Tullahoma, located in Coffee County in Middle Tennessee, was established as a railroad town in the 1850s, and the railroad was key to the town’s growth and economic success. Both the Union and Confederate forces occupied the town during the Civil War, and as a result, many of the structures that existed at that time were destroyed. Following the Civil War, Tullahoma’s location on the railroad ensured that it was a busy, bustling town. By 1903, the town had 3,000 residents. According to the Handbook of Tennessee (1903), “Its schools are excellent; its church facilities are good; and it has numerous manufacturing industries, first-class hotels, a weekly newspaper, and a good electric light plant. It is a great summer resort.”
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| Close up of Coffee County from Colton's Map of Tennessee (1876). Image from Library of Congress. |
Although the African Americans only made up 10.4% of Coffee County’s population in 1910, there was an active and thriving African American community in Tullahoma. There were a number of churches, such as the Shorter Chapel AME, Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist, and Howard Chapel M.E. Church. There was an African American baseball team for boys, which played teams from nearby towns, such as Shelbyville and Murfreesboro. There was a school, known as the Tullahoma Negro School (and later Davidson Academy), established at least by 1898. An early teacher at the school was John Work, Jr., who is regarded by some as the first African American collector of spirituals and folk music. The school continued in existence until 1964, when Tullahoma integrated their schools. The building later became a community center until it was demolished in 1998. This was replaced with a new community center in 2001.
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| Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, Tullahoma. Photograph by author. 2021. |
Describing the African American community of Tullahoma in 1910, W.L. Miller stated in the Nashville Globe that, “Lodges are Immaculates, Odd Fellows, Masons, and several other organizations. The first three have healthy women auxiliaries and own their buildings, which are very creditable.” The town also supported an African American businesses such as grocery store, owned by Green Edens, an ice cream parlor, owned by Rev. William Jenkins, and a park, Cherokee Park, described as being, “just outside the city limits, a thing of joy and beauty.” The African American community also home to a billiard parlor and four choirs. In short, it was an active and thriving African American community.
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| Nashville Globe, March 11, 1910, pg. 3 |
As described, Tullahoma was home to a number of African American lodges, and there were at least two lodge halls in the town. The 1897 Sanborn Map identifies one building, at the corner of Lincoln and Wall, as a “Negro Lodge Hall.” It is unclear which lodge met here, but the building still stands in Tullahoma today.
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| 1897 Sanborn Insurance Map of Tullahoma. The African American lodge hall is circled in red. |
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| Site of the African American lodge hall as it appears today. Photograph by author. 2021. |
The Masons and the Eastern Star, the ladies auxiliary of the Masons, were an active presence in Tullahoma. In December 1907, the Zenith Lodge No. 98 celebrated St. John’s Day with “a grand Masonic banquet. Haley Lodge, No. 143, and Shelbyville Lodge, No. 82, sent representatives. Music was furnished by a string band from Winchester. Rev. N. P. Greggs (Knight Templar), Morning Star, No. 11, of Columbia, was the speaker of the evening. The speaker showed clearly that the Lodge is of Negro origin and that the Negro is the only race with prime authority of the 33rd degree. All kinds of refreshments of the season were served. The banquet was well attended.” In August 1910, the Masonic Lodge oversaw the laying of the cornerstone of the A.M.E. Church in town. In 1914, the Masons celebrated Palm Sunday at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church with a sermon preached by Rev. J.S. Swift.
The Independent Order of Immaculates were extremely active in Tullahoma and owned Immaculate Hall. They allowed their hall to be used by other groups, such as the Colored Fair Association, which held their business meeting at Immaculate Hall in 1907. In 1913, when the Knights of Pythias was trying to organize a lodge in Tullahoma, the Immaculates offered the Pythians free use of Immaculate Hall for 30 days. The Immaculates sponsored events, such as a picnic to nearby Estill Springs in 1910 and Easter celebration at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. In 1918, the Immaculates were described as “one of the best lodges in the city and a lodge that stands for something has not failed to carry out a rule in five years. Tom Duncan, George Davidson, Will Miller, J.W.M. Jenkins, stand at the head of this lodge and they are men who believe in bringing things to pass.”
