Last week, I started the trek through the 1970 archive book. As I went deeper and deeper, it was amazing to see so many faces that helped make McKenzie great. more

My first wife has left me….again. This time for a whole week! She was thoughtful enough to leave a pan of her world famous lasagna. She also cooked a passel of hamburgers so all I’ve got to do is heat them in the microwave. more

Ask Rusty — Will My Husband’s Benefits Continue After He Dies? more

This week’s installment is a quick visual glance at the 1970 archive book. more

Our high school auditorium was old even before I got there. It actually creaked at times. It was “big and wide” with a smell and a feel that was unique, yet comfortable. And it was oh, so versatile. more

Last week, as Weakley County and the City of Dresden celebrated the Iris Festival, my mind was drawn to the stories and successes of Ned Ray McWherter. Born the son of a sharecropper, McWherter was a prosperous businessman, Speaker of the House for the Tennessee Legislature and a two-term governor. more

I think I could have been a great fisherman. I can read a nautical map. I still have the needed hand/eye coordination. I have a “light touch” when the occasion calls for it and I have worked on my patience over the years. That can be critical when you are “waiting out” those northern pike! I believe, with just a little practice, I could “set the hook” on a rainbow trout, largemouth bass, walleye... more

With the onset of the Civil War and Tennessee’s secession, a group of pro-Union leaders in East Tennessee, which had rejected secession, petitioned Harris to allow the region to break away from the state and remain with the Union. Harris rejected this and sent troops under Felix K. Zollicoffer into East Tennessee. In the gubernatorial election later that year, William H. Polk, brother of former President James K. Polk, ran against Harris on a pro-Union ticket but was defeated 75,300 to 43,495. more

I tell you near ’bout every week that McKenzie, Tennessee, is the best place on earth to “be from.” Without a doubt. Without hesitation. And without reservation. Of course, I don’t do it with very good sentence structure. Or proper English. more

As this weekly series is now well into its third year, I have decided to expand the topics from just Carroll County and broaden the spectrum to included Tennessee history. There are a few ideas in the works for a more definitive path, but for now, rest assured the articles will still be based on Tennessee history and localized when possible. more

When we were “younger, so much younger than today” we didn’t think nothing about Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. It was just a term in a high school science book. When he started using words like cosmological and astrophysical, we just shook our heads and broke out a copy of Mad Magazine. more

There is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. And then there is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in Tennessee. more

The most relevant of William Carroll’s children to the story of Carroll County is Colonel Charles Montgomery Carroll (1821–1899). more

After last week’s article on Governor William Carroll, I found a few more interesting finds. In the mix, I came across a few biographic sketches of his three children; General William Henry Carroll (1810–1868), Colonel Thomas Bradford Carroll (1818–1857) and Colonel Charles Montgomery Carroll (1821–1899). more

Sometimes I write the story because I can’t help myself. It’s like day following night. Reaching for a second potato chip. Or those swallows returning year after year to San Juan, Capistrano. more

This morning as I scrambled to find a topic about Carroll County, my topics were few and far between based on level of interest. What came to mind was how I knew little to nothing about Carroll County’s namesake, Governor William Carroll. So guess what, this week’s article is a biographical sketch of the late governor. more

It’s tough going off with a bunch of Christian folks…when you are the only heathen in the group! They didn’t hesitate for a second to jump on an airplane and take off. To Guatemala of all places! more

While researching the Big Pecan Tree story last week I joined a Facebook group focused around the history of the Natchez Trace State Park. As I went down the rabbit hole, I came across a thread about Gene Autry and how the family had its roots in Carroll County. With limited time, I put a pin in it and decided to come back. more

I’ve told you before about living life backwards. It’s a grave misfortune borne by Baby Boomers that CBS, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Golf Channel, Farmers’ Almanac and all the other “news sources” fail to report. more

Even though our family makes regular use of Natchez Trace State Park, I forget portions of the 48,000 acres of land lie within Carroll County. Part of the park’s claim to fame was surviving as the home of the “World’s Largest Pecan Tree,” now merely an oversized rotting stump, the once-grand attraction lives on through legends and a few tourists’ vacation photographs. more