Big Rock & Scenic Overlook - Sewanee, TN

In the earliest days of cross country automobile travel, there weren't as many places to pull over and rest, so the early highway departments would add scenic stops with several parking spaces and concrete picnic tables. This would be even more important for the winding drive up a mountain, especially if it was a new or scary experience.

One of the earliest routes to ascend the Cumberland Plateau in the Monteagle area connected Sewanee at the top to Cowan down below. As the members of the Dixie Highway Association were looking for the best route to cross the plateau, they decided to reuse this early road, making improvements along the incline.

A more detailed description of this spot comes from the TDOT book Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges on Page 125:
During the 1920s and 1930s, there was a growing interest nationally in scenic beautification projects along highways. These often included turnouts, or pull-offs, sometimes with small parks or picnic areas. If an impressive view existed, the turnout was called a scenic overlook. During the 1930s, beginning in 1934 in Tennessee, federal relief programs funded “Roadside Development,” “Landscaping,” and “Beautification” projects resulting in landscaping projects and a variety of roadside parks, pull-offs or turnouts, and overlooks. An example is the scenic overlook on the steep western side of Monteagle Mountain. In 1918 Franklin County issued a $300,000 bond issue for road improvements which included a joint project with the state in 1919 to improve a ten mile stretch of the Dixie Highway through the county that contained this pull-off. It is unknown if the original pull-off, which contained a sweeping 400 foot stone wall flanking a massive boulder, pre-dates the 1919 project or if it was built (or enhanced) as part of the project. In 1936 the state spent $11,190 as a National Recovery Highway Project to landscape 5.4 miles of the Cowan to Sewanee section of State Route 15 (the Dixie Highway). The 1936 project, whose plans show the location of the original stone wall, removed the older wall and erected a new wall of rubble masonry 1400 feet long, cut steps into the boulder (7” rise, 12” tread, and 30” width), and paved the parking area with macadam stone. The state also built over 900 discontiguous feet of rubble masonry walls and planted over 2100 trees and shrubbery “grouped in as natural arrangements as possible” on the project.

While the road was originally part of the Dixie Highway, and then state route TN15, eventually it became US41A/US64. (It is not US64 anymore as that route now meets I-24 and ascends Monteagle that way.) This area is right along the western edge of the Domain of the University of the South. The stone masonry that extends from the left of the boulder eventually meets up with the highway marking the western entrance of the University of the South. When you climb up the steps, you see the surface of the boulder is covered with graffiti covering graffiti. My personal favorite was "Don't fall of and die!!!" (Things dating back to the Thirties don't always have guardrails.) Even still, in the 10 minutes I was here, multiple carloads of young and old passengers stopped for family portraits.

Oldham Theater - Winchester, TN

Located on the Winchester town square, the Oldham Theater opened in 1950.

Fathers' Memorial & Overlook - Fayetteville, TN

Fathers' Memorial & Overlook is a part of Stone Bridge Park in Fayetteville, TN. This area overlooks the Elk River close to where Norris Creek joins.

This may be a lesser-known feature of Stone Bridge Park as you have to take a paved trail which goes under the US64 bridge.

Luciann Theater - Memphis, TN

The Luciann Theater opened in 1940 and closed in 1958. It is located along Summer Ave. (US64/US70/US79/TN1) in Memphis. Since the original theater closed, it became a bowling alley, a night club, and then an adult movie theater. Despite all of the change, the theater has kept much of its original exterior. I have altered the marquee so that the focus could be on the original elements.

Fayette County Courthouse - Somerville, TN

In Feb 1926, Fayette County's third courthouse burned down. The county acted quickly to have a new one built in the town square as within 6 weeks architect George Mahan Jr. designed this courthouse. It was completed the following year at a cost of $106,000.

Much of the exterior is made of buff-colored brick. At the main entrance is as entry portico with 4 Ionic columns. Above this on the roof is a copper domed roof and clock tower. The building went through extensive remodeling in the 80s. The courthouse is also listed on the National register of Historic Places as part of the Somerville Historic District.

Wayne County Courthouse - Waynesboro, TN

I took this photo in 2009. Here was my original writeup...
I was visiting an antique store on the Waynesboro town square when the store owner saw me picking up a county brochure.

"You're not from around here," he said with a smile.

I told him that I like taking pictures of courthouses.

He said, "You've come to the right place...except ours is ugly!"

I pointed to the county tourism brochure and said, "The word they used was 'different'."

"Well, that's the kind way of saying it."

From him, I learned the old courthouse had burned down due to an arsonist. Plans were drawn for the replacement courthouse to be built at a shopping center, hence the shopping center look to the building. Then, I guess some people got sentimental and wanted the new courthouse in the center of the square, but it was too late to change the design. Therefore, as the store owner put it, it was a double mistake.

Update in 2020. This courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Here are the notes from the Tennessee Historical Commission:

Judged worthy of preserving, the Wayne County Courthouse was officially placed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 29th.

