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Call me a nerd (I am), but sometimes I just like to drive around Tullahoma early on Sunday mornings or on major holiday mornings (like Thanksgiving) and explore my adopted hometown. Those times allow a more leisurely pace without holding up other drivers. It’s easier to look interesting places over and snap a few pictures in preparation for further investigation. Then as I have time, I ask friends, search online, and sometimes look at Google Earth, trying to uncover other clues. I’m no Colombo, but solving the mysteries is satisfying. I’ll freely admit that many of the answers come from my Tullahoma native friend, Sam Crimm. These accompanying photos are a result of some of those investigations and Sam’s assistance.

First up is this brick building at the southwest corner of E. Lauderdale and Cornish Streets. Several years ago, there was a flea market of sorts in there, so I had the opportunity to go inside. Driving by, I had it pegged as an old schoolhouse, and going inside didn’t really dispel that opinion. However, that didn’t explain why there was a loading dock at the rear of the building, not a common school building fixture. Sam revealed the answer; it was the old Dr. Pepper Bottling location, from a time when many factories and such operated on two or more levels, and there was only one variety of Dr. Pepper; no Diet, no Zero Sugar, no Cherry Vanilla, or any of the other ten offshoot flavors. He said it was a great place to go trick-or-treating because they gave out small bottles of Dr. Pepper to the kids!

Next up is this old building near the airport property, on Wilson Street, just south of Lake Way Place. Sure, it screams “military,” but why is it the only building like that, and why does it have white asbestos shingle siding rather than the tar paper seen on every William Northern Field building during World War II? Was it moved there from Camp Forrest after the war? Enter Sam the answer man again. He has done extensive research on William Northern Field and has gathered many documents and photos. One of those documents is a map of the air base with all of the buildings identified. Per that map, this building was “T514, T.G.E. Repair Shop,” and it was there in WWII. Likely, the asbestos siding was added shortly after the war, as it’s definitely not a recent addition. Neither of us knows what T.G.E. refers to, but if you know, drop me a message.

Do you have some old Tullahoma photos and accompanying stories to share? You can contact me at alanmayes@lighttube.net.