Farmers and Merchants Bank - Ethridge, TN

This old bank building in the small Lawrence County town was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Nov. 2017. Here is the description from the Tennessee Historic Commission:

The one-story brick building in the heart of Ethridge was built in 1927 after an earlier bank building burned. Many banks in the early 20th century were designed in the Classical Revival style, which was thought to convey security and stability to a community. The restrained detailing, seen in the brick and stone window details on the façade of the Ethridge bank, copies the more elaborate Classical Revival style seen in larger communities.

Farmers and Merchants Bank - Ethridge, TN

This old bank building in the small Lawrence County town was added to the National Register of Historic Places in Nov. 2017. Here is the description from the Tennessee Historic Commission:

The one-story brick building in the heart of Ethridge was built in 1927 after an earlier bank building burned. Many banks in the early 20th century were designed in the Classical Revival style, which was thought to convey security and stability to a community. The restrained detailing, seen in the brick and stone window details on the façade of the Ethridge bank, copies the more elaborate Classical Revival style seen in larger communities.

Family Lines System caboose - Ethridge, TN

Most people who pass through Ethridge see all of the Amish stores along highway US43. However, the caboose is located in the small central business district along Depot St.

Family Lines System is a precursor to CSX with the consolidations of several other railroads into one: Seaboard Coast Line; Louisville & Nashville; Georgia Railroad; Clinchfield; Atlanta and West Point Railroad.

8 New listings on the National Register of Historic Places - Dec. 2019

There are 8 new Tennessee listings on the National Register of Historic Places, including the two places pictured below. Text is from the press release



Bank of Loretto (Loretto - Lawrence County)

The Bank of Loretto was chartered in 1910 and after the original bank building burned circa 1924, the current building was constructed. C.K Colley and Company Architects from Nashville were the architects of the building. Colley practiced from 1899 to 1956, but the C.K. Colley and Company was only in operation from 1922-1928. Local lumber company Augustin Lumber, established in 1900, built the new bank building. The Classical Revival style bank is sheathed in stone veneer and distinguished by its symmetrical façade and pedimented entrance. Semi-circular arched windows flank the single-door entrance. The interior retains historic flooring and skylights. The Bank of Loretto moved to a larger building in 1967 and the building is now used as a restaurant.



Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. (Lewisburg –Marshall County)

Better known today as the Water Street Abbey, the historic church building was constructed in 1910 for the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. Rev. E. L. Orr drew plans and made suggestions for the structure, but the actual architect is unknown. The first services in the new sanctuary were held on January 11, 1911. Situated at the corner of Water Street and 3rd Avenue in Lewisburg, it is a prominent example of the Late Gothic Revival style. The exterior of the brick building features a corner bell tower delineated by Gothic arch openings with y-tracery, a steep pitch roof, and large windows. The interior retains its Akron plan, with moveable doors that allow for classroom spaces or a larger sanctuary when needed. When the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. disbanded in 1939, the building was purchased by the Water Street Church of Christ, who held services here until 1967. In 2007 the current owners purchased the building and plan to rehabilitate it for an event venue.

The list also includes a boundary increase for the Jonesborough Historic District and the world's largest bomb shelter which is in a gated community in Memphis.

See the entire list here.

Lawrenceburg, TN Mexican War Monument

Civil War monuments are aplenty around the United States, but if you are looking for a monument remembering the Mexican-American War of the mid 1840s, there are only 2 in Tennessee, one of which is shown here in Lawrenceburg, TN. (The other in Tennessee is in Gallatin.) Planning began on the War Monument in 1849 and the city legislature passed a resolution on 1/9/1850 to appropriate $1,500 to erect it. The monument was created to perpetuate the memory of the "Lawrenceburg Blues" and Captain William B. Allen who fought in the Mexican War. It has a four square base supporting a shaft running skyward and is on the north side of the Lawrenceburg town square.

See 7 States from Rock City

This Rock City barn is seen along US64 in Lawrence County, TN.

This is now one of 87 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.

See Rock City barn - Ethridge, TN

Along highway US43 between Columbia and Lawrenceburg is the small town of Ethridge, TN. Ethridge is best known for all the nearby Amish farms.

Many people come to Ethridge to buy various fresh produce. From there, a bunch of flea markets and antique stores describing themselves as Amish Tourist Information stops sprung up.

With all of the tourists coming to the area, this Rock City Barn now appears in the middle of it all. Despite the rust of the roof coming through the white paint, I believe this is one of the newer Rock City barns around.

For what it's worth, the "A Place of Rest Campground" is on an old Amish farm.

Lawrence County Courthouse - Lawrenceburg, TN

This courthouse was built in 1974 and is located on US 64 a couple of blocks away from the town square. This courthouse replaced an older courthouse from 1905 that couldn't be repaired any more. Built as part of a major urban renewal plan, it was built for $1.1 million. This one certainly has a modern 70's look to it, with a large fountain in the front running for the first time when I passed through.

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.

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.

Tennessee Southern Railroad Locomotive - Loretto, TN

A few years ago, Tennessee Southern was what made me learn about Short Line railroads. I was in Columbia, TN and I saw a red and blue train coming my way, and I was perplexed to see anything other than CSX. Then I saw the name Tennessee Southern and I wondered if it was some weird holdover hybrid of the old Tennessee Central and the Southern Railway. It wasn't. It's a short line.

Tennessee Southern is today owned by Patriot Rail Corporation, and this photo was taken where the train runs through Loretto, TN - a small town in Lawrence County.

