G.J.
"Jake" Moyers was born in 1838 in Dandridge,Tennessee and moved to
Chattooga County in 1867, the same year he married Sarah Mitchell from
Dayton, Tennessee. After her death, he married Mary Calhoun whose
family was from north of Summerville. Jake Moyers had seven children.
Moyers'
tannery was located just south of the Summerville Post Office, about
where the Subway restaurant stands today. Moyers produced harnesses,
shoes, boots, and other leather goods for his Chattooga County
customers.
During his 40-year leadership in the Summerville
Methodist Church, he crusaded against Summerville's many saloons,
eventually leading a successful referendum to ban such establishments.
At the time, the city limits ended half a mile from the courthouse and
the area to the south of Summerville was soon known as "Jakeville" for
the numerous saloons that quickly blossomed just outside the city
limits.
George Jacob Moyers died in 1924 in Summerville, a few
months after the death of his second wife. The house they shared was
moved to the back of the lot and a new post office was built in its
place, dedicated in 1938.
Photograph courtesy of Gene Espy. Information from the Summer 2002 edition of the Chattooga County Historical Society Quarterly newsletter.