Worst/best Tennessee small town.

#1
Orangeslice13

Orangeslice13

Shema Yisrael
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#1
Talking to nugget this morning (go to the Dr!!) got me to thinking.

Decatur is most definitely the worst trash covers small town in Tennessee I hate going there.

Dunlap and pikeville are tied in my opinion for the best little towns around.

Anyone else notice a stark difference like that between towns?
 
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#2
#2
Orangeslice13 said:
Talking to nugget this morning (go to the Dr!!) got me to thinking.

Decatur is most definitely the worst trash covers small town in Tennessee I hate going there.

Dunlap and pikeville are tied in my opinion for the best little towns around.

Anyone else notice a stark difference like that between towns?
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Dayton never has left a lasting impression on me. Not a good one anyways. Henderson, though not a quaint little town was always in my book. But, I went to FHU. I did always think it funny that when I started there in '83, they had 2 stop lights and two 4-ways. When I finished in '87, there we no stop lights. Howenwald was a cool little town. Maybe more so for the used clothing store we'd drive to go to than the town itself. It was well known for that store. I got a pair of Johnston and Murphy dress shoes and 2 really nice suits ultra cheap. The shoes had not been worn, but had a slight cut in the leather that was always hidden by the lace.

Used to go thru Dunlap a lot. But with 111 finished up, I haven't pulled off into town in years. Don't have to do W-Road anymore to get to Chatt. Only seen Pikeville once. Doesn't seem like an easy place to access from the Sparta side. Which is a town I can do without.

I do feel sorry for people stuck in Spencer.
 
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#4
#4
GVF said:
Dayton never has left a lasting impression on me. Not a good one anyways. Henderson, though not a quaint little town was always in my book. But, I went to FHU. I did always think it funny that when I started there in '83, they had 2 stop lights and two 4-ways. When I finished in '87, there we no stop lights. Howenwald was a cool little town. Maybe more so for the used clothing store we'd drive to go to than the town itself. It was well known for that store. I got a pair of Johnston and Murphy dress shoes and 2 really nice suits ultra cheap. The shoes had not been worn, but had a slight cut in the leather that was always hidden by the lace.

Used to go thru Dunlap a lot. But with 111 finished up, I haven't pulled off into town in years. Don't have to do W-Road anymore to get to Chatt. Only seen Pikeville once. Doesn't seem like an easy place to access from the Sparta side. Which is a town I can do without.

I do feel sorry for people stuck in Spencer.
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I was going to say Henderson, but that is because I spent a lot of time there growing up. That is where my Dad is from and I am the only one in my immediate family that did not go to Freed. I remember when they were filming one of the Walking Tall movies there.

Now I want Jack’s Creek BBQ.
 
#5
#5
NorCalVol67 said:
I was going to say Henderson, but that is because I spent a lot of time there growing up. That is where my Dad is from and I am the only one in my immediate family that did not go to Freed. I remember when they were filming one of the Walking Tall movies there.

Now I want Jack’s Creek BBQ.
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Got family not too far from there (pretty close to Sweet Lips). How you doin cuz? Don't worry, I'm not like @joevol33 with cousins
 
#6
#6
Not sure if this is too big for small town but Brownsville, TN is a dump. It's probably moved past Somerville as biggest small town dumps in West TN. Bolivar isn't far behind either.
 
#7
#7
GVF said:
Dayton never has left a lasting impression on me. Not a good one anyways. Henderson, though not a quaint little town was always in my book. But, I went to FHU. I did always think it funny that when I started there in '83, they had 2 stop lights and two 4-ways. When I finished in '87, there we no stop lights. Howenwald was a cool little town. Maybe more so for the used clothing store we'd drive to go to than the town itself. It was well known for that store. I got a pair of Johnston and Murphy dress shoes and 2 really nice suits ultra cheap. The shoes had not been worn, but had a slight cut in the leather that was always hidden by the lace.

Used to go thru Dunlap a lot. But with 111 finished up, I haven't pulled off into town in years. Don't have to do W-Road anymore to get to Chatt. Only seen Pikeville once. Doesn't seem like an easy place to access from the Sparta side. Which is a town I can do without.

I do feel sorry for people stuck in Spencer.
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I like the…..Amish….maybe…… store in spencer.
 
