Author Archives: Clint
Bringing Local History to the Classroom
The following tool is intended for the use of local teachers and students. I have aligned the state social studies standards with articles I have written pertaining to a similar topic in Lawrence County history. It is my great desire … Continue reading
Thurgood Marshall Wins in Lawrenceburg
Did you know that Lawrenceburg was the scene of a high-profile civil rights trial? In 1946 a fistfight between James Stephenson, a black Navy veteran, and Billy Fleming, a white store clerk, in neighboring Columbia, Tennessee escalated into a pitched … Continue reading
Klan Violence in Lawrence County
In the autumn of 1926, groups of masked vigilantes conducted a campaign of terror in Lawrence County. They dragged nine men out of their beds, blindfolded them, beat them in front of their homes, and then left with a bone-chilling … Continue reading
The Death of John Bicknell
Not long after the Civil War ended, a young man was murdered on the Central Turnpike on the approach to the then-abandoned village of Summertown. What followed was a forgotten, sad–and bizarre–chapter in local history. In those days, wild men … Continue reading
Lawrence County’s First Civil Districts
We take it for granted today that each county in Tennessee is subdivided into smaller civil districts. These districts each contain a relatively equal proportion of the county’s population. Our county commission is made up of representatives elected by the … Continue reading
Lawrenceburg Gives Women the Vote
On this day in 1919, women got the vote in Lawrenceburg–more than a year before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment! Locally, the cause of women’s suffrage enjoyed support in high places. The Lawrence ‘Democrat’–which was the forerunner of today’s … Continue reading
When To Plant: Some Agricultural Folk Wisdom
Have you ever heard of planting by the signs? The right time to plant is the subject of a great deal of folk tradition. In preindustrial times, Lawrence County farmers and gardeners relied on received wisdom from their elders to … Continue reading
When the King Became A Colonel
Sixty-five years ago yesterday, the King of Rock ‘n Roll became a Tennessee colonel, and he was escorted by Lawrence County’s own Greg O’Rear. At 6’9″ and nearly 300 pounds, Lawrence Countian Greg O’Rear was a legendary Tennessee lawman who … Continue reading
Ancient Treasures
How long have people lived in Lawrence County? Quite a long time. Most anthropologists believe that Native Americans first came to Tennessee a little more than 12,000 years ago, at the end of the last Ice Age. For context, if … Continue reading
When There Was a Depot on Depot Street
It’s been a while since there was a depot on Depot Street in Lawrenceburg. In fact, it’s been 53 years today. On February 19, 1973, the old L & N Depot in Lawrenceburg was demolished. The contract was awarded to … Continue reading
Lawrence County History Trivia 