Jellico, TN Stone Marker

The city limits for Jellico, TN also happens to be the state line. Kentucky is on the other side of this marker along US25W. The stone marker has "Jellico Tenn" on both sides, as well as the date 1941. Since then, the historic marker has been added to the top. The historic marker tells you what you are entering, which is Kentucky if you're going this way or Campbell County from the other side.

U.S. Grant Headquarters, Savannah, TN

Savannah is not very far from Pittsburgh Landing and the Battle of Shiloh. This Civil War marker signifies how General Grant stopped at Cherry Mansion before and after the battle. This is along Main St. just a couple blocks west from the county courthouse.

For more Shiloh photos, check my website here:
seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=west-tennessee%2Fshiloh

Replica of Wilson Dam - Florence, AL

Located in downtown Florence is this fountain-sized miniature of Wilson Dam, in front of Legends Steakhouse. Each of the four cities that comprise "The Shoals" is listed here.

Smyrna, TN Train Depot & CSX #989

The city of Smyrna has its roots to when a station was built here in 1851 and the town sprung up around it. (The line that ran from Nashville to Chattanooga placed a depot every 8 or so miles along the route.) This brick depot was built in 1873.

The historic building had lied vacant for many years, but it is starting to see a little bit of activity. Most of the town festivals are held at the depot and along Front St. Within the last 5 years, the town has worked on revitalizing the area with landscaping and a roundabout at the intersection in front of the depot. On the day of this photo in 2012, I caught CSX #989 passing by.

See the historical marker here:
seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers%2...

Old Mississippi State Capitol - Jackson, MS

The Old Mississippi State Capitol, also known as Old Capitol Museum, is a building that is a Mississippi State Historic Site and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1990.

It is located at 100 N. State St, on the east side of State Street at Capitol Street, in Jackson. It is operated as a museum by the state of Mississippi. The building dates from 1837, and was the Mississippi statehouse until 1903. Among the features is a rotunda dome 94 feet high.

In the news: Eggner's Ferry Bridge demolished

The Eggner's Ferry Bridge, which crosses Kentucky Lake (and the Tennessee River) at Land Between the Lakes, has been demolished by KyDOT. You can see video of it here:
http://www.wsmv.com/story/32523095/crews-demolish-old-eggners-ferry-bridge-in-ky

This old bridge made national headlines in January 2012 when a boat crashed into this bridge, causing one of the spans to fall down. The bridge that opened in 1932 and carries US68 across the Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake has since reopened but is in the process of being replaced. You can read more about the incident here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggner%27s_Ferry_Bridge#January_201...

When looking at the photos from summer 2014, it's easy to spot the replacement truss. KYDOT was already starting construction on the replacement then. Here is a video of me driving over all of the Land Between the Lakes bridges: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsUjtvvqyNs

Roseate Spoonbill - Birmingham Zoo

The Spoonbill enclosure at the Birmingham Zoo is quite nice. There were about 30 of these adorable birds behind a net and the humans could walk along two of the sides of the exhibit.

Sacred Heart of Jesus Church - Loretto, TN

The cornerstone for this Catholic church was laid in 1910 and completed two years later. The congregation was started by German immigrants who relocated to this area a few miles south of Lawrenceburg. Today, the building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Anderson County Courthouse - Clinton, TN

The courthouse was built in 1967 at a cost of just over $1.5 Million. The courthouse is located in the middle of Clinton's town square while facing Main St. (which is also US25W). There are also some older business scattered along Main St., but the central business district seems to be a few blocks over at Market St.

Clinton is also the only small town in Tennessee I've seen with parking meters. I parked to the side of the courthouse and put a quarter in the meter which bought me almost an hour. However the machine didn't seem to work as it was still blinking "expired" so I had to do my photographic business as quickly as possible.

The Gravesite of Daniel Boone

One of America's most storied pioneers, Daniel Boone died in 1820. In 1845, he and his wife Rebecca were reinterred here at Frankfort Cemetery along the edge of a bluff such that it overlooks the city of Frankfort, the Kentucky River and the Kentucky Capitol Building. However, after the body was moved, there has been some discussion that the wrong grave was dug up and all or some of the wrong person's bones were moved here.

If you decide to visit the gravesite for yourself, Frankfort Cemetery has made it easy as they painted a yellow stripe along the road to lead you straight there. Once there, you will see the monument which was erected around 1880 with a small fence around it. On each side of this monument is a white marble relief panel with a vignette of his life. In one panel, he is having a conversation with another pioneer, a second panel shows that he's killed a deer. Rebecca gets her own panel as she is seen milking a cow. One unusual note is that Boone is depicted wearing a coonskin hat, which is what Davy Crockett was known for.

Waterloo Falls

Waterloo Falls is a 35 foot drop along the 100 foot wide Spring Creek. This creek runs along the border between Putnam and Overton Counties.

