By Dean Anderson
Just underneath the front lawn of
Anderson & Garrett Funeral Home lies
the foundation of an old building. In dry
weather the grass just over the
foundation turns brown, making the
outline of the long-departed building
visible from the front of the funeral
home.
According to legend, the building atop
the foundation was a tavern, which served
as a stagecoach stop. A Tennessee map
from 1832 indicates that the roads we
know as Whites Creek Pike and Old
Clarksville Pike intersected at the top
of the hill in what is now Joelton, just
as they do today. One of several stage
coach routes came out of Nashville along
Whites Creek Pike and turned left at the
top of the hill to continue toward
Clarksville, and ultimately,
Hopkinsville. During this era the one
stop between Nashville and Clarksville
was a location called
“Lowe’s” on the road to
Clarksville just north of Sycamore Creek,
21 miles out of Nashville.
By the latter 1800’s the tavern in
front of Anderson & Garrett may well
have been used as a stop either in
addition to, or instead of, the one
farther out at Lowe’s. Records from
the1890’s indicate that the
Nashville / Clarksville / Hopkinsville
route was run three times per week,
carrying mail and passengers in a
four-horse coach. The 76 mile trip to
Hopkinsville cost $6, and took 20 hours.
For $4, passengers could ride as far as
Clarksville. After several hours behind
the horses, the tavern at the top of the
hill was undoubtedly a welcome sight!
Thank
you, Dean, for sharing this history with
your neighbors! The top of the hill is
still a pleasant site for those of us who
call it home.
|