Designed by the Nashville architectural firm of Yearwood and Johnson and completed in 1975, the Wayne County Courthouse exemplifies the character defining features of Brutalism design.

The large-scale angular building is notable for the exposed “raw” concrete/masonry exterior, large areas of formed concrete and limited fenestration. The combination of voids and solids of the design give the building a unique appearance in Waynesboro.

All these features of Brutalism are extant in the building and part of the original design. Features of Brutalism inside that remain are the exposed concrete and marble with no embellishments.

A comparison of the building with the few Brutalist designs in the state reveals that the Wayne County Courthouse is unique in design due to the relationship of the solid rectangles, sloping rooflines, and tall clock tower.

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is part of a nationwide program that coordinates and supports efforts to identify, evaluate and protect historic resources. The SHPO administers the program in Tennessee.

The full nomination can be seen at www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/environment/historic-commission...

Savannah, TN Historic District: E.W. Ross House

Built in 1908 and located along Main St. (US64) The Savannah Historic District is a group of 17 homes that form together to become an entry on the National Register of Historic Places.

Site of Big Rock Court - Chattanooga

For years, motorists around Chattanooga have seen a Big Rock with the words Big Rock painted on it. This is the story.

During the golden age of automobile travel, Joe Light opened a motel along Cummings Highway. This highway is located at the base of Lookout Mountain near the Tennessee River. Until I-24 paralleled the old highway, it was the only way that connected the city to the west, which meant lots of travelers passed through here. The most notable geologic landmark at this site was the Big Rock. Thus, the motel was called Big Rock Court and "Big Rock Court" was painted on the rock. Even though it has been several decades, the makeshift sign is still legible.

Big Rock Court wasn't the best motel around. It gained the reputation by the locals as a den of gambling. After a shooting, a police raid finally led to the Court's demise.

This spot was still a prime location for tourists, so in 1977 the Super Water Slide opened for business. Advertised as the largest water slide in the world, the fiberglass slide zig-zagged down the hillside. The popularity faded until the summer hot-spot went out of business in 1989 and the slide relocated to Tullahoma where I find no record of it. With no use, this property became covered in kudzu.

Local conservationist John C. Wilson let the group now known as the Lookout Mountain Land Trust to purchase the land and turn it into a park. Trash was removed, overgrowth was cut down and the park named after Wilson has opened. You can read Wilson's story on preserving the park in this article. Today, you can hike a trail, have a picnic, climb the old stairs to where Joe Light's house was, or get a better view of the Big Rock Court sign that beckons motorists to this day.

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.

Big Rock & Scenic Overlook - Sewanee, TN

In the earliest days of cross country automobile travel, there weren't as many places to pull over and rest, so the early highway departments would add scenic stops with several parking spaces and concrete picnic tables. This would be even more important for the winding drive up a mountain, especially if it was a new or scary experience.

One of the earliest routes to ascend the Cumberland Plateau in the Monteagle area connected Sewanee at the top to Cowan down below. As the members of the Dixie Highway Association were looking for the best route to cross the plateau, they decided to reuse this early road, making improvements along the incline.

A more detailed description of this spot comes from the TDOT book Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges on Page 125:
During the 1920s and 1930s, there was a growing interest nationally in scenic beautification projects along highways. These often included turnouts, or pull-offs, sometimes with small parks or picnic areas. If an impressive view existed, the turnout was called a scenic overlook. During the 1930s, beginning in 1934 in Tennessee, federal relief programs funded “Roadside Development,” “Landscaping,” and “Beautification” projects resulting in landscaping projects and a variety of roadside parks, pull-offs or turnouts, and overlooks. An example is the scenic overlook on the steep western side of Monteagle Mountain. In 1918 Franklin County issued a $300,000 bond issue for road improvements which included a joint project with the state in 1919 to improve a ten mile stretch of the Dixie Highway through the county that contained this pull-off. It is unknown if the original pull-off, which contained a sweeping 400 foot stone wall flanking a massive boulder, pre-dates the 1919 project or if it was built (or enhanced) as part of the project. In 1936 the state spent $11,190 as a National Recovery Highway Project to landscape 5.4 miles of the Cowan to Sewanee section of State Route 15 (the Dixie Highway). The 1936 project, whose plans show the location of the original stone wall, removed the older wall and erected a new wall of rubble masonry 1400 feet long, cut steps into the boulder (7” rise, 12” tread, and 30” width), and paved the parking area with macadam stone. The state also built over 900 discontiguous feet of rubble masonry walls and planted over 2100 trees and shrubbery “grouped in as natural arrangements as possible” on the project.

While the road was originally part of the Dixie Highway, and then state route TN15, eventually it became US41A/US64. (It is not US64 anymore as that route now meets I-24 and ascends Monteagle that way.) This area is right along the western edge of the Domain of the University of the South. The stone masonry that extends from the left of the boulder eventually meets up with the highway marking the western entrance of the University of the South. When you climb up the steps, you see the surface of the boulder is covered with graffiti covering graffiti. My personal favorite was "Don't fall of and die!!!" (Things dating back to the Thirties don't always have guardrails.) Even still, in the 10 minutes I was here, multiple carloads of young and old passengers stopped for family portraits.

