Closing out 2013 with a sleeping deer

Seen at Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, AL

Perry Co. Courthouse at Night - Linden, TN

Construction of this courthouse began in 1928 in the Linden town square after the previous courthouse burned down. It cost $47,000 to build.

The courthouse is three stories with a full basement and has a classically-inspired design. The exterior is made of brick and detailed stone with elaborate detail to the stone work around the entrance. Along the top two stories stone quions are built at the corners on the walls as paired pilasters which forms a two story giant order capped by a full emblature.

Ruby Falls Visitors Center in the Winter

Joe Rochelle's Used Cars neon sign

Centerville, TN - along highway TN50/TN48/TN100
The dealership has been out of business for a while.

Kentucky West Tennessee (KWT) Railroad 1809

Kentucky West Tennessee Railroad is a short line railroad that runs from Murray, KY through Paris, TN to Bruceton, TN where it interchanges with CSX. This photo was taken in Bruceton where there is a major CSX freight yard. KWT was acquired by Genesee & Wyoming in 2005 and this locomotive is painted in their yellow and orange paint scheme. A second line also runs from Dresden to McKenzie.

Bald Eagle!

Not my best photo ever, but how often do you get to see a Bald Eagle?

Thacker Christmas Inn

Merry Christmas! For this hotel in Caryville, TN, it's Christmas year round. I guess. (The hotel was under renovation with a construction fence completely surrounding the place when I drove through here last fall. Maybe it will be open by now.) Because it was under construction, I drove around the place for 15 minutes until I could find an unobstructed view, which sadly was not on the sunlit side.

I'm guessing it's still going to be a mom & pop owned place and not part of a chain. It's located along old US25W but still in business since it's next to Interstate 75.

Here are a couple of comments from Flickr users who have been here:

My wife and I noticed in Oct. that they were renovating. I can remember years and years ago stopping and having dinner here, but never stayed. I am glad to see someone taking an interest in getting the place up and running again. It had fell into a pretty sad state of disrepair over the last dozen or so years.

My Grandparents and I used to go there about 2 - 3 times a year and dine in their restaurant. It was one of those special times that we'd look forward to for months, and long time still remembered fondly by me.

A Lynchburg Christmas: at Night

I love what they do at the Courthouse for Christmas, with the lights along the top, electric candlelights in the windows and the wreaths at the doors.

I have a total of 10 photos in the "A Lynchburg Christmas" subset. You can see them all here:
www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/tags/alynchburgchri...

Christmas at Centennial Park: Red and Green Parthenon

Into the 50's, Harvey's Department store used to have a spectacular nativity scene here. I wish I could have seen it.

Bethel Church - Victoria, TN

This is located just off of the Valley View Highway (old TN28) north of Victoria in Marion County. Read this comment left by flickr user timothbholloway:

A man named John Frater built this church for the community of coal miners and farmers. Because coal mining was such a huge industry in the area, an English company bought up mines in the area, and the church bell was donated by Queen Victoria of England. Because of her generosity, the community was renamed Victoria in her honor.

The Ghost Mural - Knoxville, TN

Located along the side of the McClung building is a mural easily visible from Interstate 40. There are two things painted along the side of this old warehouse near downtown, and we'll start with the less interesting part.

Philco. Your better buy. Color TV, VCR & Audio. When I hear the name Philco, I think about the 1930's radio owned by my grandfather and passed down through the family. I don't know what became of Philco over the years, but this wall ad for a nearby store that sells VCRs is estimated to date back to 1986-ish. Since it's been over 25 years, what's underneath is starting to show.

Something Groovy is underneath the ad and whatever it is, it's a shame you can't see it anymore. The artwork was commissioned by the World's Fair in 1982. Completed in 1981, it was apparently inspired by the artwork of Peter Max and painted by a UT Professor and student.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a vintage pre-philco view of the mural. However, For the full story, read this recent article from Metro Pulse Magazine:
www.metropulse.com/news/2013/jun/26/ghost-mural-strange-i...

Glasgow, KY Tunnel

This tunnel / bridge is Race St. (US 31E) over Water St. One of the things I found interesting about this bridge and tunnel is that it is wide enough for a retail business to be part of the bridge (you can see the back of the two small retail stores here.) I am curious how this came about.

Oakland's Plantation House - Murfreesboro, TN

Schuhmann's Click Clinic old sign

Schuhman's was a camera store that operated in downtown Louisville for several decades until 2001. When they vacated the property, they left behind two of their neon signs.

