Natchez Trace Parkway is approximately 440 miles of scenic beauty from Natchez, Mississippi, to Nashville, Tennessee. It roughly follows the the path of the original Natchez Trace used by Indians, explorers, and settlers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We visited a portion of The Trace near Hohenwald, Tennessee, about 85 miles southwest of Nashville.
Grinder's Stand, Natchez Trace Parkway, where Meriwether Lewis died October 11, 1809, while on his way to Washington, D.C. with his expedition journals. This is a reconstructed building in the style of the time.
Meriwether Lewis's burial site and monument. He was 35 yrs. old when he died in October, 1809. Some believe he was murdered but because he had left a power-of-attorney with two friends and because he had written a will while on his way to Washington D.C., the official reason was suicide, from two self-inflicted gun shot wounds.
Lewis was the leader of the Lewis and Clark expedition across the uncharted northern territory west of the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean. The expedition lasted from May, 1804, to September, 1806. As we traveled east, back in August of 2013, we drove on several portions of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. On other trips to Oregon and Washington we saw many of the sites Lewis and Clark had been. I am constantly amazed when I think of what the early explorers and settlers did so many years ago. And to think we complain about the condition of some of our roads!
I love these big old trees. Meriwether Lewis Park
Part of the original Natchez Trace
Meriwether Lewis Park
In about 1820, there was a charcoal-burning furnace at this location on Buffalo River called Steele's Iron Works. It was used to manufacture pig iron. Very little evidence remains of the furnace.
Buffalo River
It must be spring! Even if the thermometer has been down in the 20's and 30's at night!!!
Barnesville Methodist Church, Railroad Bed Pike, Summertown, Tennessee - no longer in use. We came across this and an old cemetery while looking for a grocery store that the young man at the park said was close by. He told us to go up the road, take two right turns and it was pretty close. Well, after driving 18 miles to Summertown and not finding a grocery store, we returned to the motorhome. Fortunately I didn't need to buy anything, we were just wanted to know for the future. I must say the young man did warn me he wasn't very good with directions!
Lawrenceburg, Tennessee town square
David Crockett, August 17, 1786 - March 6, 1836
Lawrenceburg Town Square
David Crockett's home when he lived in Lawrenceburg from 1817 to 1822. He wasn't known as "Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier" until 1954 when Disney aired his TV show on ABC.
When he lived in Lawrenceburg, he was one of the commissioners to plan the county and city. He was a Justice of the Peace, and a businessman who built a powder mill on Shoal Creek, which is now a state park. In 1825, Crockett was elected to the U.S. Congress. He lost the election in 1831 because he was very much against President Jackson's Indian Removal Act. He won again in 1833 but then lost again by a narrow margin in 1835. Shortly after that he left for Texas where he was killed at the Battle of the Alamo in March, 1836.
David Crockett home (museum)
David Crockett home (museum)
Methodist Church, Lawrenceburg
Built in 1893, this was used as a jail until 1973. When it was built, the Sheriff and his family lived in the building and cooked for the prisoners who were in cells in the basement. Lawrenceburg
Lawrenceburg
Crockett Theater was built in 1950. It is used for live performances now and is also a Welcome Center, however, it was not very welcoming because it was closed!
An Amish community is just north of Lawrenceburg, in Ethridge
This sign says it all! Although Moore County is a dry county, in 2012, legislation was passed that allowed a distillery to sell a commemorative bottle. So now one can purchase a commemorative bottle that just happens to be full of free whiskey! And so it is, with an "enhanced" tour, one can get three 1/3 ounce samples. The state still limits the amount of samples to one ounce. Actually, our guide said that Jack Daniels likes being in a dry county because they're afraid of the number of bars that would sprout up in their small town/county and how many more tourists they would bring, that it would change the whole complex of the town. Jack Daniels already sees about a half million visitors a year.