#9
#9
NorCalVol67 said:
I was going to say Henderson, but that is because I spent a lot of time there growing up. That is where my Dad is from and I am the only one in my immediate family that did not go to Freed. I remember when they were filming one of the Walking Tall movies there.

Now I want Jack’s Creek BBQ.
Click to expand...

Jack's Creek is the bomb. Probably more nostalgic than anything, but it was definitely good. Where else can you go and get whole hog pulled straight off a resting hog behind the counter. That's the only place I've ever been that used an old chest freezer to place the hog rack for warm keeping straight off an open smoke pit.

There's an alum that was so hooked on Jack's Creek, he opened several BBQ joints around Nashville and does his whole hog after Jack's Creek. And he has a vinegar "Jack's Sauce" he sells. Martin's BBQ Joint and it's legit. Nolensville, Downtown, and Mt. Juliet.

Who is your family around Henderson? If you remember the filming of the movies you are probably 6-10 years older than me. Now Finger, the big metro town south of Henderson could maybe make the worst list. the only thing ever came out of Finger was two really good BBall players in the mid-80's at Freed. The big thing when I was there was the Townies vs. Freedies feud. Kind of a Hatfield/McCoy legend that perpetuated every year. Bell's had the best burgers. The Truck Stop. Chester's fried chicken down at the gas station. Perrigo's, and one other place had great burgers. I used to get free burger meals from Bell's as compensation for fetching late night food for guys that got busted drinking and dipping, etc., and were in time out at night. Somehow I never got busted.

The ultimate was Sunday prime rib lunch at The Olde English Inn in Jackson, and that mega dessert bowl they always had. Long since closed. Brooksie's Barn was legit buffet BBQ. The fritters were as good as the BBQ.
 
#11
#11
Orangeslice13 said:
I like the…..Amish….maybe…… store in spencer.
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Don't think I've been there. Spencer doesn't have much to do except fight. The baseball games between Jackson County and Van Buren would get pretty intense because of one of the spencer regulars that always mouths off at our players. And would even come to the fence on our side and yell trash. One of our coaches almost fought him a few times. I would take Gainesboro over most of the West TN potholes you go thru.
 
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#12
#12
NorCalVol67 said:
Finger? I think we have talked about this. Didn’t you go to a wedding around there recently?
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I only knew of Finger cause I'd come in from GA via Corinth and pass the sign. I was always smart enough not to go into town.

That whole area was pretty rough back in the day.
 
#13
#13
GVF said:
Jack's Creek is the bomb. Probably more nostalgic than anything, but it was definitely good. Where else can you go and get whole hog pulled straight off a resting hog behind the counter. That's the only place I've ever been that used an old chest freezer to place the hog rack for warm keeping straight off an open smoke pit.

There's an alum that was so hooked on Jack's Creek, he opened several BBQ joints around Nashville and does his whole hog after Jack's Creek. And he has a vinegar "Jack's Sauce" he sells. Martin's BBQ Joint and it's legit. Nolensville, Downtown, and Mt. Juliet.

Who is your family around Henderson? If you remember the filming of the movies you are probably 6-10 years older than me. Now Finger, the big metro town south of Henderson could maybe make the worst list. the only thing ever came out of Finger was two really good BBall players in the mid-80's at Freed. The big thing when I was there was the Townies vs. Freedies feud. Kind of a Hatfield/McCoy legend that perpetuated every year. Bell's had the best burgers. The Truck Stop. Chester's fried chicken down at the gas station. Perrigo's, and one other place had great burgers. I used to get free burger meals from Bell's as compensation for fetching late night food for guys that got busted drinking and dipping, etc., and were in time out at night. Somehow I never got busted.

The ultimate was Sunday prime rib lunch at The Olde English Inn in Jackson, and that mega dessert bowl they always had. Long since closed. Brooksie's Barn was legit buffet BBQ. The fritters were as good as the BBQ.
Click to expand...

I went to the Martin's in Spring Hill this past summer, it was really good.

I am actually two years younger than you. I believe it was the 3rd one I remember them filming, it was while my Brother was there. My Mom was at Freed when she met my Dad who was a townie. Everyone told her to stay away from the townies, but fortunately she did not. I have a couple of nieces that still live in Henderson. If I don't make it there when I am back, they sometimes bring me Jack's Creek. They haven't brought Bell's because it wouldn't hold up on the drive. Bell's is my favorite burger of all time, love the pork sandwich with slaw also. Everyone knows if I am in Henderson, we go to Bell's.

