On the morning of May 19, 1902, the community of Fraterville lost all but three of its adult males. A devastating explosion in the Fraterville Mine killed 216 miners of which only 184 were ever identified. The cause of the explosion was never identified, but it

was most likely due to a build up of methane gas resulting from poor ventilation. At the time, the miners were working about 3 miles under Cross Mountain. Most were killed instantly, and 26 later died of suffocation before rescuers could reach them. Some entire families were lost. It was the worst mining disaster in Tennessee’s history and among the top five in the nation.

The miners were a mix of itinerant workers, expert miners and local men and boys. Most of the itinerant miners were never claimed and were buried alongside the nearby railroad tracks. The others were buried in local cemeteries with 89 being interred in Leach Cemetery in a spot called Miners Circle.

Due to this tragic loss of so many lives, the disaster created the need for replacement miners in the following months. This need is strongly believed to have been the reason for the entire Jackson family to relocate to Campbell County around 1905. Fraterville was located near the town of Coal Creek (now named Rocky Top) bordering Campbell and Anderson Counties. The distance to Jacksboro where many of the Jacksons moved is about 7 miles.