Author Archives: Palmersville Historical Society

Historical Society Postcards for Sale

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Nelda Rachels, one of the Historical Society’s board members, is encouraging communication by actually picking up a pen and writing a card to our friends and families occasionally instead of sending emails and texts.

She has provided  postal cards depicting the Switchboard House, the Webb School House Museum, the Palmersville Lodge/Church Building, and the main building of the Historical Society.  They are well done, in color, and can be purchased at our main building for 50 cents each.  All proceeds go to the Historical Society.

Who knows, one day these might be collector items. Besides, what a great way to advertise Palmersville!

Obituaries

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Sympathy is extended to families of those who have lost a loved one in the past few months.

Mrs. Shirley (Bowlin) Allison, Class of 1955, passed away October, 2016.

Mr. Charles Henry McWherter, Class of 1949, passed away October of last year.  He is survived by a daughter Lisa Carol and a son Vic.

Mrs. Lucille (Grubbs) Rainbolt, one of the older citizens in Weakley County, passed away October 23, 2016 at the age of 104. She is survived by her children Billy Joe, Norma, and Anna.  She was preceded in death by her husband Riley and her son Jerry Mack.

Ms. Lucille worked as a custodian at Palmersville School while in her 80s until the school closed.  Afterward she worked at McDonald’s when in her 90s and held a second job cleaning a local office building.

Mrs. Jessie Lou (Rickman) Davis, who resided in the Austin Springs community most of her life before moving to Murray, KY, passed away on October 20, 2016 at age 92.

After moving to Murray, she volunteered for 23 years at the Murray-Calloway County Hospital. Mrs. Davis was preceded in death by her husband Cecil Davis; she is survived by her son Danny Davis.

What an inspiration these ladies should be to all of us.

Trail of Tears Update

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click to see larger version

In the late fall of 1838, a group of over 1000  passed through Benton, Henry and Weakley counties–one part of a large scale forced migration known as the Trail of Tears.  This particular group was led by Capt. John Benge, a Cherokee sub-chief, and was known as the Benge Detachment.  Beginning in DeKalb County, AL and consisting of  959 Cherokee Indians, 144 black slaves, 60 wagons and 480 horses, the detachment made their way into Paris.  They continued through Henry County toward the Little Zion community of Weakley County, then through Palmersville and headed toward Kentucky.

The group reached their destination in Oklahoma in January of 1839. Thirty-three deaths occurred during the trek; two of those being were buried in Weakley County.

For the past two years, Henry County Historian David Webb has worked with the National Park Service to obtain signs marking this historic trail.  Henry County has received their signs and will likely have a dedication ceremony in the spring.  It is the goal of Dr. Webb to have signage from Fort Payne, Alabama all across the trail in Tennessee. Signage is already in place at the Kentucky line.

Palmersville Historical Society has committed to this project and is currently working with the National Park Service to obtain the signage for marking the trail which passed through Palmersville.

The signs are provided by the Park Service, but posts, bolts, etc. and the installation itself will have to be provided locally.

The Old Big Tree

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This is a photograph of what was the third largest American Sycamore Tree (Platanus occidentalis) that had ever been documented to have lived in Tennessee.

It was located on highway 190, three miles south of Palmersville, belonging to Harold and Faye Reynolds of Reynoldsville, close to Palmersville. The tree was removed and destroyed by the State of Tennessee for the expansion of a new bridge right of way; it was located about a 100 yards from Little Cane Creek.

It had been measured by the Tennessee Forestry Service about 15 years earlier. As you can tell it was at one time much taller before the top was broken out from a storm. The tree was dying and was believed to have just about lived out it’s age. It had been part of the Reynolds Farm since December of 1941. Its age was never dated. It’s name was “The Old Big Tree”.

Credit to the PalmersvillTN Blog.