Though the actual location is in Davidson County, I am including the William Waldron Cemetery because of its proximity to Smyrna.  The 1975 cemetery books record the cemetery as being “on Carothers Rd 3/4 of a mile east of Battle Road on top of a hill with some large cedar trees.  All unmarked and some are slave graves.”  There is another Waldron Cemetery that has been surveyed and is on the Davidson County Cemetery site.

In danger of being lost as the area around it is developed, it is chronicled here in hopes its location can be marked and preserved.  It is known to be the final resting place of William Van Buren Waldron and his wife Sarah Boyd Waldron.  William was born in Elizabeth City, NC and was a soldier in the War of 1812.  His will was probated in Rutherford County, TN in 1857.  Sarah, his wife, is thought to have died in 1833 or 1834.

Anyone with more info on this family or the exact location of this cemetery, please leave a comment.

There is a new website in town! Gunner Miller has put a lot of effort into The Streets of Smyrna. It is full of interesting, historic information on how the streets in Smyrna acquired their names.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to talk with Marty Luffman. Marty knows a great deal about Smyrna history and shared a bit of info to be posted here for your reading enjoyment.

**Peebles is a family name that is seen in the Almaville Rd area. The Peebles Plantation was located at the end of Seminary Rd.

**Old Nashville Highway in the Stewartsboro area was originally a toll road. Lowry Street (Hwy 41/ Murfreesboro Rd) started out as not much more than a dirt trail. Traffic increased in this part of town due to people not wanting to pay the tolls.

**In the 1800s, the only good water in Smyrna came from 1 of 2 wells. Both of those wells were located on Lowry Street behind what once was Larry Lee Exxon. I believe this to be the building across the street from Pinnacle Bank.

**The Coleman Building on Lowry street started out as a livery stable.

There is more to be posted later. Thanks Marty!

So, I’ve been a real slacker lately and rather than write original posts for this blog….I am sending you to other places for interesting tidbits of info.  I just found this entry. It was written by Gunner over at This is Smyrna and it contains some really neat information on some of the local street names.

Does anyone know when Madison Street was changed to Sam Hager Street?

Check out Gunner’s post….you’ll be glad you did!

I am always saddened and angered when I hear of cemetery vandalism.   In a perfect world, burial grounds would be respected.  Inevitably, that is not always the case, especially with many of our older cemeteries.  In Smyrna, there is an African-American Cemetery tucked into a corner of land between a subdivison, an apartment complex and Sam Ridley Parkway.  Most folks in the area are probably unaware of its existence. 

In 1905, the three acres of land that comprise the cemetery were sold to the Colored Mutual Aid Society of Smyrna by John  and Linnie Jones Tucker.  Due to issues of vandalism the cemetery is suffering and  a revitalization effort is currently being planned that would enable easier access to the cemetery as well as provide for its continuing care and upkeep.  A clean-up is being organized  for March 28th.  If you are local, consider going out and lending a hand.  It is a worthy effort to help preserve part of Smyrna’s history.  More information is available here.

Saturday, March 14 you are invited to celebrate LaVergne History Day. 3-5 pm at the Civic Auditorium. For more information call 793-3224.

….when the only things at exit 70 off of I-24 were Taylor’s Exxon, a Stuckey’s Restaurant and Dad’s Restaurant?
….when the only things at the intersection of Hazelwood and Old Nashville Highway were a Jim Dandy Market, the apartment complex and the Vet’s office?
….when Sam Ridley Pkwy was constructed? (What year was that?)
….when Smyrna Middle School was Smyrna High School?

Feel free to share any other memories you have of Smyrna!

Did you know that one of the first foreign exchange programs in existence had ties to Smyrna? Interesting, huh? Back in 1950, Allen Dobson (a Nashville banker and philanthropist) started a program called “Hands Across the Sea”. It gave the opportunity to 22 European teenagers to spend some time in the Middle Tennessee area. This experience in American living was intended to promote international understanding and cooperation.

Previously, in June of 1945, Mr. Dobson had founded Youth Incorporated. At the time, camps were held near the current location of the Nashville airport. In 1955, due to airport expansion, the camp was moved to the Dobson’s summer home, Ridley’s Landing. 400 acres of farm land provided an outdoor camping experience for many mid-state area youth over several years.

In the late 1960’s, with the creation of Percy Priest Lake, the camp lost several acres. However, it now became 175 acres of lake-front property. This allowed the camp to have expanded water activities. Each summer, it is still the destination of choice for hundreds of youth.

As for Ridley’s Landing, it’s historic significance is often understated. It was the location of one of the first grist mills in the area (Jones Mill – more on that later). There are legends of visits by Andrew Jackson and Civil War skirmishes. Today, it continues to contribute to history by being a unique camping experience for youth in Middle Tennessee and surrounding areas.

All Tennessee natives seemingly have a connection to Andrew Jackson. There are literally hundreds of stories regarding President Jackson’s lodging during his trips from his home at the Hermitage to Washington DC. In the Smyrna area alone, he reportedly had a couple of favored places to visit.

One was Ridley’s Landing, the current location of Youth Incorporated. (It is a fabulous summer camp for kids – if you have children, you really should look at this camp.) Another supposed stop was the White – Nelson – Gregory – Posey Home that once stood on Old Nashville Pike.

It is quite possible that President Jackson did make stops in the area, though the exact locations are lost to history. His nephew (and namesake) Andrew Jackson Donelson was married to Catharine Nelson on October 13, 1835. Apparently it was a brief marriage, as it seems Catharine died soon after the ceremony. She is buried, along with her parents,  in the Nelson-Peebles Cemetery near Almaville Rd. The cemetery stands in the middle of a field. The original section of One Mile Lane passed relatively close to this cemetery but is no longer used.

Thompson Cemetery

Originally uploaded by lorbsel

Nestled in the side yard of a home in the Thompson Woods subdivision is the Thompson Cemetery. It is the final resting spot of Dr. Nimrod Whitfield Thompson Sr., his daughter Annie and son William. According to the 1975 Cemetery books, it is also the location of the unmarked graves of his sons George and Joe and a child of George and his wife Ada.

Dr. Thompson was born in 1811 in Hartsville, Trousdale County, Tennessee. According to the Rutherford County Marriage Records, he married Nancy Alford on November 1, 1848. In the Nashville Christian Advocate, we find an obituary for Nancy. She died of consumption on February 7, 1860, at the home of her father, Capt. William Alford. Her only child, a son, died a few days before she did. She was the first known burial in the Alford Cemetery. 

In 1861, Dr. Thompson married Musidora Drake. To this union were born 5 known children: William, George, Joseph, Annie and Nimrod Jr.

Dr. Thompson died February 1, 1895.