Ardmore2021

Local Areas of Interest

Lynnville The first settlements of Lynnville were made on Lynn Creek and Robertson Fork Creek. John Laird came in December 1809 and set- tled a half mile north of Old Lynnville (Waco). He built a brick home, which is still being used, a store, and a grist mill. In 1811, he built the first cotton gin run by water power in North Giles County. Lynnville got its name from Lynn Creek, which has been named for the linden or linn trees which grew along its bank. Old Lynnville was laid off on Lynn Creek about 1810. It was on the old stagecoach pike which connected Nashville, TN and Decatur, AL. Just before the Civil War, Old Lynnville flourished. Much of the town was burned and destroyed during the Civil War. A portion of the 16th Union Army Corps was stationed at Lynnville where earthworks were thrown up on east hill. Rifle pits and elevations for cannons can still be easily traced. Hood’s army, protected by Forrest’s cavalry, passed through Lynnville on its retreat south after the Battle of Franklin. In 1860, the Central-Southern Railroad was completed just one mile east of Old Lynnville. The old town began to move to the railroad and a new town was begun. On February 14, 1907, New Lynnville was incorporated. Today, Lynnville serves as one of the most historical areas in Giles County with a population of 345. The new Lynnville Railroad Museum, featuring a completely restored depot, adds historic charm to the downtown area. An antique steam locomo- tive, coach, flat car and caboose complete the area’s premier tourist attraction.

Minor Hill Until the treaty of September 1816, the land around Minor Hill belonged to the Chickasaw Indians. The few white settlers that did try to move into the area were driven out by soldiers. Eventually the family of Joseph Minor lived at the top of a hill in the area, and as parts of the land were later sold off, they were called Minor Land. The area later became known as Minor Hill. Sam Davis, the “Boy Hero” of the Civil War, was captured by the Union Army at Minor Hill. A small park area where the capture occurred has a marble marker recounting the event. Minor Hill had become a village by September 6, 1870, when the post office was established. The first school was located across the creek near a cave. The one-room log schoolhouse was later moved to the top of Minor Hill and converted into a family dwelling. Although Minor Hill was one of the last towns established in the county, it weathered the Depression and is one of the five incorpo- rated cities with a population of 437. Limestone County Located in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Northern Alabama, Limestone County was created by an act of the Alabama Territorial General Assembly on February 6, 1818. Limestone County is west of Madison County, north of the Tennessee River, and east of the western boundary line of range six, west of the basis meridian of the county. An act of the state General Assembly on November 27, 1821, gave to the county all of the land belonging to Lauderdale County, in the fork of the Tennessee and Elk Rivers. Today Limestone County is bounded on the north by the state of Tennessee, on the east by Madison County, on the south by Morgan and Lawrence counties, and on the west by Lauderdale County. The name of the county comes from the creek which flows through it, whose bed is of hard limestone. Athens was chosen as the county seat in 1819.

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