RAMBLE TOURS

Cairo Rosenwald School - Completed Project

The 2008 Ramble Tour took place in the Castalian Springs area near Gallatin, TN, on Saturday, November 1, 2008, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.   This tour was a special opportunity to see the National Landmark site, Wynnewood, which was damaged by a tornado in February 2008, and other behind the scene tours at the Bate House (Hawthorne Hill), Bledsoe Fort, Cairo Rosenwald School, and Cragfont.

Wynnewood c. 1828 is a rare National Landmark property. This was the first opportunity that the public had since the tornado to access the site. There were state officials on-site to answer questions and discuss the important preservation work underway. This is one of the oldest and largest log structures in the Southern U.S. and the site and structure were involved with the early development of Tennessee. The Bate House or Hawthorne Hill,  was built for John Bearden prior to 1817 by James P. Taylor and Humphrey Bate, who signed their names on the parlor staircase. In 1817 Bate purchased the house and 208 acres from Bearden. Both Humphrey Bate's son, William Brimage Bate, Confederate major general, governor of Tennessee and U.S. senator, and his cousin, who later became the Italian countess Eugenia Bate Bertinatti, were born here in 1826. Cairo Rosenwald School c. 1922 is a one-room wooden schoolhouse which was one of the special schools that Julius Rosenwald built in the South that revolutionized education for rural African Americans. This school was recently featured in a documentary by CBS and received a grant from the Lowe's/National Trust fund. Work began on December 2, 2009 to ensure its preservation. Cragfont c. 1802 was the finest mansion on the Tennessee frontier and home to Gen. James Winchester a veteran of the Revolutionary war, the War of 1812, and a central figure in the development of Tennessee. Ramble participants got a special behind the scenes tour.

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 insider's trips pioneered by preservation groups such as the Georgia Trust. Typically, 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.  Union City hosted the 2006 Ramble, complete with an old-fashioned barbecue.

If you have been among those who have not yet spent a fun afternoon with us on this popular adventure, take a look at what you're missing and come join us this year! Details about the next Ramble are coming soon . . .

Cragfont, Sumner County

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.

RECENT TPT RAMBLES

Union City was the setting for the 2006 TPT Ramble and Annual Membership Meeting. 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 historic Masquerade Theatre. From there it was off to visit a variety of private residences. The tour procession was led by an antique touring car carrying one of the community's most prominent citizens. A portion of the proceeds helped 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.

The c. 1840s Waters House in Watertown was a favorite stop on last year's Ramble.

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.