by Amanda E. West | Oct 9, 2025 | Cover
GRAVEL DIRT swirled in a thin, murky cloud behind their pickup truck. John Ray Clemmons rotated the handle until the truck window released a sigh, and the oppressive heat of summer dropped a fraction inside the cab. He pressed closer to the door panel, studying his...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 9, 2025 | Feature
AS THE door to the Fite-Fessenden House swings open, the wood floors draw you into the center hallway flanked by dual parlors. Clusters of candles flicker from polished brass candelabras perched atop mantels inlaid with colorful tiles. A warm ambiance fills every nook...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 9, 2025 | Feature
FUN FACT: The term “flying off the handle” originated from handmade brooms, which have a tendency to lose their “heads” when used forcefully. CHECK IN at the general store at Fiddlers Grove, then round the corner past the town hall and amble into Mr. Luther’s...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 9, 2025 | Stories
ALTHOUGH TENNESSEE didn’t officially join the United States until 1796, Lamar Alexander, the state’s 45th governor, proposed a bicentennial celebration in 1986 to mark 200 years since the first settlements in 1786. This “Tennessee Homecoming ’86,” as it was called,...
by Amanda E. West | Oct 9, 2025 | Stories
WINSTEAD PAINE “W.P.” Bone III began his career in the automobile business by washing cars at Wilson County Motors, his father’s dealership. “I was paid in nickels and dimes out of the Coke machine,” Bone recalled. “But the value of a job well done made it seem like...