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| From "Tullahoma Notes," Nashville Globe, March 14, 1913. |
The Grand United Order of Odd Fellows owned a lodge hall in Tullahoma, which they also allowed other groups to use. In 1910, a band used the Odd Fellows Hall to give an entertainment to benefit the local A.M.E. Church. A storm damaged their hall in 1913, but they must have rebuilt, because it was noted in 1917 that Mr. Coleman Scott had opened a lunch stand at the Odd Fellows Hall in Tullahoma. They must have struggled with regular meetings during World War I, as it was noted in February 1918 that the group, “have put on new clothes for the year 1918 and are meeting regular. They will always have a success if they follow the instructions and leadership of Amos Ryle, Henry Jenkins, and John Clendenen, who are chartered members.”
The Mutual Aid Association, a benevolent group, had a lodge
in Tullahoma. In June 1917, the group celebrated their anniversary in Tullahoma
with a sermon by Rev. D.S. Ransaw of Chattanooga. The “Tullahoma Notes” of the Nashville
Globe for that June 22, 1917 article describes the Mutual Aid Society as “This
society is one the leading ones of the town. Miss Paralee McGee, Mrs. Bettie
Green and Mr. George Tally, are sparing no pains in pulling this society to the
front, they are assisted by Mrs. M. E. Parker, the Chief Secretary.” In
Tullahoma, the Mutual Aid Association was largely run by women. In September
1918, Tullahoma was home to the state grand lodge meeting of the Mutual Aid Association.
"Tullahoma Notes," Nashville Globe, June 22, 1917
The Knights of Pythias were a late addition to Tullahoma’s
African American lodge scene. In 1913, it was noted that Mr. Luther Cummings of
South Pittsburg was in Tullahoma “working up a K. of P. lodge.” As noted earlier,
the Immaculates allowed the Pythians to use Immaculate Hall as their meeting
place rent-free for 30 days to help the lodge get on its feet. In August 1913,
twelve members were initiated into the new lodge.
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| "Tullahoma Notes," Nashville Globe, August 1, 1913. |
While Tullahoma did not have a separate lodge cemetery, there was a separate African American cemetery just outside of town, known as Citizens Cemetery. This cemetery has a long and interesting history. It is believed that it began as a cemetery in the 1870s. In 1940, the U.S. Government acquired the site and made it part of Camp Forrest. From that time, burials were not allowed at the cemetery, and the cemetery fell into a state of disrepair. In 1996, a group of students of East Middle School cleaned the cemetery and repaired some of the broken stones. Visiting the cemetery recently, I noticed very few stone remaining. The site is full of old, large oak trees. The cemetery is in good maintenance now, and it is certain that many African American lodge members of Tullahoma are buried here.
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| Images from Citizens Cemetery. Photographs by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
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| Photograph by author. 2021. |
For More Information/Sources:
Citizens Cemetery, Coffee Co. TN, TNGen Web Cemetery Database, https://www.tngenweb.org/cemeteries/#!cm=2096060.
G.W. & C.B. Colton & Co., “Colton’s Map of the State of Tennessee,” New York, 1876. Library of Congress, https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3960.ct010511.
“History,” Davidson Academy Alumni Tigers. http://davidsonacademyalumni.org/History.html.
W.L. Miller, “Tullahoma and Coffee County,” Nashville Globe, August 26, 1910, pg 3.
Nashville Globe
Thomas H. Paine, Handbook of Tennessee. Nashville: McQuiddy Printing Company, 1903.
Sanborn Map Company, “Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tullahoma, Coffee County, Tennessee,” September 1897, Sheet 4. http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3964tm.g3964tm_g083871897.
Ian Skotte, “Old Cemetery holds key to city’s past,” Tullahoma News, June 29, 2013 (updated June 15, 2018), https://www.tullahomanews.com/news/local/old-cemetery-holds-key-to-city-s-past/article_7ed595b7-f332-51b2-9eb4-8c0c8c7add3e.html.
John Wesley Work, Jr., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley_Work_Jr.
