The Cookeville Depot

The Cookeville Depot was built in 1909, as part of the Tennessee Central Railroad system. It was in operation until July 31, 1955. The depot served as a place for people as well as cargo, and livestock to be transported by train to other towns along the Tennessee Central line. During both World Wars, the depot served as the departure point for numerous soldiers from the Upper Cumberland area. The depot is special because of its architectural design with bay windows, and a pagoda style roof. When the railroad went bankrupt, the depot sat empty for many years. In 1984, it was purchased by the City of Cookeville for $1, and turned into a museum. Not long after, it was placed on the National Register of Historic places. Today it plays host to thousands of visitors each year. The museum contains many artifacts, most original to the building, it also has gifts, an electric train set, and an extensive inventory of rolling stock. There is also an excursion train that runs by each Fall from Nashville, and during the Summer months, movies are shown on the front lawn. The Cookeville Depot is truly a prime example of Americana. It is a Cookeville icon, and hopefully will remain one for years to come.

The Cookeville Depot in its heyday.

Map of the Tennessee Central Railroad.

Photo of Cookeville residents waiting for the final train to come to town on July 31, 1955.

The Cookeville Depot historical marker.

The Cookeville Depot is home to two cabooses, and a 1913 Baldwin locomotive. 

Quite possibly the biggest attraction inside the depot is the electric train set.

Trains like the one above pass the depot frequently heading up the mountain to Monterey hauling sand.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond.

Eleazor Paine

Eleazor Paine was one of the Union army's most notorious partisan rangers from Tennessee. He was based out of Gallatin. Military Governor Andrew Johnson had tasked him with carrying out the Jackson Purchase. The Jackson Purchase was made up of the counties in the far western part of Kentucky. Paine's job was to go throughout this territory and cleanse the area of Confederate sympathizers, most notably guerrillas. While many details are unknown, it is believed that Paine and his men threatened to send any Confederates that they caught north to Canada. Paine and his men also pursued Nathan Bedford Forrest, during his raid into west Tennessee and Kentucky. Paine was later put in command of Grant's Union headquarters in Paduch, Kentucky. He was eventually removed for being to harsh toward civilians. It is noted that he threatened to kill a man for flying the Confederate flag outside his home. If Paine caught a guerrilla, that person would be executed. This harsh treatment of citizens, throughout the Jackson Purchase region, led Abraham Lincoln to remove Paine from army command altogether. While not much is known about Eleazor Paine, he is defiantly an interesting character to study.

Map of the Jackson Purchase

The book Border Wars has a chapter in it devoted solely to Paine and the Jackson Purchase.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond.

The Great Locomotive Chase

The Great Locomotive Chase occurred in 1862, in the city of Kennesaw, Georgia. It involved the stealing of the Confederate locomotive known as the General. The mastermind behind this deed was Union spy James Andrews. Andrews and his men felt as though they could weaken the Confederacy, if they stole one of their locomotives, and cut the telegraph wires, making it easier for Sherman to make his march to the sea. Andrews, in disguise, boarded the train, and waited until it stopped in Kennesaw, at the Big Shanty Hotel. It was here that Andrews and his men uncoupled the General, from her cars and took off. The General's conductor, Will Fuller, ran after the General on foot. He realized he was not going to catch his train that way. He eventually came across the locomotive, known as the Texas. The Texas' crew found it strange to see Fuller on foot, without a train. He told them what had happened, and they were off. The Texas was going in the opposite direction as the General was, so it had to run backwards. Andrews and his men eventually had to stop and take on more water and wood. They hurried away, when they saw the Texas coming. Andrews knew he had to stop Fuller and the Texas. He ordered his men to uncouple the last train car from the General. The car was then sent down the tracks. The Texas was unfazed by it, and slowed down, picked it up, and then sent it into a nearby siding. Andrews then sent another car, with the same result. Finally Andrews ordered the last car be set on fire, and left on the covered bridge along the main line. When the Texas approached it, the crew slowly hooked up to the flaming car, put the fire out, and tore away all the charred wood. By the time the chase reached Ringgold, Georgia, just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, the General ran out of wood, and water. Andrews and his men abandoned the locomotive. The Texas got there just minutes behind, and the General was regained by the Confederacy. Andrews and his men were eventually caught. Andrews and a few of his men were later hanged. The other members of his raiders, were awarded the Medal of Honor. If the General had of gotten to Chattanooga, the plan would have worked. Fuller was a hero, and he successfully got his locomotive back. This story, while small, was a big part of the Civil War.

The General as it appears today. It is currently on display at its permanent home, The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, in Kennesaw, Georgia.

The Texas as it appears today. It was on display at the Atlanta History Center, but has been sent to North Carolina for refurbishing. It will return in 2017 or 18.

The historical marker that stands outside the museum where the General resides. I was privileged to have visited the General this past Sunday, July, 17, 2016.

In 1956, the story of The Great Locomotive Chase was turned into a movie. Fess Parker played James Andrews. 

The book Stealing the General is widely regarded as the authority on the subject of The Great Locomotive Chase.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about tales from Tennessee and beyond.