Jack Daniels Distillery visitor center
"Jack On The Rocks" sculpture
Jack Daniels got an early start in whiskey making. He was the youngest of 10 children and was a little guy. As an adult, Jack stood 5'2" tall and wore a size 4 shoe. At age 7, tired of being harassed about his size, he went to live with Dan Call, a lay preacher who operated a still, and learned about making whiskey. Call was convinced by a temperance preaching woman that he had to make a choice between preaching and making whiskey and so at age thirteen Jack Daniels owned the still. He was lucky to have a good business sense and soon he and his cousin were delivering whiskey to Alabama to sell to the boys fighting in the War Between the States. One of Mr. Jack's nephews, Lem Motlow, came to work for him and eventually Lem and his brother inherited the distillery. With Prohibition looming, Lem's brother wanted to get out because he saw no future in the distillery so he sold his half to Lem for $200!!! Obviously, Lem made the right decision to keep his holdings and wait for the right time to get back into whiskey making.
Cave Spring, filtered by the limestone this water is iron-free
Jack Daniels Distillery
Whiskey Runners restaurant in downtown Lynchburg. This is the restaurant that served Lee his fried bologna sandwich that probably caused some major artery clogging! He loved fried bologna sandwiches when he was a kid so he was excited to get one here. He just wasn't expecting one that looked like this!!!
Lee's fried bologna sandwich
Moore County Jail was built in 1893 and used until 1990 when a new jail was built. It is now a museum. Unfortunately, this was closed the day we were here. Lynchburg
Moore County Courthouse, Lynchburg
Miss Mary Bobo's Boarding House is currently a restaurant serving a family-style lunch. It got its beginning as a boarding house when the previous owners, Dr. Salmon and his wife, added onto their home and took in boarders. It became well known for its delicious food. Mary and Jack Bobo took over the business when Dr. Salmon retired in 1908 and purchased the property in 1913 when Dr. Salmon passed away. Mary continued to run the boarding house until a few years before she died in 1983 at age 101.
Lynchburg
Another old barn, and there were lots of them dotting the countryside. Lynchburg
Fall Hollow on Natchez Trace Parkway near Hohenwald. This one Lee decided to walk behind. It was a little precarious but he made it without falling. Having rained the previous day made the trail even wetter than usual.
Another waterfall on Fall Hollow Trail.
Still looks a lot like winter on Natchez Trace Parkway, however, the trees were just starting to leaf out on March 30, 2014.
Memphis skyline
Beale Street is the heart of the entertainment world in Memphis. A three block area is closed to vehicles each evening and it is turned into a pedestrian mall. A multitude of cafes, bars and souvenir shops provide a lot of entertainment. Live and/or recorded music is everywhere.
The lobby of the Peabody Hotel in Memphis. This is the fountain the "Peabody Ducks" swim in daily. Twice a day, at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the ducks march to and from the fountain. The amazing thing is how many people attend the ceremony, us included! It was a rather costly source of amusement, about $65 for four cocktails, especially since it takes only a few seconds for the ducks to go from the fountain to the elevator to go to their rooftop home. But, we wanted a seat so we got there early. Sometimes doing touristy things is just fun!
The five ducks are North American Mallards, one drake and four hens.
Need to make a phone call? These are the public phones at The Peabody.
No trip to Memphis would be complete without a trip to Graceland. The home was built in 1939 and Elvis purchased it in 1957 for $102,500. At the time, Memphis was seven miles away and the road was only two lanes! Today, the highway is five lanes and is lined with businesses.
The stories that we listened to as we toured Graceland really brought Elvis to life. His talent was amazing. It is so sad that his life ended at such a young age (42). It actually made me sad to think I had never gone to one of his performances.
The living room at Graceland
The dining room
Across from Graceland are a multitude of souvenir shops and Elvis museums. Our ticket price included several of the museums and the two airplanes Elvis owned. Many of his costumes are on display in the museums.
The gold lame jacket Elvis wore for his first Hawaiian concert in November, 1957.
From a video of Elvis's performances seen at one of the museums
His 1955 pink Cadillac, he eventually gave the car to his mother because she loved it.
There wasn't any information about this car but it is getting a little rough around the edges from being exposed to the elements.
To put the finishing touch on our Memphis stay, we had dinner at Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant. They picked us up at our front door at the Graceland RV Park in a pink limo.
Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant
Interior of Marlowe's Ribs & Restaurant
Tomorrow, April 2, 2014, we leave for Branson, Missouri.
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