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Click Here to Jump to History of
Westmoreland
Click Here to Jump to the Archives Section Below
Click Here to Jump to Highland Rim
Historical Society Below
Click Here to Jump to Sumner County Museum
Submitted by John F. Creasy
Westmoreland, TN 37186
Reprinted with permission.
Located on the Highland Rim in northeastern Sumner County,
Westmoreland is a community with a largely undocumented, but surprisingly rich
history.
Settlement in the area is generally thought to have begun in the early 1800's,
with the majority of the early settlers arriving between the years 1805 to 1820.
Many of these early pioneers came from Virginia and North Carolina in search of
new land, while others, such as Dance BROWN and James GILLIAM, came as a result
of having received land grants of various types.
In 1810, Peter STALEY built a tavern and stagecoach inn at a sharp curve south
of present-day Westmoreland on what later would be called Andrew JACKSON Highway
or Old 31-E. This tavern came to be called the "Rock House Tavern", taking its
name from the unusual home of the Zeb DAVIS family. Several years before the
tavern's opening, this family made their home in the bluffs immediately behind
the site of the tavern, thus the name, "Rock House".
During its long history, the Rock House Tavern served as an important stop along
this route, counting among its one Andrew JACKSON as he slowly made his way to
Washington while serving as President.
During the War Between the States, the tavern witnessed the passing by of the
Union Army division of Gen. Ebenezer DUMONT as it returned from the Perryville
campaign in Kentucky. Among their number was future President Benjamin HARRISON,
Colonel of the 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment.
The tavern apparently once served as a temporary hospital of sorts when a train
derailed close by. It was said that bloodstains from some of the injured could
be seen on a part of the upstairs floors.
Unfortunately, the tavern was completely destroyed by fire in 1967.
A few miles north of the tavern, another community was growing along the same
highway. It was named Coates Town. The community apparently took its name from a
cabinet maker, James COATES and his large family, who moved to this location
between 1838 and 1840.
In 1860, Coates Town was quite small, consisting of a store and post office and
a few scattered residences. The store and post office were both in the same
building which was located on the corner of present-day 0ld Hwy. 31-E and Hwy.
52.
In 1886, the area began to change rapidly with the completion of the Chesapeake
and Nashville Railroad. Instead of locating along the highway at Coates Town,
the tracks ran about a half-mile east of the community. There, the company
purchased a large tract of land from Dr. J. L. DAVIS for purposes of
constructing a village. This tract of land was described as being an old
run-down farm.
The Railroad Company retained a strip of land, running through the present-day
downtown business district, about 300 ft. wide, for a right-of-way, freight
yards, parks, and two streets, one on each side of the railroad and parallel to
the tracks.
Jake RODEMORE served as a land agent for the C&N Railroad. Under his direction,
the company constructed a depot, hotel, and two storehouses, one on each side of
the tracks. A few houses were constructed for employees of the railroad. Much of
this property, along with other lots, was later sold at public auction for
businesses and residences. The two streets came to be called Park St. and
Epperson St.
Shortly thereafter, the question arose as to what to name the new community. A
teacher in the area, Mrs. Mallie SUMMERS, suggested naming the town for a
wealthy lumberman from North Carolina who had recently visited the area,
apparently laying the groundwork for what would later become the profitable
lumber business here. This gentleman's name was WESTMORELAND. Her proposal was
accepted and recognized by the railroad. This seems to be the most reliable of
the several stories dealing with the origin of the town's name.
On April 21, 1888, the post office was moved from Coates Town to Westmoreland
and its name was officially changed from the former to the latter. The
postmaster at the time was George W. MINICK and the post office was located in a
corner of his store. This store was purchased in 1892 by Charlie WHITESIDE who
succeeded MINICK as postmaster on March 30, 1892.
