Cookeville Depot / Sgt. York Home / Cordell Hull Birthplace


Cookeville Depot Museum - August 23, 2008

I haven't felt real great all week, nothing really bad, just a "Yukky" feeling.  I decided that what I needed was a bike trip so I headed out this morning to try and get a few more Tennessee Historical Commission stamps for my National Park Passport Stamps collection.  As usual I started with some breakfast at a Waffle House and then I headed east for Cookeville, TN.

My first stop was the Cookeville Depot Museum in Cookeville, TN.  This is an old railroad depot built in 1909 and refurbished through the years.  Now it is a railroad museum with numerous artifacts on display including a 1913 Baldwin 4-6-0 locomotive and cars.  The locomotive was originally owned by the Louisville and Arkansas Railroad and acquired by the Friends of the Depot Museum in 2002.  It was painted in Tennessee Central livery since the TCRR ran a number of Baldwin 4-6-0 locomotives.

 


Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN

Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN

Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN


Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN

Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN

Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN


Cookeville Depot Museum - Cookeville, TN
   


While at the Cookeville Depot Museum I saw this sign and took a photo of it for nostalgic reasons.  It reminded me of so many similar signs I remember from my childhood that are now long gone.  These big neon signs were constructed in place on top of buildings, and seeing one again brought back vivid memories from days gone by.  No peeling the sign face off and sticking someone else's up in its place, these big steel and neon structures were meant to stay.  They are part of a bygone era.  A slower, quieter, and more permanent era.

I did a little digging and this particular sign, while built in the 1950's, still works quite well.  Here Is A Link to a YouTube video of it at night.  Apparently the building below was the old Cream City Ice Cream company, but now is part of a retail center.


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Sgt. Alvin York Home - August 23, 2008

From the Cookeville Depot Museum I headed further northeast to the home of Sgt. Alvin C. York (Link to Wikipedia Info about him).  Sgt. Alvin York was a recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor for valor near Chatel-Chehery, France on October 8, 1918.

The site I visited was his original homeplace in Pall Mall, TN and is a magnificently maintained site.  It is filled with memorabilia of Sgt. York's life and is a very interesting place to visit.

I did make one mistake though.  As I was leaving one of the rangers asked if I had any questions.  I thanked him and said no but that I was going to get my camera and take some photos.  I noticed that he had a State Park uniform on and it had "York" on it.  I assumed that this simply meant the Alvin York State Park, but when I got home and started writing this I found out that he was in fact Andrew York, the son of Alvin York.  Had I known that I could probably have thought of several dozen questions to ask!

I don't know what the tracked artillery piece is, but it was there, it had guns on it, so I took photos of it!  If anyone knows what it is please let me know.

Update: The artillery piece is an M-247 "Sgt. York".  It consists of (2) radar-directed 40mm Bofors guns mounted on an M48A5 tank chassis.  It was never successful and only 50 were ever built.  Details are on This Web Site.

 


Sgt. Alvin C. York Homeplace - Pall Mall, TN

Sgt. Alvin C. York Homeplace - Pall Mall, TN

Sgt. Alvin C. York Homeplace - Pall Mall, TN


Sgt. Alvin C. York Homeplace - Pall Mall, TN

Sgt. Alvin C. York Homeplace - Pall Mall, TN

Sgt. Alvin C. York Homeplace - Pall Mall, TN

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Cordell Hull Birthplace - August 23, 2008

From the Alvin York site I headed back southwest to the Cordell Hull Museum just west of Byrdstown,TN.  Mr. Hull was a Congressman, a Senator, Secretary of State, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, and is considered to be the father of the United Nations.  He was active in national government from 1907 until 1944 when he resigned from office due to ill health.  This was in the era when we had an effective government, and Mr. Hull exemplified the qualities of someone truly dedicated to his position.

The photos below are of the museum.  His birthplace is slightly to the east and for some reason I failed to get photographs of it.  Brain fade, I guess.

 


Cordell Hull Museum - Byrdstown, TN

Cordell Hull Museum - Byrdstown, TN

Cordell Hull Museum - Byrdstown, TN


Cordell Hull Museum - Byrdstown, TN
   

I got skunked all the way around on Tennessee Historical Commission stamps today.  They had been lost at all three of the sites that I visited.  Two of them did have an "I Was Here" stamp that showed the name of the site, but they weren't the "Official" Tennessee Historical Commission stamps.  Oh well, who cares?  I visit these sites to get out and see them, to ride my bikes to places I haven't been before, and to enjoy the scenery in my area.  The stamps are secondary and if I don't get any I don't come home unhappy.

Today accounted for 275 miles and three historic sites I had never been to.  I saw some parts of my home state that I haven't seen before and had a great time doing it.  To me that is what riding a bike is all about.