Episode 3807

- [Announcer 1] Tennessee Crossroads is made possible in part by...

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- This time on Tennessee Crossroads, we'll tour a ghostly mansion, meet a songwriting painter, satisfy your sweet tooth in Lynchburg, and have breakfast in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. Now, that is a full half an hour and we're glad you're with us. Hi everybody, I'm Miranda Cohen, thanks for joining us. Well, it is that time of the year again. It seems everywhere you turn, there is something Halloween related around every corner. In our first story, we take you to a favorite local haunt that has plenty of history plus a little supernatural activity.

- Well, we are inside the parlors of the Hermitage Mansion and we're going to talk about our Ghost Tour program, which is a perennial favorite here at the Hermitage.

- [Miranda] Keith Hardison is the Director of Interpretations at the Hermitage, the home of General Andrew Jackson. In fact, history tells us Jackson loved his stately home so much he didn't really want to leave and go to the White House when he was elected as the seventh president back in 1828.

- This is as close as you can get to time travel. Experience another world, experience stories that are heroic and tragic, often combined in the same people.

- [Miranda] And the not so forgotten tragic tales of the Jackson family are what keep the faithful coming back, especially at this time of the year.

- That even if you've, "I've done ghost tours," not really because these are new additions, some old favorites and some things that even we didn't know but, through research, have discovered.

- [Miranda] The Jacksons were no strangers to hardship, sorrow, death and great loss. And many say, this house remembers it all.

- We have documentation for where these stories come from. And so, they are rooted in factual information and there's still some things that have come to light that shall, we say, have yet to be explained.

- [Miranda] Like the well documented story of two members of the Ladies Hermitage Society, who spent a not so peaceful night at the Hermitage way back in 1893. So Mr. Hardison we are in the front parlor so these are the exact rooms where the ladies were when they heard all of the commotion.

- Yes, right here. They had camped out, had a small table, a lantern, chairs and a mattress. So all was quiet until, at midnight, there arose such a clatter, there was the sound as if Jackson on horseback was leading his entire army through the entry hall. And they rushed through that door to find out what was going on, only to have the sound stop and to see nothing.

- Whether tricks of the spirit or tricks of the mind, this is just one of the many historical and haunted stories you can hear on the hour and a half walking tour. You will start at the Welcome Center, be guided by lantern through the gardens, and then get a very rare glimpse of the candlelit mansion after dark. When you visit the Hermitage during the day, it is interesting, educational and quite an experience. But when you visit it at night, it is something entirely different. That is when the legends of the duel partners, the haunted love affair, the mysterious illnesses and sudden deaths all come to life. And, trust us, it is an entirely different experience.

- If you've never been to the Hermitage at night that in and of itself without the stories is a totally different vibe, it's a very special experience. But with those stories, it is an unforgettable combination that you don't wanna miss.

- [Miranda] And fittingly, the final stop is the final resting place of Andrew Jackson and his beloved wife, Rachel. And some say you might just catch a glimpse of the general making his nightly rounds.

- Rachel died in December of 1828, right after he had been notified that he had won the presidency. Jackson, there was not a cemetery here at that point, so Jackson buries her in her favorite place at the plantation, which is her garden. And when Jackson came home from the White House, as long as he physically was able, he would make the short walk out here and talk to her for a while, talking about how he loved her and telling what had been going on in his day and so forth. His slab is very plain, that it's only General Andrew Jackson, the date of his birth, the date of his death. There is no epitaph because his name speaks for itself.

- [Miranda] So if you're a history buff or just enjoy the unexplained join in the ghost tours, the tragedy and mystery of the Hermitage from mid-September until the end of October.

- [Keith] History doesn't make people, people make history and we see ourselves in history. But we also see the adventures, the sacrifices, the achievements, the sadness and tragedy, and it's, in a sense, a reflection of us.

- Up next, Ray Stevenson moved to Nashville to be a songwriter, and he's done that quite successfully, but he's made an equally impressive mark on Music City with his paintbrush. Our Tammi Arender introduces us to this very unique artist.

