The Annual Membership Meeting and Ramble Weekend
Beautiful Union City-- a Tennessee Main Street Community--will host the 2006 TPT Annual Membership Meeting and Ramble Tour on Saturday, October 14th.
We are planning the 2008 Ramble Tour to take place in Sumner County this fall as a tour of historic sites impacted by the tornado activity earlier this year. More information will be available as we finalize plans shortly after the conference in June.
Our yearly Fall Ramble Tour is a terrific way to visit exciting historic places not ordinarily open to the public-- and to learn about the diverse and fascinating communities that make up our wonderful state. Rambles are "members-only" insider's trips pioneered by preservation groups such as the Georgia Trust. The event coincides with our Annual Membership Meeting where new board members are elected. At TPT, rambles began in 2002 with a downtown walking tour in Clarksville. In 2003, we expanded the concept, with a fabulous trolley tour of Bristol and a visit to nearby Blountville. In 2004, we went to Brownsville. And in 2005 ramblers converged on Watertown, where trolleys ferried participants to private houses and through the downtown. This year Union City hosted the 2006 Ramble--complete with an old-fashioned barbecue-- on October 14th. If you have not been among those who have not yet spent a fun afternoon with us on this popular adventure, take a look at what you missing--and plan to join us next year.
Downtown Kiwanis Park in Union City was the setting for the Ramble's barbecue lunch, antique quilt exhibit, and music by the Tennessee Hilltoppers Bluegrass band.
Union City was the setting for the 2006 TPT Ramble and Annual Membership Meeting on October 14th. The meeting featured an Old-Fashioned Barbecue in downtown Kiwanis Park, with live entertainment provided by the Tennessee Hilltoppers, a local bluegrass band. From there, the ramblers moved to the Annual Membership Meeting at the the historic Masquerade Theatre. From there it was off to visit a variety of private residences. This year the tour procession was led by an antique touring car carrying one of the community's most prominent citizens. A portion of the proceeds will help support two local preservation projects--Westover School and the Colored Hotel.
Historic Westover School, c. 1879, has been saved by a local citizens' group. Over $1000 for its restoration was raised at the Ramble.
Founded in 1855, Union City is located in NW Tennessee just 12 miles south of Fulton, Kentucky. It is the county seat of Obion County. The community has an active Main Street program and a thriving historic downtown. The town also has one of the earliest Civil War monuments in America (c. 1869) and a rare Tennessee example of a Lustron House. The handsome c. 1939 Obion County Courthouse was designed by the renowned Marr and Holman firm of Nashville. It is also the location of two Ten in Tennessee Most Endangered sites: Central Grammar School (listed 2005) and the Colored Hotel (listed 2006.) Although not official Ramble stops, these local landmarks and others are easily viewed while in town--and additional reasons for history buffs to make the trek. Learn more about Obion County here:
http://www.obioncountytennessee.com/
Union City's Capitol Theatre, now known as the Masquerade, features regular live performances.
Make a Weekend out of It! Union City is convenient to beautiful scenic Reelfoot Lake, and also nearby Martin with its shopping and branch of the UT campus. Come over Friday or stay Saturday and take in a performance of "Man of La Mancha" at the Masquerade Theatre. Lodging accomodations are available at the Hospitality House and the Hampton Inn .
The c. 1840s Waters House in Watertown was a favorite stop on last year's Ramble.
RECENT TPT RAMBLES
On November 11 and 12th, 2005 , Watertown played host to the annual Statewide Preservation Awards, Annual Membership Meeting and Ramble Tour. The activities began Friday evening at the historic Watertown Methodist Church. There, awards were presented honoring this year's great preservation success stories in Tennessee. Rep. Stratton Bone, Mayor Mike Jennings and other local dignitiaries were hosts and speakers for the event. Afterwards, there was a fabulous reception with food and libations attending by over 130 people at the home of TPT Vice Chair and Ramble Chair Stephen Brown. Brown resides in a former turn-of-the-century factory that he has adaptively reused as a unique and innovative living space. The building also houses his offices and workshop. The evening celebration was capped off with a lively auction.
Saturday the ramblers convened downtown at First Baptist Church for the Annual Membership Meeting. A lively discussion about local history was presented by former mayor, postmaster, and town historian Edsel Floyd. Ramblers then boarded two Watertown Trolleys and travelled around the community to view 15 buildings not normally visited by the public.
Brownsville was the setting for the 2004 TPT Annual Membership Meeting and Ramble Tour. With its small town charm and fantastic array of antebellum homes, it offered so many wonderful historic buildings that it was difficult to narrow the choices for tour stops. And with nine sites on the agenda, the ramblers saw a wide variety of buildings. The afternoon began with the TPT Membership Meeting at the historic c. 1851 College Hill Center, an adaptive re-use of the former Brownsville Women’s College that later served as the Brownsville High School for many years. There members approved the slate for the TPT Board of Directors for 2005, and toured the local history museum with Haywood County Historian Lynn Shaw. From there, it was off to the homes, including the Victorian Gray House, built in 1880, and the c. 1834 John Rooks log cabin. Next was the President's Home, a one story brick Greek Revival House built for the head of the Brownsville Baptist Female College in 1851. Other tour stops included the Bond-Livingston-Tripp House (one of the oldest dwellings in town;) and "Lilie's," a newly opened Bed and Breakfast in the gracious c. 1865 Eader-Walker-Tubb House. Lilie's owner Gail Carver served the ramblers a delicious selection of refreshments. The afternoon continued with visits to the West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center; and Alta Vista-- a beautiful Tennesee "Century Farm" built in 1837. The tour concluded after dark at the Joshua Hutchinson House, a brick Greek Revival dwelling completed in 1867 that claims a resident ghost.
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