F. E. Cunningham
No photographs or renderings of F.E. Cunningham are known to exist. Above is an AI-generated representation of how he may have appeared, using factual information known about him during his latter days at Cascade Hollow Distillery.
“The Dawn of Cascade Hollow”
In the rolling hills near Tullahoma, Tennessee, nestled among limestone-clear springs, the Cascade Hollow Distillery emerged in the late 19th century. Though commonly associated later with George A. Dickel, the distillery’s true origins trace back to two ambitious local entrepreneurs, F. E. Cunningham and his mostly silent partner, John F. Brown. Their shared vision of crafting a quality whiskey from the natural assets of the region laid the foundation for a legacy that persists to this day.
F. E. Cunningham was born on September 15, 1852, in Bedford County, Tennessee, the son of M. T. Cunningham, a Pennsylvanian by birth. Young Cunningham grew up in local schools before beginning work at age 14 as a store clerk in the hamlet of Flat Creek. Four years later, he was appointed U.S. revenue storekeeper.
By 1876, at just 24 years old, Cunningham acquired Cascade Hollow Distillery in partnership with John F. Brown. Cunningham’s growth from young clerk to distillery proprietor illustrates his ambition, entrepreneurial spirit, and a keen sense for opportunity.
While many bottle labels suggest an 1870 origin, records confirm Cascade Hollow began distilling with a start date of 1876 or 1877. Cunningham and Brown had active equity in the business until 1879, when local businessman Matthew Sims bought Brown’s share. After that, Brown disappears from the written trail. In any case, the new venture tapped into the pristine waters and rural charm of Coffee County, and quickly caught the attention of Nashville whiskey wholesaler George Dickel.
On September 3, 1884, Cunningham married Jane “Belle” Couch, also of Bedford County. Soon, the couple had two children, Mamie and Vester. Beyond distilling, Cunningham was active civically as a member of the Knights of Honor (K. of H.) and heavily engaged in local Republican politics. The Cunningham family was also very active in their hometown Presbyterian church.
In 1883, a locally famous whiskey maker named McLin Davis joined Cunningham and Sims as Cascade’s Master Distiller, and he is credited with dramatically elevating the whiskey quality and crafting the recipe that is still used to produce Cascade’s signature flavor. In 1884, prosperous Nashville wholesaler Dickel bought controlling interest in the distillery and soon secured exclusive rights to bottle and sell its whiskey.
Dickel’s 2020 Premium release of Cascade Moon pays homage to FE Cunningham and McLin Davis’s recipe in an amazing blend of 11-and 16-year-old Tennessee Whiskey.
One of this author’s favorite pours.
The combination of McLin Davis’ whiskey-making prowess and the sales abilities of the wily, wealthy Dickel turned Cunningham’s Cascade whiskey into a household name by the turn of the century. Although Dickel’s is the moniker that remains on the label, F. E. Cunningham first launched a distilling legacy rooted in the tranquil hills and gentle streams of Cascade Hollow.
F. E. Cunningham died in 1906, having outlived his beloved Belle by three years. Though his career was relatively brief, Cunningham sowed the seed that would flourish under George Dickel's wholesale operations. Cunningham’s early contributions remain the distillery's authentic origin story. One finds in Cunningham the energetic local visionary with hard work, family, faith, and business acumen shaping Cunningham’s life and Cascade Hollow’s early chapters.
Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview, Tennessee