- [Ray] If you combine that sort of Rembrandt looking portrait with like Spider-Man comic books or Gustav Klimt, if Gustav Klimt meets Rembrandt with a little pop culture thrown in, that sort of encapsulates my style, I guess.

- [Tammi] Ray Stevenson is a Georgia native who moved to Nashville to pursue music. But his back burner hobby, painting, pursued him.

- So when I moved here, I continued to paint and I taught a painting class actually a couple nights a week for about 10 years, which was really good because it forced me to learn a bunch of things that my students were wanting to learn.

- [Tammi] Music has been his bread and butter. He's written songs for Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney and Miranda Lambert. He's been part of four Grammy nominated projects. But he sort of hit a writer's block in his songwriting several years ago. So he decided to start strumming with brush strokes instead of a guitar pick.

- I've always put painting sort of on the back burner and I've never just like gone for it. And it was like, "What could I do "if I just like didn't hold back and went for it?" And so, I decided I was gonna give myself two or three months to just like, have fun and do that. All those paintings that I did in that two or three months ended up going into a show that I ended up selling everything, which led to me needing to do more, which led to, I got asked to be the official artist of the Monsters of Rock cruise, which I did for several years, which had like 20 different rock bands from the '80s. And, and so I would do a painting of all the different bands and then sell it to their fans. And so , I ended up developing this like series of rock and roll paintings. And then when people would see those, they would say, "Well, hey, I saw..." You know, "Could you do me a David Bowie "or could you do me a Frank Zappa," or something like that. So that my catalog of paintings just grew, which led to me doing a series of country artists.

- [Tammi] His artwork has been on display in several notable Nashville landmarks from 3rd & Lindsley to The Bluebird Cafe, to the Country Music Hall of Fame, just to name a few. The paintings are personal and peculiar in a positive way. Most are done from photographs.

- [Ray] Step one, I think the most important thing in a painting, especially if you're working from a photograph, is to find a photograph that just moves you somehow. If the subject matter moves me, then my percentage of me being able to move other people goes way up. So I always try to find photos that I feel like have some sort of soul or capture the essence of a Johnny Cash or a Jimi Hendrix, you know, when they're like really in the moment of doing what makes them special.

- [Tammi] Much of his art now is commission work, like this one for a friend who is a coffee roaster in North Carolina.

- [Ray] Based off my friend Matt's family, who were bootleggers. And so, they commissioned a painting of some bootleggers, which sort of has a dark... not a dark, but a somber vibe to it, but they needed it to be very bright so that it brightened up this dark room. So that is my challenge with the painting out there is to maintain the sort of tough grandpa's bootlegger vibe, but be very colorful.

- His artwork can range from lifelike portraits to 3D and psychedelic. So much of Ray's artwork is very unique. Take this one, for instance, it's actually 3D. Wow, just jumps off the page.

- [Ray] I use a stencil and it's just tracing circles and so, it's like relaxing to come over here and work on this for a little bit. And then, once I get ready, then I can sit down and I can focus and kind of change modalities or whatever, however I'm feeling. Some days I feel like painting and some days I feel like playing the guitar or working on music.

- [Tammi] So Stevenson gets to step into the creative world of his own choosing any given day. Making art for fans of famous singers or creating keepsakes of those famous to only a few.

- [Ray] I do a lot of moms and dads, which turn into family heirlooms and just things that really mean somethin' You know, a painting of Johnny Cash is Johnny Cash, but a painting of your grandpa, you know, means more to you. So I do a lot of that.

- Thanks Tammi. When you hear the name Lynchburg, candy probably isn't the first thing that comes to your mind. Where our own Cindy Carter might just change your mind when you sample the sweets at Velma's Candy Shop.

- [Cindy] Wanna feel like a kid in a candy store? In Lynchburg, Tennessee you absolutely can. In the town's old times square is Velma's Candy store, a sweet spot for homemade confections.

- We also try to just get creative with our candy and do stuff outside the box. I mean, you can always get a peanut butter cup but, you know, a peanut butter cup squished in between two Oreos is a different story.

- [Cindy] And the story of Velma's also includes, if you can pull your eyes away from that display counter, buckets and boxes of the retro candy that many of us grew up with.