I remember the Olde English Inn. Bufford Pusser's brother had a restaurant we went to way back when if I remember correctly.
 
#14
#14
NorCalVol67 said:
I went to the Martin's in Spring Hill this past summer, it was really good.

I am actually two years younger than you. I believe it was the 3rd one I remember them filming, it was while my Brother was there. My Mom was at Freed when she met my Dad who was a townie. Everyone told her to stay away from the townies, but fortunately she did not. I have a couple of nieces that still live in Henderson. If I don't make it there when I am back, they sometimes bring me Jack's Creek. They haven't brought Bell's because it wouldn't hold up on the drive. Bell's is my favorite burger of all time, love the pork sandwich with slaw also. Everyone knows if I am in Henderson, we go to Bell's.

I remember the Olde English Inn. Bufford Pusser's brother had a restaurant we went to way back when if I remember correctly.
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I started in '83. Do you remember that old white house on the main drag thru campus that we used to do a haunted house in at Halloween? It was always pretty darn good. I was in the last room, I was scary number 3 that had people moving toward the exit door when our 6'7" BBall Center would come in with the chain saw (no chain of course) and his Jason Mask. I roomed with him one semester. He was severely mental. Medina was wicked. Probably the best haunted woods in the south at the time. I skipped that one.
 
#16
#16
I grew up in Decatur, Meigs county back in the 60's and 70's. The things that went on there back then were unreal. Let's just say they have their own way of doing everything. That included enforcing the law.
 
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#17
#17
GVF said:
I started in '83. Do you remember that old white house on the main drag thru campus that we used to do a haunted house in at Halloween? It was always pretty darn good. I was in the last room, I was scary number 3 that had people moving toward the exit door when our 6'7" BBall Center would come in with the chain saw (no chain of course) and his Jason Mask. I roomed with him one semester. He was severely mental. Medina was wicked. Probably the best haunted woods in the south at the time. I skipped that one.
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That does sound familiar.

In 1979 my Dad had gotten us tickets to the Notre Dame game. It was the same weekend as Freed's homecoming and he decided we should go to that instead. I never stopped giving him crap about that, but it actually is one of my all time favorite Vol memories. We kept leaving the festivities to go to the car and listen to the game. I remember listening in the car when the Vols stopped them 4 times around the goal line. Sneaking to the car with my Dad to listen to the game was special.
 
#18
#18
Franklin wins all sort of small town and Main Street awards. It has it’s charms but it’s gotten really crowded and I’m not sure that it isn’t just part of Nashville at this point. I like Sewanee but it’s pretty small and if the weather is bad the options for stuff to do get slim quickly. I go to Hohenwald multiple times a year, so there must be something about it that I like.
 
#20
#20
Nugget said:
You might like Selmer TN. It is only 70 miles from Lakeland.
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We used to have a small cabin at Pickwick so I drove through Selmer a lot. Not much to see. It was nicer than Bolivar and Somerville but that's not saying much.
 
#21
#21
BigOrangeMojo said:
We used to have a small cabin at Pickwick so I drove through Selmer a lot. Not much to see. It was nicer than Bolivar and Somerville but that's not saying much.
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Bolivar from everyone I've talked to said was a dump. There used to be some guys from Knoxville go deer hunting down there. They said it was a swamp.
 
#22
#22
Nugget said:
Bolivar from everyone I've talked to said was a dump. There used to be some guys from Knoxville go deer hunting down there. They said it was a swamp.
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Yeah, the Hatchie River flowed near Bolivar. That River always seemed to overflow its banks and create a swampy mess.

In hindsight, I kinda wish I had kept that cabin. We wanted to get rid of all debt so that's what we sacrificed.
 
#24
#24
95 Vol Alum said:
I'll give a shout to Mason which has the original Gus' and Bozo's BBQ. It's not a place I'd want to live but has 2 good restaurants.
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I grew up in Tipton County right up from Mason Highway (59). I dated a girl in HS who was from Mason.

Got a great story about Gus's and Logan Young trying to buy Melrose football players before a high school playoff game.

Still hold a piece of land in Braden (right near Highway 59 and US Highway 70). Have thought about building there one day.
 
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#25
#25
Do they still have the three-day revival meetings in Sevierville? Are they as well attended as they were 45 years ago?
 
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