I don't know if the sign dates back to when the store opened in 1946, and I also don't know if the style of camera depicted in the image dates back that far. Someday, I need to get me one of these collapsing bellows cameras.

today, the property is a strip club. The sign on the side of the building seen here remains unchanged. However, the sign at the entrance has been redesigned with the club's name in neon.

Old Kentucky State Capitol at Christmas

From Wikipedia:
The Old State Capitol (Kentucky), also known as Old Statehouse, was the third Capitol of Kentucky. The building in Frankfort, Kentucky served as the capitol of the Commonwealth of Kentucky from 1830 to 1910. The building has been restored to its American Civil War era appearance. The Kentucky legislature voted for its construction in 1827. The building was designed in the Greek Revival style by Gideon Shryock, an early Lexington, Kentucky architect. The Old State Capitol was his first building and he was only twenty-five years old. Shryock chose the Greek Revival style to symbolically link Kentucky, a young republic, with ancient Greece, the prototype of popular democratic government. He wanted the front of the building to duplicate the Temple of Minerva Polias at Priene. Greek temples had no windows, therefore the front of the Capitol is devoid of fenestration. Other striking architectural features include a famous self-supporting stone stairway and a domed lantern above it to bring in an abundance of sunlight.

A bitterly contested 1899 state governor election came to a climax when Democratic claimant William Goebel of Covington, Kentucky was assassinated at the capitol on his way to be inaugurated. A plaque reading "William Goebel fell here, Jan. 30th, 1900" exists near the front entrance of the building.

The current Kentucky State Capitol, Kentucky's fourth, was built in 1910. The Old State Capitol has served as the a museum and the home of the Kentucky Historical Society since 1920. The building was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Cumberland Mountain State Park Stone Arch Bridge

Also known as Byrd Creek Bridge, this concrete stone arch bridge is the centerpiece of the Cumberland Mountain State Park near Crossville, TN. Here, a dam was built on Byrd Creek forming a lake on the southeast side. Highway TN419 carries the seven span bridge which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Cumberland Homesteads Historic District. Byrd Creek Dam is the largest masonry structure ever built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Here is the text of the nearby historic marker:

Men of the Civilian Conservation Corps' Company 3464 built this unsuspended bridge between 1935 and 1940, for a 30-acre impoundment of Byrd's Creek. Three thousand five hundred and fifty cubic yards of dirt and rock were excavated and the core, containing 8,000 tons of concrete, is faced with Crab Orchard stone for the 319-foot span. Seven spillways, rising 28 feet above the stream bed, carry the 18-foot roadway approximately 16 feet above water level.

Atwood United Methodist Church

This building was built in 1943. Atwood is a small town in Carroll County, TN along US70A/79.

Patagonian Cavy - Montgomery Zoo

This is one of those animals that I had never heard of until I saw them at the Montgomery Zoo. Still, I think they're cool rodents.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagonian_Cavy

Atlanta's not-the-offical-Olympic-torch

Everyone remembers the 1996 Olympics were in Atlanta. The Olympic Stadium is now Turner Field, home of the Braves (although only for a couple more years). The official Olympic Torch Tower is just across the parking lot from Turner Field.

And then, there's this. I just assumed this was also an Official Olympic Torch. So did my brother who took me to see this. I would also assume tens of thousands of motorists riding in the passenger seat of northbound traffic of Interstate 75 have photographed it with their smartphones. It's north of Downtown (I guess in Midtown) and really close to Georgia Tech.

So, it's not the official Olympic torch. I did a bit of Internet searching to figure out the who, when and why of this structure, only to have no results. What I did see is that it used to be painted red until a year ago. Today, I had lunch with my best friend from high school who moved to Atlanta and he didn't know who made it either. If you know, please help me out.

From here, my brother took me to see what I now know is the real one, but my picture didn't come out well.

12 Days of Christmas Quilt

Seen at the 2009 Tennessee State Fair in Nashville, this is a blue-ribbon winning First Place Quilt in the Creative Arts building. This quilt represents the 12 Days of Christmas. You may need to view the image at the Original size to see all the detail.

James K. Polk Motel - Columbia, TN

James K. Polk never slept here.

Located north of the Columbia, TN town square along U.S. Highway 31, this appears to be one of the nicer non-chain motels in the area (but maybe I'm biased since I mostly care about the neon sign).

Faded SEE ROCK CITY barn

It's so faded that I had to do a double take to see it myself. the letters are on the left half of the upper portion of the roof. The top line is SEE BEAUTIFUL the next line is a larger ROCK CITY and the last line is ATOP LOOKOUT MT CHATT. TENN. You might need to look at the picture full size to see any of these words. This barn is visible to eastbound traffic along highway 30 between McMinnville and Spencer.