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.

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

Oldham Theater - Winchester, TN

The Oldham Theater is a great looking old-fashioned small town square theater with well-preserved marquee and neon, still living up to it's 1950's grandeur.

Big Rock & Scenic Overlook - Sewanee, TN

In the earliest days of cross country automobile travel, there weren't as many places to pull over and rest, so the early highway departments would add scenic stops with several parking spaces and concrete picnic tables. This would be even more important for the winding drive up a mountain, especially if it was a new or scary experience.

One of the earliest routes to ascend the Cumberland Plateau in the Monteagle area connected Sewanee at the top to Cowan down below. As the members of the Dixie Highway Association were looking for the best route to cross the plateau, they decided to reuse this early road, making improvements along the incline.

A more detailed description of this spot comes from the TDOT book Tennessee's Survey Report for Historic Highway Bridges on Page 125:
During the 1920s and 1930s, there was a growing interest nationally in scenic beautification projects along highways. These often included turnouts, or pull-offs, sometimes with small parks or picnic areas. If an impressive view existed, the turnout was called a scenic overlook. During the 1930s, beginning in 1934 in Tennessee, federal relief programs funded “Roadside Development,” “Landscaping,” and “Beautification” projects resulting in landscaping projects and a variety of roadside parks, pull-offs or turnouts, and overlooks. An example is the scenic overlook on the steep western side of Monteagle Mountain. In 1918 Franklin County issued a $300,000 bond issue for road improvements which included a joint project with the state in 1919 to improve a ten mile stretch of the Dixie Highway through the county that contained this pull-off. It is unknown if the original pull-off, which contained a sweeping 400 foot stone wall flanking a massive boulder, pre-dates the 1919 project or if it was built (or enhanced) as part of the project. In 1936 the state spent $11,190 as a National Recovery Highway Project to landscape 5.4 miles of the Cowan to Sewanee section of State Route 15 (the Dixie Highway). The 1936 project, whose plans show the location of the original stone wall, removed the older wall and erected a new wall of rubble masonry 1400 feet long, cut steps into the boulder (7” rise, 12” tread, and 30” width), and paved the parking area with macadam stone. The state also built over 900 discontiguous feet of rubble masonry walls and planted over 2100 trees and shrubbery “grouped in as natural arrangements as possible” on the project.

While the road was originally part of the Dixie Highway, and then state route TN15, eventually it became US41A/US64. (It is not US64 anymore as that route now meets I-24 and ascends Monteagle that way.) This area is right along the western edge of the Domain of the University of the South. The stone masonry that extends from the left of the boulder eventually meets up with the highway marking the western entrance of the University of the South. When you climb up the steps, you see the surface of the boulder is covered with graffiti covering graffiti. My personal favorite was "Don't fall of and die!!!" (Things dating back to the Thirties don't always have guardrails.) Even still, in the 10 minutes I was here, multiple carloads of young and old passengers stopped for family portraits.

Bank of Bolivar

One of the oldest buildings in Bolivar, the Bank building dates back to the late 1800's. In 2007, a massive fire practically wiped out the whole southern block of the courthouse square.

My visit to town was 4 1/2 years after the fire. You can tell this building has some nice architectural detail to it, but also can see the fire damage as well. (The three windows on the side are busted and there's smoke damage above each. You may not be able to tell from this photo, but the roof is also missing. Still, this is the only building from the block still standing. Until the fire happened, there has been courthouse square beautification plans for the block, and I saw evidence of similar work along other sides of the square.)

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:

A Wide-Angle View of the Entrance to the Ocoee River

If you are a fan of Whitewater rafting, and you're in Tennessee, the Ocoee River is your place. Now, this photo was taken on a weekday in late September, but in the peak summer months, it can be incredibly crowded. I don't get in the water very often, but the one time I did it, it was here back in 1994.

On the first time you ever visit here, you're greeted with the site of Ocoee Dam #2, and the thought of travelling over it is either thrilling or daunting, depending on your perspective. In reality, it's illegal to go over the 1913 dam and to enter the river, you actually carry your raft/kayak down a concrete ramp. The entrance to the parking lot is from highway US64, which runs just to the right of this photo.

Royal Cafe neon sign - Whiteville, TN

Seen along Main St. in the small central business area (Business US64)

Lincoln Theater - Fayetteville, TN

for this older theater on a small town square, it's good to see a large crowd on this evening.

Built in 1951. Fayetteville is in Lincoln County, which is named after Revolutionary War General Benjamin Lincoln.

Happy Day Laundry Cleaners neon sign - Memphis

1-Day Service!
Located along Union Ave. (US70/79/64/TN1).
Photo taken at dusk.