June 19, 2022
It was another beautiful sunny day as we began the last leg of our drive to Nashville. We crossed into Kentucky and the road was noticeably smoother than Illinois. We drove on gently rolling hills that wound through thick green forests, occasionally coming upon small towns, farms and many Baptist churches.
As we drove along we saw a couple of very black hills that seemed out of place for this scenic area. We wondered what they were until we entered the town of Providence, KY and saw a statue and a mural depicting coal miners. Those hills were coal and this was a coal mining town.
The next stop we made was in Charlotte, TN. What caught our eye was a brightly decorated store on the side of the road called Sweet Charlotte. They served hamburgers, pulled pork, etc. in an outside courtyard, but the shop sold various soda’s, root beer, gourmet popcorn and candy, hence the name Sweet Charlotte. The owners of Sweet Charlotte were very surprised to hear we had driven our car from MN and asked the normal questions always asked. Steve, in his element, was only too happy to comply.
Before we went to our motel we stopped at Marathon Motor Works. This 1881 Italianate-style building was originally Nashville Cotton Mills. It became Marathon Motor Works in 1911 and operated until 1918. First making Marathon Vehicles, then later a parts and service business. Now it houses retail shops, antiques, a distillery and a winery. It’s an interesting building that still holds the flavor of the past.
Tomorrow we continue seeing the sights of Nashville.
Comments