See it on a map here:
maps.google.com/maps?q=spencer,+tn&ll=35.734323,-85.5...

This is my second visit to this barn and one of over 80 different Rock City Barns I have photographed and uploaded to Flickr in my Rock City Barns set. People often ask me how I've found so many of them. I have drawn from many resources such as books and web sites and sometimes luck, but there's not really one "go to" place to find them all. Well, now on my website, I have tried to create a one stop source for the locations of all of the barns I've been to. On my Map of Rock City Barns page, I have plotted each barn on a Google Map.

Dixie Cup Water Tower

The Dixie Company, the best known maker of the 3 oz. paper bathroom cup, moved to this location in Lexington, KY in 1958. Thus, it would make sense that the water tower for their manufacturing facility would be made out of an over-sized Dixie Cup. However, I suspect it's not really an actual Dixie cup, or it would have started leaking in 1959.

As the story goes, when Georgia Pacific purchased Dixie, they wanted to remove their local landmark. However, the nearby airport asked them to keep it standing as the pilots used the landmark as a point of reference. Besides, where are you going to find a bathroom wastebasket big enough to throw it away in?

Savannah, TN Historic District: Yellow House

The Savannah Historic District is a group of 17 homes that form together to become an entry on the National Register of Historic Places. I didn't get the name or the year of this house. It's at the corner of Church St. and College St.

Nashville's 2010 Christmas Tree & Courthouse

Every year, the Christmas Tree is in the Public Square and the Davidson County Courthouse and Public Building is in the background.

For more info on this Courthouse, look here:
www.flickr.com/photos/brent_nashville/3358741495/

Coming down Monteagle in the Fog

Driving I-24 up and down Monteagle makes for some of the trickier interstate driving through the whole country. On this early day, we were going down the east side only to see the whole area covered in fog. On this day, there was fog from here all the way to Chattanooga, but it was never difficult to drive through. It was just neat to see from above.

Hibernating Bat

Illuminated only by the light from the tour guide, this young bat will be here all winter. This was seen on our tour of the Raccoon Mountain Cavern in Chattanooga, TN.

Rotating Train Bridge - Nashville

There are 15 bridges over the Cumberland River in Nashville. (Long-time Locals: Can you name them?) Of the 15, this one might be the one you are least familiar with. On the south side of the river, it is near the Ted Rhodes gold course near MetroCenter and TSU. The north side is in Bordeaux. This is one of those train bridges that can rotate out of the way in case a tall boat is coming through, and if you look closely, it is open now. It was originally part of the Tennessee Central Railroad mainline from Nashville through Ashland City TN, Clarksville, TN to Hopkinsville, KY. I am guessing it is currently not used much if it is in the permanent open position. Close to the top center, you can see a control station, and a staircase that goes down the left side of it.

Tennessee Mountain Highway - Marion County

This is along highway TN156 which connects Interstate 24 with Nickajack Dam, but to get from one side to the other, the highway has to wind its way up and down this hill. Anywhere there is a break in the trees provides a good view of the Nickajack Lake down below.

2011 Tennessee State Capitol Christmas with Sam Davis Statue

Sam Davis was nicknamed the Boy Hero of the Confederacy, who's story is well known. He lived in Smyrna, was captured in Minor Hill and executed in Pulaski. In his honor, the state built a statue which resides at the front corner of the Capitol Hill grounds. To see more photos of Sam Davis Landmarks, click here.

The Tennessee State Capitol sits upon Capitol Hill in downtown Nashville. It was designed in a Greek Revival style by prominent architect William Strickland and completed in 1859.

For Christmas, all of the lights along the base of the capitol have added a red tinting which colors most of the building. Only the lights for the cupola have not changed to red, however the lights inside the cupola window are green if you look closely. The Sam Davis statue is lit nightly, and like most metal statues has turned green over the years, which contrasts well with the red illumination of the Capitol.

The Christmas Season is now here

Seasons Greetings from Nashville's Metro Par(ks) and Recreation. The Parthenon is in the background at this lit Candy Cane sign at Centennial Park.

In the news: Lotz House uncovers many Civil War relics

A two-year archeological excavation project in the cellar of Lotz House cellar has produced more than 900 Civil War relics and items connected with civilian life from the mid to late 1800s, museum operators announced Thursday morning.

