Thursday, July 16, 2009

My Neck of the Woods- Loudon, TN












Bonjour from Campagne Maison


**I don't have a wide angle lens, so I had to take this picture in two shots due to the length of that building, but I think you can get the general idea. The artist did a great job!




Loudon, TN is in the process of revamping their historic downtown district. The old water fountain was completely removed and the new replacement is almost completed. It is going to be gorgeous sitting next to the new city signage.

This mural covers the entire length of an antique store that sits at the foot of the bridge crossing the TN River into the Main Street area. Built prior to 1834, the city is full of Civil War history as well as the times predating that period. There are many landmarks in the city to attest to its longevity. The Loudon County Courthouse still stands from the original days.

During the Civil War, the biggest employer in the town was the cotton mill. It was owned by Dr. B.B. Lenoir, whose father had founded the neighboring city of Lenoir. When the Union Army came through the area, they burned down the General Store because the owners had supported the Confederate States. Before the Army reached the Cotton Mill, Dr. Lenoir gave the “secret Masonic handshake” to several of the Union officers and in doing so, he saved his cotton mill from being burned down.


I just love history, especially the Civil War era!


Thanks for stopping by the farmhouse today for a visit. We just love having company!


Au revoir,



7 comments:

Sea Witch said...

I love these little snippets of history. Tennessee is one of my favorite states along with Kentucky. Lovely rolling farms brilliant with green, river communities with small, hometown shops, lots of just friendly people. Sea Witch

Anonymous said...

I'm a history buff too. Can't wait to see that area in person.

Barb said...

Hi Jacque,

You did a great job with the camera.
I love history and anything that is civil war related, I'm all over that.
Thank you for sharing.

Hugs,
Barb

P.S. happy birthday to Claudia

Tracie~MyPetiteMaison said...

Bonjour Jacque,
I am with you in loving the old stories and the tidbits of information. Thanks for sharing, mon amie!
xo~Tracie

Ana~A Petite Cottage said...

Hi Jacque,
Thank you so much for your comment. Maybe one day you can share your pictures of you and your doll, it would be wonderful to see. Thank you again and have a wonderful Sunday.

Blessings and a great big hug,
~Ana♥

Chickadee said...

I hope that you'll post pictures of all of the happenings in Loudon regarding it's history! My family was from Loudon County when it was still Roane County. They lived in Pond Creek Valley near Sweetwater. They were Thomas Osborne and his wife Evaline Matlock. Once the old folks died after the Civil War, many of the children moved west and most settled in Oregon and then Washington. Once in Oregon, Wilbur married Mary Elizabeth McMahan, also of the Roane Co. TN, and her grandfather was John B. Edwards. The Osbornes also married into the Lenoir and Blair families. I don't know if any of these names ring a bell, but I would sure love to know more about them should you run across any of the names! Thanks for sharing...beautiful is all I can say about your blog!

Chickadee said...

I neglected to mention that Thomas Osborne was my ggg grandfather and his son, Wilbur, was my gg grandfather.