Their website explaines where they run today.
www.tennesseesouthern.com/aboutus1.htm
"The Tennessee Southern Railroad began operation in July of 1988 on former Norfolk Southern track in Florence, Alabama. On February 1, 1989, the TSR began operation on the former CSX Transportation track running from just north of Columbia, Tennessee to Pulaski, Tennessee on the old N & D (Nashville and Decatur) Main from Columbia, Tennessee to Florence, Alabama on the old NF&S (Nashville, Florence and Sheffield) Main. The TSR interchanges rail traffic with CSX Transportation at Natco, Tennessee located just north of Columbia, Tennessee. Additionally, we interchange with all inland barge lines through our Port Facility at Florence, Alabama, where we transfer freight to or from barge traffic on the Tennessee River."

In the news: Senator Fred Thompson has died

U.S. Senator Fred Thompson has died. Here is a super-brief bio for people that don't know him:

He grew up in Lawrenceburg, TN. He became a lawyer and was involved in the Watergate legal proceedings, later he was involved in the Gov. Ray Blanton legal proceedings. When the movie ("Marie") about the Blanton Scandal was filmed, he portrayed himself, which launched him into an acting career. In 1994, he won the U.S. Senate seat given up by Al Gore who had become Vice President. After winning re-election in 1996, he served until 2002 when he did not seek re-election. From there, he took the acting role of lead District Attorney on Law & Order. In 2008, he ran for President, launching his campaign back where he started, from the town square in Lawrenceburg

Personally, I only had a chance to see him once. During the late 90s, he spoke at Lipscomb when I was a student there.

Lawrenceburg certainly remembers its favorite son. There used to be this sign on old US 64 for westbound travelers entering the city:



Outside of the Crockett Theater just north of the square is this cement square with his signature and shoe print:

St. Joseph Catholic Church - St. Joseph, TN

From Wikipedia:
St. Joseph Church is a historic Roman Catholic church on Spring Street in St. Joseph, Tennessee.

The Roman Catholic church in St. Joseph was established in 1872. Its first church building was a small frame structure located near the current church. It housed a parochial school for many years and was being used for storage as of 1984.

The current church building is a large structure built by in 1885 by the church's parishioners from ashlar cut stone that they had quarried at a nearby site. It has a stucco exterior and a square bell tower with a short octagonal steeple that is roofed with tin shingles. It has an unusually elaborate interior that is largely the work of John Sliemers, who served as the local parish priest from 1901 to 1903 and from 1914 to 1934. Both the main altar and side altars have elaborate carvings, while lathe-turned balusters support the chancel rail and the rear gallery. Religious scenes are depicted in stained-glass windows and in paintings on the interior walls.

The 1885 church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

See Rock City barn in Amish Country

Ethridge, a small town in the northern part of Lawrence County, is the central location for Tennesse's Amish population. The city is also located along US43 between Columbia and Lawrenceburg. Several Amish merchants opened up shops long this main road. This was soon followed by other merchants who capitalized on the fact that people came to this area to shop, and other trading posts, antique malls, gift shops and shopping centers opened on the main road. A minor tourist spot was born, and often when you find a tourist spot in the south, a barn telling you to see Rock City isn't too far away.

This photo is from 2012 and I last photographed this barn three years prior in 2009. Since then, the barns owner has added all of the metal signs you see here: Coca-Cola, Greyhound, Pet, Purina Chow. I also waited until the Amish man in his buggy had rounded the corner. (Generally speaking, the Amish don't like to have their picture taken where they can be identifiable.) This is one of 86 different Rock City barns I have posted to flickr in my Rock City Barns set.

The first Theater in Loretto, TN

The small town of Loretto in Lawrence County has conveniently put historical markers all over town for the minor points of interest. Also, someone was kind enough to trim the vines so that I could see a historical marker was in there. This Theater was built in 1948 by James Robinson and operated until the 60's. As you can tell from the picture, in the half century since then, the roof has fallen in and someone has used the building to stow junk.

David Crockett State Park entrance sign

Not to be confused with Davy Crockett Birthplace state park in East Tennessee, David Crockett State Park is in Lawrenceburg, TN.

In 1817, Crockett moved to Lawrenceburg. Along the banks of Shoal Creek, he established a powdermill, a gristmill and a distillery. A flood in September 1821 washed away all three of these businesses and Crockett decided to move out west. Today, that land along Shoal Creek is the State Park with the entrance along US64.

David Crockett State Park Covered Bridge

David Crockett State Park is in Lawrenceburg, TN at the site where the historic figure once operated a mill. In 1959, the park built a covered bridge over the stream and dam for the reconstructed mill at the park. A storm washed away the original covered bridge here in 1998 but the state rebuilt it in 1999 for the one we see here. There is also a pedestrian lane on this side of the bridge. The pond was full of frogs and turtles when I was there.

There aren't too many vintage covered bridges left in Tennessee. (I think there are only three or four.) In East Tennessee, there's the Doe River Covered Bridge in Elizabethton and the Harrisburg Bridge of Sevierville.

David Crockett Motel - Lawrenceburg, TN

Lawrenceburg, TN along U.S. 64 east of the town square and next door to David Crockett storage warehouse.

Davy Crockett Museum - Lawrenceburg, TN

This cabin museum is a replica of Davy Crockett's cabin just a couple of blocks south of Lawrenceburg's town square on Military Ave.

Historical Marker:
seemidtn.com/gallery/index.php?album=historical-markers/g...

Happy Black Friday - Never Know What Shop

For those of you willing to brave the large crowds, you never know what you'll find (and you can interpret that however you want). This store is located north of Lawrenceburg's town square along Military Ave. across from the Crockett theater. Personally, I'd rather be here on the biggest shopping day than at WalMart.