This waterfall is not part of a state park, however, there is an unsigned turnoff along the road, and at the end of the gravel turnoff is some parking spaces. From there is a short path just a few hundred feet along the side of the water right along the side of the falls and perhaps evidence of an old mill. The path doesn't go much further than this, so you're looking at it from an angle. (I suppose you could be a little adventurous and do some climbing, but I didn't

Rock City's Fairyland Caverns: Little Miss Muffet

After spending some time trying to see seven states and various unusual rock formations, visitors to Rock City finish their visit along the Enchanted Trail by enjoying the sights of Fairyland Cavern.

When Fairyland Caverns first opened, most of the scenes consisted of their gnome collection and related decor fitting a fairy tale theme, all moved into a new section of the park that needed a purpose. Then in the late 40s, Rock City hired Atlanta artist Jessie Sanders to create the glow-in-the-dark scenes from popular fairy tales and these are the scenes that still exist today.

The first thing Mrs. Sanders crafted was a deer that stands next to Snow White. From there, she created individual displays for different tales. Other than the first two scenes (which depict a mother reading bedtime stories to the children and then the children asleep with "Dream Faries" flittering about) she was given free reign to create the scenes as inspiration struck. As the figures were cast from her Atlanta studio, they would be shipped to Rock City and installed after another artist, Marcus Lilly, would paint the backdrops. Jessie's husband Charles also helped create many of the props that are seen today.

After Jessie Sanders spent about a decade creating all of the vistas along the main hallway, she envisioned her most elaborate display in 1958. Mother Goose's Village was to be a large room with a miniature mountain, adorned by a castle, and many fairy tale characters seamlessly placed together to save the attraction's best for last. After six years of construction, the fantastic finale was opened to the public in May, 1964 delighting young and old since.

On my website, I have created a gallery entitled "A Tour of Rock City" where I not only have tried to photograph each individual display in Fairyland Caverns and much of Mother Goose's Village, but all the other wondrous scenes at the beloved tourist attraction.
seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=chattanooga%2Frock-city

Walking Tall in Adamsville Water Tower

Sheriff Buford Pusser, made famous by the movie Walking Tall was sheriff here in McNairy County in the 1960's. His home was here in Adamsville, about half a mile from the water tower he has been immortalized on. His home is now open as a museum.

Shoal Creek Bridge - Lawrenceburg, TN

This 1933 Bridge of a Riveted Pratt Through truss design is on the west side of Lawrenceburg along Old Waynesboro Road (TN15). The bridge is open albeit functionally obsolete, but that's all right because there's a modern bridge that parallels this one and nobody needs to drive over it, unless they just really want to. Since this is the south, someone spray-painted the word Goober on the right side girder.

First Baptist Church - Frankfort, KY

There are two First Baptist Churches in Frankfort. There used to be only one but in 1833 the white members and the black members thought it would be best to separate. Later on, this building was completed in 1908. Both dates are engraved on the base of the steeple.

Tennessee Central Dome Car

The Dome car is an upgrade from standard coach seating on modern excursion trains. A small number can sit in the upper section which has windows on all sides and offers the best views.

This one operates on the excursions offered by the Tennessee Central Railway Museum in Nashville, TN.

Monroe County Courthouse - Madisonville, TN

Monroe County's 4th and current courthouse was built in 1897 at a cost of $17,000. At the time, it was praised in the local paper for it's useful functionality and with "no useless ornamentation on the outside." Today, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The two story brick building is built upon a high basement features a tall tower over the front entrance. Externally, above the basement level is a stone water table and also a cornice at the eave line of the hipped roof. At the main entrance is a one story porch supported with four square brick columns and topped by a balustrade. The clock tower features square pilasters with Ionic and Doric caps. A rear annex was added to the rear in 1979.

Muskrat Swimming

Seen at Murfree Springs Wetlands in Murfreesboro, TN

Union Soldier Monument - Knoxville National Cemetery

The Union Soldier monument, in the National Cemetery's eastern corner, was erected in the early 1900s. In 1892, Knoxville's Confederate veterans installed a 48-foot monument topped by a statue of a Confederate soldier at the Confederate National Cemetery near the Mabry-Hazen House in East Knoxville. Not to be outdone, the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic formed a commission, headed by former Union Army officer and Knoxville Journal publisher William Rule, to raise money to build a monument of greater size at Knoxville National Cemetery.

Completed in 1901, the monument initially stood 50 feet— the height having been calculated to surpass that of the Confederates' monument— and was topped by a bronze eagle with wings spread. On August 22, 1904, however, the eagle was shattered by a bolt of lightning, the sound of which rattled Knoxville and could be heard for miles all around. Undaunted, the GAR commissioners planned immediate reconstruction, using federal funds secured by Congressman Henry R. Gibson. The new monument, designed by the local architectural firm Baumann Brothers, largely followed the original design, the exception being a marble statue of a Union soldier placed atop the monument rather than an eagle. The new monument was completed on October 15, 1906.