- [Kelly] Anything that we had as a child, even if my distributor doesn't have it, I try to get online and find it somewhere.

- [Cindy] If you make the sweet trip to Velma's, there's a good chance you'll run into owner, Kelly Sandifer.

- Do you like caramel?

- [Customer 1] I love caramel.

- [Customer 2] Hi.

- [Kelly] You're welcome.

- [Cindy] Kelly's candy crush began when, as a child, she haunted the candy aisle inside her grandparents' local grocery store, also on the Lynchburg Town Square,

- It was called V & J Market. It's now where the Harley Davidson store is. My siblings and I would spend our childhood in their candy aisle just gobbling up everything that they would let us gobble up. And we were very popular because our friends would be able to come over after school and do the same thing.

- The V in V & J Market stood for Grandma Velma. And she remains a powerful presence in the candy shop that also bears her name. Kelly believes it's a name that sets just the right tone.

- [Kelly] It's very old fashioned, yes, you don't hear too many people named Velma.

- All of our whiskey truffles get dipped in dark chocolate except for the apple pie, it's in white.

- [Cindy] Inside Velma's kitchen, Shannon Millsaps and her daughter Emma create the many delicious delights that adorn Velma's display case. And it probably wouldn't surprise you to know that the not so secret ingredient in some of their most popular offerings comes from the nearby Jack Daniels distillery. From the tasty truffles to the fabulous fudge.

- [Kelly] The one that's been around the longest is the pecan, chocolate pecan with Old No 7. It's like a semi-sweet chocolate with the Old No 7. And then, we soak the pecans in Jack and add them last to where they still have that full flavor of Jack in 'em. The truffles each have the same basic recipe. It's a buttercream fondant, then we add the different whiskeys to give them a different flavor.

- [Cindy] The various spirits of Jack Daniels, such as the Tennessee Fire or Tennessee Honey used in the Bee Sting truffles do flavor many of Velma's sweet treats. But there are also plenty of options with teetotalers in mind, like Grandma Velma's favorite, turtles.

- [Kelly] We wanted our turtles to look like turtles, so each of the pecans are strategically placed. One's the head and we got the feet, and the little legs and it's just really cute.

- [Cindy] Other creative concoctions from the kitchen, the Oh Yes We Did, which is a peanut butter cup sandwiched between two Oreos and dipped in milk chocolate. The brother to that is a peanut butter cup sandwiched between two nutter butters and dipped in milk chocolate. How about a Puttin' on the Ritz? That's peanut butter between two Ritz crackers then, what else, dipped in chocolate and stamped with a V for Velma.

- [Kelly] Our candy, we want it to be delicious, but we want it to be pretty too.

- At Velma's Southern hospitality is also on display. Warm and inviting, you can't help but feel welcome and nostalgic when you walk through that pink door. I mean, come on, when was the last time you had a Clark's candy bar, or Beemans chewing gum, or saltwater taffy? The candy/retro candy that's also sold at Velma's just sweetens that old fashioned candy store experience.

- [Kelly] We got bit now, Bit of Honey and we also... let's see.

- [Cindy] Ultimately, Kelly and company hope their little candy land brings more locals back to Lynchburg's Town Square. Like Grandma Velma's grocery store once did.

- [Kelly] This is where Lynchburg's history was made is on this square and now, people are coming back and kind of remembering the charm and remembering Lynchburg, this is their hometown. This is theirs and Velma's is theirs. Bye y'all. [Customers] Bye.

- [Kelly] Thank you.

- Thanks Cindy, fun place. No matter how you spend your day in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, you always wanna start out with a great breakfast. How 'bout a place with historical ambiance? And they have an unlimited array of breakfast delicacies. And while they are not required, stretchy pants might just come in handy.

- If you're gonna compete for the tourist dollars in a town like Gatlinburg, you better have something special, even for breakfast. That's why we decided to camp out for a while at Crockett's Breakfast Camp and see why folks say it's worth the wait. Before plunging too far into the sumptuous food fare, here's a little backstory. Crockett's Breakfast Camp is dedicated to the legacy of a 19th century Smoky Mountain frontiersman, David "Crockett" Maples, an excellent cook and ancestor of the restaurant's founder, Kirby Smith.

