Sources |
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 23 Apr 1949.
Rachel Underwood obituary
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 11 Mar 1965.
Cecil P. Underwood obituary
- [S47] Sevier County, Tennessee and its Heritage, Sevier County Heritage Book Committee, (1994, Don Mills, Inc.), 143, 173.
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 31 May 2011.
Upland Chronicles: Kodak flour mill has interesting history
by CARROLL McMAHAN
The Kodak flour mill once was a thriving business in Kodak.
The Kodak Post Office began in 1892 when Harvey Nelson Underwood was granted a charter for a new post office to be located in the store he was building. Since he was to be the first postmaster, Underwood was to decide the name of the new post office.
As the deadline neared, he still had not selected a name. One evening Harvey left his house and walked toward his new store. As he walked, he saw a small box lying on the ground. He kicked it over and saw the word “KODAK” and decided right then and there that this would be the name.
While Harvey was operating the post office and his small country store in Kodak, he became acquainted with J. Allen Smith, owner of J. Allen Smith and Company, a flour mill in Knoxville (later called White Lily Foods). Smith frequently traveled from Knoxville to Kodak to buy wheat which he transported back to Knoxville by riverboat.
When Underwood learned Smith was an avid hunter, he extended Smith an invitation to hunt on his farm. On one of his hunting trips, Smith encouraged Underwood to build a flour mill in Kodak.
In 1912, Underwood purchased mill machinery and built the first mill, south of the Underwood Store which housed the Kodak Post Office. Around this time, Harvey left the postmaster position to focus on the mill. Both his son and son-in-law, Walker Underwood and Elmer Catlett, operated the mill until 1916.
Another son, Cecil P. Underwood, took over the operation in 1916 and built a new structure on the west side of what is now Highway 139. He was owner and operator until he turned the operation over to his son-in-law, James Paul Thomas.
James P. Thomas took over the operation after attending Harrison Chilhowee Academy and returning from World War ll. During his service in the Army, James was in the breaching of Omaha Beach as well as the Battle of the Bulge.
Thomas operated the mill until it closed in 1966. The building and machinery was idle from 1966 until 1983 when Ed Harrell leased the property to package wild bird seed.
The machinery used in processing flour was a system that was shorter than most of the other mills in this area. The system was sold under the name of Midget Marvel Flour Mill. This type of mill was first used in Great Britain as a mobile unit for the British Empire’s Expeditionary Forces. It was patented in the United States and manufactured by Anglo American Flour Milling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky.
The machinery produced flour for general purpose use, primarily for biscuits. Harvey Underwood’s first brand of flour was called Flavo. In 1937, Cecil P. Underwood changed the name to Marvel though the people in the Kodak community fondly called it Kodak flour.
Almost twenty years after the mill closed, a nostalgic recipe book titled Family Favorites by the Miller’s Daughters was compiled by sisters, Christine Underwood Kyte and Harva Underwood Thomas. The cover included a drawing of the mill with a caption stating:
KODAK MILLING COMPANY
KODAK, TENNESSEE
1916-1966
Faithfully served the public with
Marvel Flour, Meal and Feed for over 50 years
The sisters were granddaughters of the founder, Harvey Underwood, and daughters of Cecil P. Underwood, who operated the mill from 1916 until 1950. Harva Underwood also married James P. Thomas, the last operator.
The sisters collected recipes from family and friends featuring such favorites as one for self-rising yeast rolls which appeared on the Marvel Flour bag, Christine’s Monkey Bread and Harva’s Marvel Biscuits.
The stately old building still stands along Douglas Dam Road (Highway 139) as an endearing reminder to local people of a different era now gone.
— Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments, please contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or email to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or email to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1880.
Name: Harvey Underwood
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1880
Event Place: Sinking Springs, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 18
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Works On Farm
Race (Original):
Ethnicity: American
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Birth Date: 1862
Spouse's Name:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Father's Name: Pleasant Underwood
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Mother's Name: Susan Underwood
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee, United States
Page: 408
Page Letter: B
Entry Number: 1631
Affiliate Film Number: T9-1278
GS Film number: 1255278
Digital Folder Number: 004244658
Image Number: 00042
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Self Pleasant Underwood M 41 Tennessee, United States
Wife Susan Underwood F 35 Tennessee, United States
Son Harvey Underwood M 18 Tennessee, United States
Daughter Margaret Underwood F 15 Tennessee, United States
Son Ephraim Underwood M 13 Tennessee, United States
Daughter Ophelia Underwood F 9 Tennessee, United States
Daughter Callie Underwood F 6 Tennessee, United States
Son James Underwood M 3 Tennessee, United States
Son Alexander Underwood M 1 Tennessee, United States
- [S34] In the Shadow of the Smokies, Smoky Mountain Historical Society, (1993), 43.
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
Name: H. N. Underwood
Birth Date:
Birthplace:
Age:
Spouse's Name: Rachael E. Johnson
Spouse's Birth Date:
Spouse's Birthplace:
Spouse's Age:
Event Date: 13 Dec 1885
Event Place: , Sevier, Tennessee
Father's Name:
Mother's Name:
Spouse's Father's Name:
Spouse's Mother's Name:
Race:
Marital Status:
Previous Wife's Name:
Spouse's Race:
Spouse's Marital Status:
Spouse's Previous Husband's Name:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: M51968-3
System Origin: Tennessee-VR
GS Film number: 969966
Reference ID: 2:1S7Q5VN
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