For the full story, see this story on The Tennessean website:

Trove of Civil War relics unearthed at Franklin Lotz House

View of Downtown Nashville from Love Circle

If you're in Nashville and you've never been to Love Circle, I suggest you do it before the tress bloom, as your view is more obstructed then. This place is voted as the best cheap date spot in Nashville. I had always assumed that Love Circle was, ahem, named for what couples did while there. (Kissing, that is). However, I recently noticed that it is really named after John W. Love. This was the site of the city's reservoir before the current one on 8th ave. In this picture, among other things, you can see the State Capitol, Tennessee Tower, The Sheraton with the old rotating restaurant and Kirkman Tower on the Vandy campus.

Etowah, TN L&N Depot

In 1902, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad decided they needed a more direct route between Atlanta and Cincinnati. Along this proposed updated route, they found a spot in McMinn County, TN that was about halfway between the two cities that would serve as a good terminal and crew stop. Thus, the city of Etowah, and it's important Station were born.

The 15 room Victorian structure made of yellow pine seen here was soon finished at a cost of $13,000.

Passenger service lasted until 1968 and the depot soon closed. However, since this is still a prime railroad location, CSX continues to many operations along the tracks. The railroad donated the building to the city and by 1981 the depot was open again as a museum after several years of restoration. The depot was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Partnering with the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum out of Chattanooga, there is an excursion train which operates from here. Known as the Hiawasee Loop, the excursion follows along the tracks which parallel the Hiawasee River and then ascends to the famous spot on Bald Mountain where the tracks cross over themselves, forming a loop known as "The Eye." (These are the tracks that the new line through Etowah was designed to bypass.)

Viola Valley Town Hall

Viola is a tiny incorporated town in Warren County, south of McMinnville along TN highways 108/127. Sometimes, the area is known as Viola Valley.

Random East Tennessee Dragon

Located right off Interstate 75 exit 134 in Caryville, TN, this dragon constructed of rebar and fiberglass has been attracting visitors to a fireworks store since 1986. In May of 2011, the Fireworks store caught fire and everything was a total loss, except for the dragon which still stands on a now vacant lot. (Contrary to some thought, the dragon did not breathe fire upon the store.)

According to www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/14021 as of April, the dragon is for sale. The dragon could be yours, for the right price.

CSX Cumberland Bypass Bridge

This tall and long railroad bridge crosses the Cumberland River to the east and upstream of downtown Nashville. The southern end of the bridge on the right is located next to the Omohundro water filtration plant (an area that is usually off limits to most people.) The northern end runs through Shelby Park as many segments of the trestle can be walked or driven under. It was completed in 1914 by L&N to provide a spur to bypass Union Station.

If you're into bridge specifics, here's an article published in the Engineering Record of August 30, 1913: "The Cumberland River Bridge of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad is approximately 3000 ft. long. including a viaduct approach at each end, one 300' and three 200' through-truss river spans and three 135' deck truss spans, all of which have riveted connections except the pin connected 300' span . The substructure is entirely of concrete, of which there about 1700 yd. which were built in cofferdams of interlocking steel sheet piling, under an average head of about 16' of water. All foundations were carried down to bed rock to a depth of 130' below base of rail. In three of the cofferdams considerable difficulty was experienced from encountering open conduits leading to the city waterwork pumping station, close to one end of the bridge. The concrete was mixed in a plant on each bank of the river and was carried by hauling engines to the different piers. All of the truss spans are erected on falsework built with an overhead traveling stiffleg derrick. It is expected that the erection will be completed this fall. The steel superstructure was fabricated by the American Bridge Co and erected by the Foster-Creighton-Gould Co, of Nashville, Tenn., which has also constructed the substructure."

Unnamed waterfalls seen along the old Dixie Highway in the Winter

When the founders of the Dixie Highway were planning their route from Nashville to Chattanooga, one of their biggest obstacles was deciding how to get over or around Walden Ridge. One method was to go around the ridge completely by placing a bridge over the Tennessee River. Eventually, they chose the river option with the building of the Marion Memorial Bridge. However, the original route crossed over the ridge along a route that today is known as highway TN27 or Suck Creek Rd.

While undertaking the difficult task of constructing a road down the east slope of the ridge, they were mindful of their surroundings. Suck Creek Road follows the path of Suck Creek as it drains down the side of the mountain. I'm sure this creek has multiple spectacular cascades, rapids and plunges but only the most adventurous outdoors people might ever be able to fully explore them. Luckily, the view here didn't require much effort.