- This gentleman wanted to provide food for the loggers and he built a nice little place over here and fed the loggers for a good price. And that was Kirby's idea was to build a nice looking place, give a generous amount of food at a good price and good quality.

- [Joe] That's John Sports, better known as "Sporty," who oversees the ever humming, hustling kitchen. Like a well tuned machine, his staff produces made from scratch breakfast dishes from colossal sized pancakes to massive egg dishes. Out in the dining room, the rustic atmosphere is a show in itself with reclaimed barn wood walls covered with artifacts that portray earlier mountain times. It's much like a museum of Gatlinburg history. Oh, check this, all the doors use low tech counterweights and sandbags. Now just beyond the cozy fireplace, visitors can witness the making of the camp's ever popular cinnamon rolls.

- [John] The dough we make the day before. So when we bring it out in the morning, we let it proof, let it finish proofing and soften up, and then we'll roll. We'll get it out on the table and we'll roll it out and we'll get it to about a seven foot length to about three foot width and put some cinnamon, butter and brown sugar on it. And we roll it up. And we'll cut it in about four inch sections and get about 24 cinnamon rolls out of it. Put 'em in our pans, proof 'em in our box and bake 'em and hope we don't run out of 'em.

- [Joe] Well over 100 are consumed each morning at Crockett's. And, more often than not, they're shared. But for the serious cinnamon roll aficionado, you can always take it a step further.

- [John] That we take the same cinnamon roll and we dip it in our made from scratch french toast batter and we put it on the flat top and press it down so it's not quite as thick as a normal one. And then, we'll top it off with our caramel sauce, that we make here, and whipped cream and powdered sugar. And it's a pretty good treat for most people.

- [Joe] Pancakes are to Gatlinburg, what lobsters are to Maine. But here it's like the pancakes are on steroids.

- [John] They're probably about four times the size of a normal pancake. They're about an inch thick and about five inches in diameter and, again, that's a pretty good sized meal that we serve too.

- [Customer 3] I have a cinnamon swirl pancake.

- [Joe] Are you gonna make it all the way?

- I am not going to make it all the way, it is very good though.

- Our signature items are our skillets. We serve a 10 pound cast iron skillet that is with our signature items, depending on what you like. We have a variety of stuff from Mexican to healthy buckwheat pancakes to omelets, to french toast to waffles.

- [Joe] Gotta say, I never heard anyone complain about not getting enough food. But I also never heard much talk about lunch plans either.

- I think most people say that... What you hear a lot is if you eat breakfast at Crockett's, you won't have lunch. You know, you'll be fed all day long.

- [Joe] So while there's lots of competition for dining dollars in a tourist town like Gatlinburg, word gets around when a place has got the absolute breakfast experience.

- They all communicate what's going on, where they've been, if their experience is in Gatlinburg, they tell people what they liked, what they don't like, what to do, kind of what to avoid. And I think Crockett's is one of the things on their list that they do, to come to see besides the aquarium.

- We like it.

- It's awesome.

- It's great.

- Yeah, it's great, very good.

- [Joe] And it's creating that special experience that makes "Sporty" happy to come to work.

- It's beautiful, who wouldn't wanna work at a place like this that people come to, and see, and they're smiling and they're happy and every time you put something in front of 'em, their eyes open up, the cinnamon rolls, the pancakes, the skillets, you know, they're like, "Wow."

- Thanks for joining us, we're out of time for this week, but you can check us out anytime at tennesseecrossroads.org. Download the PBS app while you're there. And we hope to see you again next week, take care.

- [Announcer 1] Tennessee Crossroads is made possible in part by...

- [Announcer 2] Some of our biggest checks, have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee Lottery, proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now, that's some game changing, life changing fun.

- [Announcer 3] Discover Tennessee Trails & Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history and more made in Tennessee Experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Announcer 4] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.

- [Announcer 1] Amazon, a proud supporter of programming on public television. Amazon focuses on building long-term programs that have a lasting impact in communities where employees live and work, more at aboutamazon.com.