A

Wrapping up our review of useful information sources regarding Tullahoma area history, here’s Part 3.

Coffee County Historical Quarterly is published by the Coffee County Historical Society. It’s an excellent historical resource and used copies show up at yard sales, on Facebook Marketplace, and on eBay. Since it covers all of Coffee County, it’s not Tullahoma-specific, but all the information is interesting and well-researched. The Coffee County Historical Society meets monthly on a Saturday at the courthouse in Manchester. Follow them on Facebook and become a member.

A Pictorial History of Coffee County Tennessee was published in 1999 as a joint project of the Tullahoma and Manchester newspapers. It’s mostly a photo book and shows up for sale very infrequently. Estate sales and yard sales seem to be the most likely places to find it, and cheaply at that. It’s 128 pages and fun to look at, with some photos not usually seen in other books. Accuracy of dates is one of its shortcomings, so just enjoy it for what it is.

            Coffee County Then & Now by Basil B. McMahan is 581 pages of facts presented without much commentary. It’s an interesting reference to have on hand. Though not indexed, it has a descriptive Table of Contents and sub-headings in the body of the book that make finding things pretty painless. Often available on eBay, it’s usually reasonably priced. My copy is autographed and I suspect that many are.

            Though it spanned a short time period, the War Between the States had an impact on this area that took decades to recover from. We are truly fortunate to have a brilliant and knowledgeable Civil War scholar among us in Dr. Michael Bradley. If you have an interest in that war, and you should, then I urge you to find his books and read them. Two that I recommend as an introduction to Dr. Bradley’s writings, because of their setting in and around Tullahoma, are Tullahoma, The 1863 Campaign for the Control of Middle Tennessee and Forrest’s Fighting Preacher: David Campbell Kelley of Tennessee. Both are well-written and will keep you turning pages. Both are available online, as are his other books. Or, watch his Facebook page and Events listing in this newspaper to catch one of his lectures and buy the books directly from the source.

Do any of our readers have old photos from Tullahoma Christmas Parades of past years, or photos of downtown businesses decorated for Christmas? I’d love to borrow them briefly. You can contact me at alanmayes@lighttube.net.