The monument, built of locally-quarried marble, represents a medieval fortress, with stained glass windows and an inner room and staircase. The 8-foot soldier statue stands at post atop the main tower. The monument is sometimes called the "Wilder Monument," as local legend suggests the soldier bears the likeness of Union general and East Tennessee businessman John T. Wilder.

Savannah, TN Historic District: Williams-Schutt House

Built in 1874. The Savannah Historic District is a group of 17 homes that form together to become an entry on the National Register of Historic Places.

Jackson Falls

When travelling along the Natchez Trace Parkway in Hickman County, near Milepost 404 is a pull off for Jackson Falls, one of the most scenic spots along the trace. The waterfall is named after Andrew Jackson who while still a general took the Natchez Trace and for all we know could have seen this place. All in all the falls are about 40 feet tall. It is in two parts, with the upper part as a cascade that flows at an angle where the stream makes a left turn and falls over a bluff.

from the marker at the top of the trail:
A steep trail (concrete sidewalk) 900 feet long takes you to a clear pool at the base of these falls. This trail descends to Jackson Falls a beautifully sculptured cascade that seems ageless but it isn't. For thousands of years before the falls existed Jackson Branch flowed into this high valley isolated from the Duck River below. Then in a classic case of stream piracy, the Duck River captured Jackson Branch. The flooding river and other erosional agents wore away at the bluffs, cutting a new channel through faults in the rock. At the site of Jackson Falls the diverted stream slips down into the Duck River Valley abandoning its former course.

Market Street Bridge (Just Before Sundown)

The Market Street Bridge in Chattanooga, TN just a couple of years after its extensive renovations were finished. What makes this bridge different that any other bridge I've seen is its a Double-Leaf overhead counterweight Bascule Bridge.

Burial Site of Nancy Ward, "The Pocahontas of Tennessee"

Nancy Ward was a princess of Cherokee Nation, and some call her The Pocahontas of Tennessee. Known to the Cherokee as Nanyehi, she was a Beloved Woman of the Cherokee, which means that she was allowed to sit in councils and to make decisions, along with the chiefs and other Beloved Women. She believed in peaceful coexistence with the European-Americans and helped her people as peace negotiator and ambassador. She also introduced them to farming and dairy production bringing substantial changes to the Cherokee society.

She died in 1822 and was buried atop a hill that overlooks the Ocoee River in Polk County. A century later, the Nancy Ward chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution built this memorial at her gravesite. Today, this gravesite is easily accessible as a State Park, located along Old US411 a mile southwest of Benton. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Nancy Ward Tomb.

Read more about her here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Ward
See the D.A.R. marker here: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers%2...
See the TN Historic Marker: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers%2...
See the TN Overhill Experience marker: seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers%2...

Fort Payne, AL Depot

The Passenger train station in Fort Payne was built by Southern Railroad in 1891. Having the appearance of a fortress, the exterior, which was renovated in 1986, is of pink sandstone. A new roof was installed not too many years ago, topping the Richardsonian Romanesque style. Passenger service lasted until the early 60's. Today the building is a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Chapman Restaurant - Lake City, TN

Air Conditioned Private Dining Room - grAde
Seen along Main St. (US25W) in the small Anderson County town

Big Apple or Big Easy?

This is a barn that you see when you leave the Sequoyah Caverns in Dekalb County, Alabama. This is at the junction of Highways U.S. 11 and County Rd 731. If you have trouble making out the paint, this is what you have: In the center on a pole is a faded sign for U.S. Highway 11. Since the paint is peeling, you can see that it used to be an ad for Phillips 66. If you go north, you are 877 from New York, NY (or about 40 to Chattanooga, TN). If you turn right and go south, you are 462 miles to New Orleans, LA.

Hiwassee Union Baptist Church

This church building which dates back to 1899 is located along the bank of the Hiwassee River in Reliance, TN. Every other photo I have seen of this building is from the street side, however my photo was taken while I was riding along the Hiwassee River Excursion Train. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Reliance Historic District.

Here is the text of the historic marker provided by the Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association from their Religious Heritage Trail:
Erected about 1899 through the joint effort of the Hiwassee Union Missionary Baptist Church and the local Masonic Lodge, this two-story, frame structure served as a multi-use community building. The upper floor was for lodge meetings while the first floor served as the church meeting hall. The first floor was also used as a schoolhouse for a brief time. Originally the first floor had a full front porch. The porch was enclosed in 1927 when the church added two small meeting rooms, leaving a narrow entry way into the main hall. The church and the lodge moved to new facilities less than one mile to the east on Highway 30. It was founded on October 8, 1848 as Hiwassee Union Baptist, and then in 1859 as Sweetwater Baptist Association. In 1861 the Ocoee Baptist Association was formed, so they asked to be released from Sweetwater's Association and joined the Ocoee Baptist Association. Hiwassee Union Baptist went on the join Eastanallee Baptist Association in 1871 and finally it joined the Polk Baptist Association in 1921.