs on the ETV&G in 1860. During the Civil War, when railcars were either destroyed by Longstreet or thrown in the river, Armbruster was employed as a Union bridge builder and relocated to Huntsville, AL. In 1864, he assisted in rebuilding the Loudon Bridge which had been burned by Confederates. After the war, he returned to Knoxville, supervised the building of rail shops, and was soon promoted to chief car inspector.

Armbruster married Mary Clark (1839-1876) in 1871. Mary died in June 1876 at age 37. He next married widow Margaret Grant Tolmie (1849-1914) in Sep 1876. Margaret was a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and came to America in 1854, possibly with her first husband Robert Tolmie (1844-1872), also a native of Glasgow. (We wrote about the Tolmie RR men in Dec 2019.)

Robert was shot at the rail yard after a dispute with another rail employee in 1872. The couple had a two-year-old son, Andrew Tolmie (1870-1951), who began working for the railroad at age 15 as a carpenter and retired as a machinist after 50 years. For every one of those 50 years he was elected treasurer of the Hill City Lodge No. 58, Intl Machinists Assn.

Joseph and Margaret had two children, a daughter (Mary Ann named after his first wife) and a son (Joseph George). At age 72, just two years before his death, Joseph was lauded in a Knoxville Sentinel column for being the oldest citizen still employed by the railroad.

The new Jackson Avenue freight depot built of brick and completed in 1889 is now the site of Jackson Terminal, a popular event venue.

We can only imagine local excitement over the first passenger trains when previously the only mode of transportation was horse and buggy. Looking back to that day in Jun 1855 when the first ET&Va passenger trains rolled into Knoxville, we share the words in the Knoxville Register: “As we stood last week and saw the swift passenger train dart up to our very city, and the omnibuses carry their loads of passengers in three minutes to our sumptuous hotels, we vividly realized that a new era for Knoxville had arrived.” One of the proudest looking on must surely have been 24-yr-old Joseph Armbruster.

05/02/2026

Many thanks to the David Amburn team for their work at Old Gray this morning. 13 volunteers gathered unwanted garbage, raked leaves, and cleared limbs from the area. Our south wall has never looked better!