The historical marker for Thomas Kilgore is located at the Villines Cemetery on Hwy 25 west of Cross Plains. Thomas Kilgore was the 1st settler in Robertson County. He was born in 1715 in Virginia and during the Revolutionary War he was a Major in Washington’s Army at Yorktown.
The Legislature of North Carolina passed a pre-emption law allowing settlers to secure 640 acres of land in the western most territory of the state if it was settled before 1780. In 1778 at the ...age of 62 Kilgore walked to the area now called Cross Plains. He stayed in a cave to hide from the Indians and scattered corn seed around the area to raise a crop. In order to secure title to the land Kilgore had to return to North Caroline with the corn. After proving he had raised a crop he returned to Cross Plains in the Spring of 1779 with a few families and built a stockade called Kilgore Station for protection from Indian attacks. In 1823, Kilgore walked to Gallatin to have his gun repaired and during his return walk he became drenched and caught a chill and died as a result at the age of 108.
The map is a section of the Aboriginal Map which is a composite map showing stations & settlements in 1783 to 1818 from the Tennessee State Library & Archives produced in 1886. The mill pictured is believed to have been built by Thomas Kilgore but is no longer standing. Every 4th of July, Kilgore Remembrance Day is held at the Villines Cemetery.