There are a couple of wide pulloffs along the highway to stop and see some smaller trickles. The day I took this picture, it was in the winter on the day after a heavy rain so I really don't know if this is something worth finding year round or if it is more of a wet weather falls. The water seen here eventually goes into a pipe underneath the highway and eventually drains into Suck Creek.

Things that are now gone: Becker's Bakery Neon Sign

Cakes for Special Occasions. I have several friends and family members that have fond memories of the cakes they got from here.

Lebanon Rd. (U.S. 70) in the Donelson area of Nashville

Update: I drove by this on 8/16/13 and this neon sign was replaced with a modern plastic sign. I suppose most businesses try to keep their old fashioned signs up for as long as its feasible. I'm glad that at least I got it when I did.

Christ Church Episcopal - Rugby, TN

Rugby is a small community along the Cumberland Plateau in Morgan County, founded by British Immigrants in 1880. The Rugby Colony was designed to be a utopian community, but the design failed in less than a decade. Still a few townspeople and their descendants lived in the area over the next several decades. In the 1960s, residents, friends and descendants of Rugby began restoring the original design and layout of the community, preserving surviving structures and reconstructing others.

The Christ Church Episcopal was established on October 5, 1880, and initially used the original Rugby schoolhouse for services. The current building was built in the Carpenter Gothic style in 1887 by Cornelius Onderdonk, who constructed many of the original buildings in Rugby, and consecrated by Episcopal bishop Charles Quintard in 1888. The church's alms basin was designed by English carpenter Henry Fry, who had previously done work for various churches in the London area. The church's reed organ, built in 1849, is one of the oldest in the United States. The Christ Church congregation has met here regularly since 1887.

Gibson County Confederate Memorial - Trenton, TN

The Confederate Monument is stop #6 of the Battle of Trenton Tour. I have a copy of the brochure and unlike most brochures, it doesn't actually give any info of the stop, but only driving directions to get to all of the sites. The Monument is on the grounds of the Gibson County Courthouse in Trenton's town square. It's in front of the front right corner of the courthouse, but older photographs show it used to be front and center.

Lone Rock Coke Ovens

The Tennessee Coal and Iron Company in 1883 built 120 coke ovens to help supply its growing iron works. The company contracted with the state, and convicts worked the ovens until 1896. The coke was sent to be used by the steel industry around South Pittsburg, TN. On August 13, 1892, Tracy City miners, who opposed the use of convict labor, burned the stockades and put the convicts on a train and sent them back to Nashville. (This had also been done a year earlier in Anderson County, TN.)

These Coke ovens are viewable near Tracy City at Grundy Lake, which is part of the South Cumberland State Park. Today it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Grundy Lakes Historic District.

The Only Abandoned Church

...as in the abandoned church in Only, TN. Not to be confused with the Only Baptist Church.

Cravens House - Lookout Mountain

The Cravens House is the oldest surviving structure on Lookout Mountain, and was the home of Robert Cravens, a pioneer Chattanooga Industrialist. The home is located on a shelf-like ledge of the eastern slope of Lookout Mountain and provides a great overlook of Chattanooga. The house was a major focal point in the Civil War "Battle Above the Clouds" on Nov. 24, 1863.

Today, the house is under the oversight of the National Park Service as part of the National Battlefield and free tours are offered on Saturday and Sunday Afternoons. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Cravens-Coleman House. See the historical marker here:
seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers%2...

Savannah, TN Historic District: Welch-Hansgen House

The Savannah Historic District is a group of 17 homes that form together to become an entry on the National Register of Historic Places. This home dates back to 1901.

Burger Free Zone - Chik-Fil-A Water Tower

The Fast Food chain Chik-Fil-A is very popular in and around Atlanta, where they got their start. In addition to numerous eye-catching billboards with 3d cows is this advertising water tower seen along the I-75/I-85 Corridor.

Happy Veterans Day 2013

In honor of Veterans Day, I'd like to show off several Veterans Day memorials I've found in and around the area.


Veteran's Memorial - Bristol, VA

The Veteran's War Memorial is located at Cumberland Square Park. The memorial contains five 6'2" bronze statues representing the men and women of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The statues are arranged on a platform in the shape of a V for Victory. The helicopter in the background is an AH-1H COBRA



Westmoreland, TN Veterans Memorial



DeKalb Co., TN Veterans Memorial - Smithville, TN



Cocke County, TN Veterans Memorial - Newport, TN



Scott County Veterans Memorial - Huntsville, TN



Marshall Co. Desert Storm Memorial - Lewisburg, TN