At this point in the year, most of us know that we are celebrating America’s 250th anniversary, or the Semiquincentennial (even if we can’t always pronounce it correctly!)
And while Greene County was formed just after the birth of our country in1796, one of its iconic small towns– Carmichaels– was actually around before, having celebrated its very own 250th anniversary back in 2017.
In the summer of 1767, a group of settlers came to the area, with a man by the name of Thomas Hughes first settling and naming the area known as Old Town. On July 24, 1780, Hughes sold 360 acres to James Carmichael, a Major in the American Revolution. By 1781, Carmichael had acquired 809 acres of land.
James Carmichael had a vision of a town, which he first called Lisbon. He began laying out a map that included a town square and lots with the main road running north and south called Market Street. The main road running east and west through town would be called George Street. And, as any local knows, these two roads have been the same ever since.
James Carmichael died in 1796 and sadly did not have the opportunity to see his dream town come to fulfillment. In 1807, James’ son William finished the layout of the town and commissioned a map. The town was named New Lisbon, in honor of his father’s dream.
Carmichaels Borough was incorporated in 1855 from Cumberland Township. The Carmichaels Covered Bridge, which crosses Muddy Creek has stood in that same location since the founding of Old Town.
Just next door and across the street from the iconic Greene Academy sits the “Olde Mill House,” originally serving as James Carmichael’s grist mill along Muddy Creek. The building served as a home to many in the following years. It is now owned and being restored to its original glory by the Carmichaels Area Historical Society as a future museum and research center for the public.
Our small towns tell big stories, and as we celebrate 250 years of being Americans, let’s not forget where we came from…because that’s how we know where we’re going.