Many of the passengers coming to Westmoreland on the railroad, which had been
purchased by the L&N Railroad in 1906, came as tourists. Located just across the
Macon County line, about 3 miles northeast of Westmoreland was their
destination, the Epperson Springs Hotel and Resort. The supposed medicinal value
of the various sulphur waters found there made it a popular spot until the mid
1920's.
The hotel contained about 170 rooms along with a grand ballroom, two large
dining rooms, billiard room, barber shop, and a bowling alley. Guests usually
arrived at the depot in Westmoreland and then traveled by hack, which ran twice
a day, out Epperson Springs Road to the hotel.
In the early morning hours of April 26, 1926, the hotel burned to the ground.
The fire was of an unknown origin. The hotel was never rebuilt, and today all
that remains are ruins of a few concrete porches pushed off the side of a hill
and a footpath leading into the Valley below where the springs were once
located.
In 1901, Westmoreland became an incorporated town. Its first mayor was Dr. G. A.
BARLOW, and S. W. BROWN became city judge. The town lost its corporate status in
the early 1930's due to the Great Depression, but was re-incorporated in 1951.
The first mayor under this new charter was Virgil D. WILLIAMS, and the council
members were H. H. HARRISON, H. G. KIRBY, D. B. UPTON, Joe McKINNEY, and James
BROWN.
Beginning in 1930, Westmoreland became the site of the East Sumner Fair. The
fair soon became the largest in the county, attracting visitors numbering into
the thousands. The fair was sponsored by the Vocational-Agricultural Department
of the Westmoreland High School and was held annually until the beginning of
World War II.
On Dec. 10, 1976, the L&N Railroad closed the tracks running from Gallatin to
Westmoreland, ending this avenue of transportation to the town. The depot and
the picturesque parks around which the town was built are, like so many of those
early community landmarks, but a memory now, having been destroyed to make way
for parking spaces in the early 1970's. The famed "Little Tunnel", the shortest
railroad tunnel in the world, and listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, lies just south of town, slowly disappearing beneath weeds, briars, and
garbage.
The town of Westmoreland has a lot to offer today, but it is hoped that the
community as a whole will take a greater interest in the preservation and
possible restoration of its remaining historical sites.
Check out the historical photos on the
Historical Photos page.
Sumner County Archives
155 East Main Street
Gallatin, TN 37066
(615) 452-0037 (Voice)
Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Sumner County Archives is a unique collection of documents relating to
Sumner County from 1786 onwards. The documents have all been organized and
indexed and are available for your searches. This is a partial list of the
types of records available:
 | Census Indexes and Microfilms |
| Family and Subject Files |
| Marriages 1786-1985 |
| Cemetery Books |
| Court Records from 1786 |
| DAR Records |
| Mormon Resources (IGI & GLC) |
| Funeral Records |
| Deed Abstracts |
| Local History Books |
| State History Books |
| LDS (Mormon) Family Search Records |
Send a self addressed stamped envelope to the address above for an
information sheet for beginning genealogists.
The archives is administered by the Sumner County Historical Society under
the direction of the Sumner County Public Records Commission.
Highland Rim Historical Society
President: Bettye Glover
(615) 325-3443
Sumner County Museum
183 West Main Street
Gallatin, TN 37066
(615) 451-3738 (Voice)
If you haven't visited the Sumner County Museum yet, you are missing a great
deal: a 1925 Model T, an American LeFrance fire engine, an 18th century knot dolls,
quilt making dating back to 1769, a
clock/sundial/compass from the Civil War, Civil War mourning dress and bonnets,
a gold Medal of Honor given to a Gallatin soldier by the Emperor of China during
the Boxer Rebellion in China in 1900, etc., etc.
The museum is open April through October. The hours are:
Monday - Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Group tours by appointment.
The museum is on the grounds of Trousdale Place. You can see Trousdale
Place from Main Street, and the museum is behind Trousdale Place.
Admission is $3.00 for adults and $1.00.
The museum has a page on the Sumner County web site which is located at: www.sumnertn.org
Governor Phil Bredesen presents the Check
Westmoreland Gets $106,040
Grant!
