Tag Archives: history
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
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
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
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
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
Lawrence County History Trivia 