A

Taking one more look at the Sanborn Map Company’s Fire Insurance Maps of Tullahoma, we look at a section of downtown in 1902. We also have an excellent photograph of the north side of West Lincoln Street from about the same time.

Compared to last week’s 1887 map, there are significant differences visible in the 1902 map, only 15 years later. Tullahoma suffered three devastating downtown fires in the late 1890s, one in 1896 and two more in 1897. The second 1897 fire was so big that the Nashville Fire Department sent assistance in the form of equipment and manpower via a special train. Shortly after, the city government passed an ordinance that any new downtown buildings had to be of masonry construction rather than frame. As a result of those fires and the building ordinance, while the 1887 map showed 17 frame business buildings on Lincoln between Jackson and Atlantic Streets, the 1902 map shows four. Some buildings were even iron-clad!

Several aspects of the 1902 map are of interest. On the southwest corner of Grundy and Atlantic Streets is a grain and produce business, where in 1887, there had been the St. James Hotel. At the northeast corner of Lincoln and Jackson Streets in 1887 stood the Aydellot Hall Opera House. In 1902, that’s a vacant lot.

Sanders Manufacturing Company was the forerunner of Tennessee Overall Company (later Tennessee Apparel), and in 1902 it was located on the south side of W. Lincoln Street. Its entrance was about where 125 W. Lincoln is now, and then halfway back, it expanded behind the adjacent dry goods and shoe store, where the back part of The Well Church is now.

Directly across the street on the north side of Lincoln, the map shows W.C Granberry’s expansive store with, west to east: “groceries, dry goods and boots and shoes,” and more “dry goods.” Compare that list to the accompanying photograph, which shows the same spelled out on the awnings. East of Wall Street, the first building on the map shows “boots and shoes” and then “hardware and harnesses,” while on the second floor of that building was a “photo gallery.” Alan Gray told me the story of that building before I saw this map and photograph. The hardware store was his family’s Lawson’s Hardware, and the shoe store was an early location of Clayton & Co. Upstairs was Staley Brothers’ Photography Studio. Ah, history!

This Lincoln Street photograph, provided by Larry Bailey, was likely taken around the same date as the 1902 map’s creation. The stores mentioned match both in description and construction. There are dates on top of two of the buildings, 1897. Additionally, the town well is still present in the picture, and in 1908 it was filled in.

Map image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division, Sanborn Maps Collection. Lincoln Street photo courtesy of Larry Bailey.

Do you have sharp pictures of buildings and events from Tullahoma’s past? If so, reach out to me at alanmayes@lighttube.net.