Author Archives: Clint

Michael Jeter Wins Tony Award in 1990

On this day in 1990, Lawrenceburg native Michael Jeter won the Tony Award for best featured performer for his role as the timid bookkeeper Otto Kringelein in the Broadway musical ‘Grand Hotel.’ Jeter, a 1970 graduate of Lawrence County High … Continue reading

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The Late Frost of 1883

Could you imagine waking up to a hard frost on the ground this morning? It happened here this week in 1883. According to the National Weather Service, it is not unusual for our area to see a light frost in … Continue reading

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Lawrence County Votes to Build a Railroad

One of the most consequential elections in Lawrence County history occurred on May 17, 1879. That day, the people of the county voted 1,266 to 217 in favor of subscribing to the Nashville & Florence Railroad. Local leaders pushed for … Continue reading

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The Wild Frontier: The 1820 Census in Lawrence County

A population that more than doubled in thirty years? That was Lawrence County, two-hundred years ago. Happy Word Cloud Wednesday! In 1820, when David Crockett was still living in Lawrence County, the county had a population of 3,271 people. To … Continue reading

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More Orchards Than Indoor Toilets: Lawrence County Homes a Century Ago

A land with more orchards than indoor toilets? People lived a little simpler in Lawrence County a century ago. A survey of 132 Lawrence County homes made by the county Home Demonstration Agent in the spring of 1926 showed what … Continue reading

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The Shumate Giant Comes to Lawrenceburg

Did giants once roam Middle Tennessee? In the autumn of 1845, a traveling exhibition made its way into the muddy streets of Lawrenceburg claiming to contain a truly unusual cargo: the bones of a long-dead, eighteen-foot-tall giant. Contemporary newspaper accounts … Continue reading

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When David Crockett Became Colonel Crockett

On this day in 1818, David Crockett was commissioned as the Colonel of Lawrence County’s 57th Tennessee Militia Regiment. Elected not long after the county was organized in the fall of 1817, Crockett was the first commander of Lawrence County’s … Continue reading

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The Lawrenceburg Public School Tornado of 1965

On this day in 1965, a St. Patrick’s Day tornado pulled part of the roof from Lawrenceburg Public School–while 725 children were inside. At that time, LPS was still at its Jackson Avenue location (the building currently houses the Public … Continue reading

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Lawrence County’s First Courthouse (1821-1905)

On this day in 1905, the demolition of Lawrence County’s first courthouse was underway. The building was torn down to make way for the much grander 1905 Courthouse. Located at the center of the Public Square in Lawrenceburg, according to … Continue reading

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A Federal Armory on Buffalo River or Shoal Creek?

David Crockett lived in Lawrence County for four years. He came here as an anonymous, semi-literate backwoodsman when the area had only recently been opened to white settlement by the Chickasaw Cession of 1816.  While here, Crockett was elected a … Continue reading

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