In the early 1900’s in Anderson County, TN a man by the name of John Hendrix seems to have predicted the future. After the early death of his infant daughter his family abandoned him. John in his grief turned to spirituality and mysticism as coping devices.

He went into the forest and spent 40 days there praying and sleeping on the ground it was his belief that this act of extreme faith would bring about divine revelations.

And it seems to have worked.

When Hendrix tried to share his visions with his neighbors they mostly shrugged him off. The authorities on the other hand decided that Hendrix was in fact insane and had him committed to the local “Poor House”. Hendrix escaped soon after that and declared that God would burn down the “Poor House” in a month. And as he predicted the building later caught fire after being struck by lightening.

Even though he was vindicated it did little help him in the local community. Who mostly continued to ignore his visions during his life time and others who openly suspected that he was a witch.

His biggest prophecy and the one that he is remembered for is about the fate of his hometown and was made at the local crossroads.

“I tell you, Bear Creek Valley someday will be filled with great buildings and factories, and they will help toward winning the greatest war that ever will be. And there will be a city on Black Oak Ridge and the center of authority will be on a spot middle-way between Sevier Tadlock’s farm and Joe Pyatt’s Place. A railroad spur will branch off the main L&N line, run down toward Robertsville and then branch off and turn toward Scarborough…Big engines will dig big ditches, and thousands of people will be running to and fro. They will be building things, and there will be great noise and confusion and the earth will shake…I’ve seen it. It’s coming.”

John Hendrix

John Hendrix died of tuberlocois in 1915 so he never got to witness the building of the Secret City which would not only help Allied forces to win World War II but which also proved that the vision of his hometown he’d had decades earlier had in fact come true.