Moses Fisk House, now located at Standing Stone State Park

Moses Fisk played a pivotal role in the region’s settlement and education. Fisk established Hilham as the first town in Overton County in 1805.

The first school for females in the South, Fisk Female Academy for Girls, opened in 1806 after receiving its charter from the Tennessee General Assembly in 1805.  Moses Fisk and Sampson Williams each donated 1,000 for the school’s sue.  The building burned in 1817, after which it was rebuilt and used as a school for males.  Fisk operated the academy until shortly before his death in 1843.

Fisk and his wife are buried side by side in a cemetery adjacent to the original historic site. The cemetery is known for its collection of headstones and markers influenced by local fork art traditions from the antebellum era through the twentieth century. Fisk’s home was moved to the Standing Stone State Park.

Location: Tennessee Highway 136, Hilham

Sources: Tennessee Historical Marker 2D-33; Big South Fork Country Web site