Author Archives: Clint
Lawrenceburg’s Mysterious Cannonball
In 1956, a crew from the Lawrenceburg Street Department found something unusual buried beneath downtown Lawrenceburg. After the crew dug it up, foreman Ira Johnson examined it and determined that it was a cannonball. Beyond this, we know maddeningly little … Continue reading
Smallpox in Lawrence County
On this day 150 years ago, smallpox was raging through parts of Lawrence County. On February 10, 1876, the Pulaski ‘Citizen’ published a chilling blurb from the Lawrenceburg ‘Free Press.’ It said, “We learn that there are several cases of … Continue reading
William Hicks and the Struggles of Lawrence County’s Free People of Color
One Lawrence County man was taken to court in 1858 for the crime of…staying in Tennessee too long? Enslaved people who were freed before the Civil War or African-Americans who were born free were known as free people of color. … Continue reading
How Lawrence County Became Amish Paradise
Lawrence County has been a literal Amish paradise for 82 years this month. On January 21, 1944, according to an article in the Nashville ‘Banner,’ the families of Joe E. Yoder and Jacob Gingerich began moving into leased buildings on … Continue reading
That Time David Crockett Killed 105 Bears in One Winter
Did you know that Lawrence County founding father David Crockett claimed to have killed 105 bears in one winter–including 47 of them in one month? In his autobiography, David Crockett wrote that the winter of 1825-1826 was very busy. This … Continue reading
When Shoal Creek Was Called Indian Creek
Shoal Creek was once known as Indian Creek? In the spring of 1818, David Crockett and a group of other important men met at a place about four miles north of Pine Bluff, and listened to a man named Henry … Continue reading
Lawrenceburg’s New Deal Post Office
For the first century of Lawrenceburg’s existence, the local postmaster was usually the owner of a general store or mercantile where people could come to get their mail when they were in town. Postmasters were prominent and important individuals who … Continue reading
The LCHS Bible Department
Did you know that Lawrence County High School had a Bible Department in the early 20th century? This photo from the collection of the Old Jail Museum shows one of the popular Bible classes at Lawrence County High School in … Continue reading
A Christmas Classic First Published in Lawrenceburg
It’s a cherished Christmas classic that’s been recorded by Ralph Stanley, Ricky Skaggs, Patty Loveless, the Judds, Emmylou Harris, and Neil Young; and it was first released in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. The song ‘Beautiful Star of Bethlehem’ has been a seasonal … Continue reading
Watch Night in Lawrenceburg
The Nashville ‘Globe’ was one of Tennessee’s most prominent African American-owned newspapers in the early 20th century. In publication from 1906 to the 1930s, it occasionally reported stories from Lawrence County’s African American community. In January 1917, the paper’s Lawrenceburg … Continue reading
Lawrence County History Trivia 