August 24, 2004: Governor Phil Bredesen and Senator Jo Ann Graves announced
today that the state is providing the town of Westmoreland with an enhancement
grant in the amount of $106,040 to assist in the preservation and rehabilitation
of the “Little Tunnel”.
The historic tunnel, which was built in 1886, is located just south of State
Route 52 in Sumner County, about 47 miles northeast of Nashville. It is the
shortest railroad tunnel on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company line,
and possibly the shortest tunnel in the United States, measuring 46 feet and six
inches in length.
“The Little Tunnel is a unique part of our state’s history,” said Bredesen.
“Westmoreland’s leaders tell us the tunnel is their most prized and historically
significant possession. I am pleased the state is able to step in and help
preserve this Sumner County landmark.”
Governor Bredesen and Senator Graves made the announcement today in Westmoreland
along with Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner Gerald Nicely.
Nicely explained that in the 1990’s, Congress set up a grant system designed to
fund activities that would strengthen the cultural, aesthetic and environmental
aspects of the nation’s transportation system. Since that time, many Tennessee
communities have been recipients of those funds totaling in the millions of
dollars.
“Such grant funded activities include historic transportation facilities,
bike and pedestrian trails, landscaping and many other non-traditional
transportation projects,” said Nicely. “The initiative we’re recognizing today
is an excellent example of grant dollars well-spent.”
Nicely said in this case, the tunnel was deteriorating structurally and becoming
unstable due to erosion over time. “Senator Jo Ann Graves and Representative
Mike McDonald really helped secure this important grant needed to improve the
tunnel immediately.”
“The grant money will be used to provide urgently needed erosion control and
drainage improvements, as well as to stabilize the Little Tunnel,” said Senator
Graves. “We also hope to provide an historic marker to be placed just off State
Route 52 designating the tunnel’s 1977 appointment to the National Register of
Historic Places.”
“Westmoreland was a railroad company town in its early history,” said
Representative McDonald. “This helps us preserve a piece of that bygone era.”
Picture of the check
Click to enlarge
This is a picture of the Little Tunnel from the
L&N archives.
L&N's General Electric 70-tonner number 98 rolls along with the local freight on
the Scottsville Branch of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad. The photo
was taken alongside Old 31-E north of Westmoreland. The train is running toward
Westmoreland. Alas, most of the line was abandoned and the rails
were removed. The unique GE engine was sold to Tropicana for switching
orange juice cars in New Jersey. Photo from the L&N archives.
Equal Opportunity
Title VI Policy Statement
It is the policy of the
Tennessee Department of Transportation to ensure compliance with Title VI of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964; 49 CFR, Part 26; related statutes and regulations to
the end that no person shall be excluded from participation in or be denied the
benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity
receiving Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of
Transportation on the grounds of race, color, sex or national origin.
Any person who believes he
or she has been discriminated against should contact:
Tennessee Department of Transportation
Title VI Director
505 Deaderick Street
Suite 1800, James K. Polk Building
Nashville, TN 37243-0347
Telephone: (615) 741-3681
Igual Oportunidad
Titulo VI
Es la politica del
Departmento de Transportacion del Estado de Tennessee asequrar que se cumpla con
el Titulo VI del acto de derechos civiles de 1964; 49 CFR, Parte 26, que se
relaciona con los estatutos y normas para asegurar que ninguna persona sea
excluida o discriminada o que se le nieguen los beneficios de cualquier programa
o actividad que reciba ayuda financiera Federal del Departmento de
Transportacion de Los Estado Unidos sin importar su raza, color, sexo, edad,
origen, o con algun impedimento fisico.
Caulquier persona que crea
que ha sido discriminado debera communicarse al:
Departmento de Transporte de Tennessee
Civil Rights Office
Title VI Director
505 Deaderick Street, Suite 1800
Nashville, TN 37243-0347
Telefono: (615) 741-3681
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