Scenic Old Roads of Chattanooga 2: Highway 127 down Signal Mountain

This video is the second in a series of dashcam videos driving the scenic and historic mountain roads in the Chattanooga Area.

Pulpit Rock can be seen at 1:20 in the video.
The Flying Saucer UFO house can be seen at 2:55

Valley of the Three Forks antiques - Pall Mall, TN

Pall Mall, TN - Along US127 - Plus a bonus Coca-Cola sign

Crossville, TN Post Office

Built in 1937. In 1991, the building was rededicated as the Milo Lemert Building honoring of the Medal of Honor winner and World War I hero from Cumberland County.

65 Miles to Rock City

Rock City barn on US Highway 127 just north of Pikeville, TN (Also along the Worlds longest garage sale). You might find this area on your map called Ninemile, TN. US127 is also known as the Sgt. Alvin York Highway.

The "Old" Cumberland Co. Courthouse - Crossville, TN

The "New" Courthouse (inasmuch as you can call a 1905 building new) is across Main Street from this building. This was built in 1886 and much of the inside was destroyed by fire in 1905. It was restored and used as a school for a while. Now it is home to the Military Memorial Museum of Upper Cumberland.

Like most every other building in the area, the courthouse exterior is made of Crab Orchard stone. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic Ye Ole Jail - Jamestown, TN

The new jail is now an addition onto the county courthouse. This old jail is on the Jamestown town square. The building is now used as the local Chamber of Commerce and the headquarters for the 127 Sale aka "World's Longest Garage Sale."

The jail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is over 100 years old and made of native sandstone.

Alvin C York Gristmill & Dam

Tennessean and hero Alvin C. York was one of the most decorated soldiers in World War I. On Oct. 8, 1918, while leading a small patrol through the Argonne Forest in France, Sgt. York had the assignment to eliminate a flank of opposition machine gun fire that was halting his regiment's advancement. York found himself alone facing a German machine gun unit and he took them on with only a rifle and a pistol. The fight ended with over 20 German soldiers dead and another 132 soldiers surrendering along with their four officers and 35 machine guns. For his efforts he was awarded a dozen medals including the Congressional Medal of Honor.

After the War, he returned to his family farm in Pall Mall, nestled in the Tennessee Mountains. York never looked to capitalize on his fame, and instead led a quiet life.

York's Family farm, grist mill, and burial site are now maintained by Tennessee as a State Historic Park. The Grist Mill and dam were built on the Wolf River and operated by York until his death in 1964. Since then, the farm has been designated a National Historic Landmark District and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mark Twain Spring - Jamestown, TN (and the World's Largest Garage Sale)

Samuel Clemens's Parents lived in Jamestown before he was born. This spring and the one block sized park, just a couple of blocks from the town square, is named in his honor.

Uploaded today in honor of the World's Largest Garage Sale (aka the 127 Sale) which is this weekend, and headquarted in Jamestown. Every year, on the Saturday of the sale, the Jamestown Jamboree is held at this park.

Post Card Tuesday: Home of Sgt. Alvin York - Pall Mall, TN

For this week's post card, we have a linen-era card labelled as the Home of Sergeant Alvin C. York, of World War Fame, Pall Mall, Tenn. "Photo by Tenn. State Dept. of Conservation." This card was probably designed before World War II, or the title would have described Sgt. York of World War I fame, instead of just World War. He lived until 1968, so he would have still been living here at the time.

Here is a photo of the home today:



The area is now known as the Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Site and includes the home, his burial site and the mill across the street where he worked. Today, the home is preserved as a museum, displaying several York artifacts and exhibits. The home and State Historic Site are conveniently located on US Highway 127 in Fentress County in the small town of Pall Mall, which on some maps may be listed as Wolf River.

Cumberland Co. Courthouse - Crossville, TN

Located in Crossville, TN, this courthouse was built in 1905 to replace the older courthouse located across the street. The older courthouse was damaged but not completely destroyed by a fire. The damage was severe enough that a new courthouse was needed, but the old courthouse was repaired and is now used as a military museum.

The building, like many in the area, is construced using the distinctive local Crab Orchard Stone.. This stone is a rare sandstone from nearby Crab Orcahrd Mountain and is noted for it's color streaks and differing shades of brown.

The courthouse cost $23,000 to build in 1905. It's two stories and has a monumental entrance consisting of dual arches, large 2nd story windows and a stepped gable.

Around the rest of the exterior on the first floor is a strongly articulated horizontal stone course, whereas the second floor has a smooth aslar finish. Atop the courthouse is an elaborate clock tower in the center of the roof. At each corner of the building are slightly lowered projecting octagonal bays.

Although there are several unusual features, this courthouse is similar to the now gone Lawrence County Courthouse which was also built in 1905. The courthouses are also listed on the National register of Historic Places.

About a year ago, in April 2008, the lawn of the courthouse was newsworthy. The county had established this area as a free speech zone, which prompted people leaving permanent displays there. The county was fine with this until they received many complaints of a statue of the Flying Spagetti Monster, and they announced that all displays had to be taken down. The full story is here.

Tank at Alvin C. York State Historic Site

Sgt. York was a WWI Hero. The historic Site is in Pall Mall, TN next door to his old home along US127. Some flickr friends filled in this info about the tank: this is a M247 Sergeant York self-propelled anti-aircraft gun built on an M48A5 tank chassis.

The Jordan Motel sign - Jamestown, TN

Jamestown, Tn along U.S. 127. This Motel is along the route of the World's Largest Garage Sale, and one of the most popular stops - I would guess it sells out far in advance.

Much of the sign and the exterior of the motel is made of Crab Orchard stone, which is prevalent in the area.

The UFO has landed - Signal Mountain, TN

Here's a photo I took many years ago. This is the crazy UFO house in Signal Mountain, TN. This is just north of Chattanooga, where US Highway 127 winds up the mountain. It's located at a place that used to be known as "The W" as there are a few sharp turns there.

The house was built in the 1970's. You can see the entrance to the house, which is a staircase that leads to the main entrance at the bottom of the middle of the UFO. For a while, the stairs would retract upwards, but that feature broke after a few years.

It went for sale about 4 years ago, and the asking price was $180,000.

Historic Ye Ole Jail (Fentress Co.)

The new jail is now an addition onto the county courthouse. This old jail is on the Jamestown town square. The building is now used as the local Chamber of Commerce and the headquarters for the 127 Sale aka "World's Longest Garage Sale." which is taking place this weekend

The jail is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building is over 100 years old and made of native sandstone.

Endless Supply on random knick-knacks

If you're into this type of thing, but haven't seen it yet, this upcoming weekend is the Worlds Longest Garage Sale, aka the 127 Sale. The title of this photo is a good description of the World's Longest Garage Sale

In a span of 5 minutes, I saw a vintage Star Trek lunchbox, Michael Jackson trading cards and bongs. This specific stop on the route is in Dunlap.

Tennessee Highway Patrol Office - Crossville

Crossville, TN - Built in 1936 - This quite small bungalow was made of Crab Orchard Stone, like so many of the buildings in Crossville - located on Main St. next door to the Cumberland County Courthouse - Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

The "Old" Cumberland County, TN Courthouse

Crossville, TN

The "New" Courthouse (inasmuch as you can call a 1905 building new) is across Main Street from this building. This was built in 1886 and much of the inside was destroyed by fire in 1905. It was restored and used as a school for a while. Now it is home to the Military Memorial Museum of Upper Cumberland.

Like most every other building in the area, the courthouse exterior is made of Crab Orchard stone. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located on Main St. (U.S. 127)