Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1876-01-15
LETTER FROM HICKMAN COUNTY.

EDITORs CHRONICLE During my
late illness at Brownsville you were
kind enough to mention the fact and
tender ME sympathy through the
columns of your very excellent paper,
for which please to accept my sincere
gratitude. Allow me next to wish
yourself and my friends Messrs. Neb-
lett & Grant, happy New Year, and
then [ will tell you and your readers
something of Centerville, Hickman
County, and what is going on in this
locality. Centerviile is beautiful lit
tie town with about $50 inhabitants.
situated on the west bank of Duck
River, about 50 miles Southwest of
Nashville, and IS South of GAINESVILLE.
The traveller who visits Centerville
from either of the cities just named
coming via Ellison's Mills and the
County Poor House from Nashville, or
via Charlotte and Bon Acqua Springs
from GAINESVILLE, could not help the
impression that the soil of Hickman
was poor, barren and unfruitful, and
he would be astonished to think that
it could support a county site so we'll.
But let him travel with me around the
Centerville Circuit, on the waters of
Swami, Lick and Leatherwood creeks,
and then perambulate with me the vast
bottoms lying along the waters of
Duck River from Skipp's Bend to
Gray's Bend, and from Gray's to Lot
tvs Bend, and from there to the beau
tiful little village of Shady Grove, and
he will say, surely this is one of the
most fertile and productive counties in
all of Middle Tennessee, and when
he utters this sentiment, his head will
be level, his brain of good quality,
and his perception keen. We can show
them 800 barrels of corn raised on
farm which does not number 100 acres,
woodland, horse lots, COW range, man
sion, grove and all, with 5000 we'll fat
ted, large killing hogs within radius
of three miles square, all this can be
done in the vicinity of Shady Grove
and the mouth of Leatherwood, and
other localities are like unto it. The
peanut and cotton crops are not good
this year. There is singular fact
connected with these several river
bends of which l have made mention
Each of those bends are the name
sakes Of men and received their cog
nomens seventy-fve years ago, and yet
the progeny of those gentlemen for
whom the several bends were named
still, to large extent, reside in those
bends aud their name is legion, for
they are many" Indeed, | am told
all the Ships company is near one
hundred. Lotty's not much less, and
as to the Anderson's, there is literally
a desert of them, while the Gray's are
by no means small in number.
At Centerville, Dec. 24th, at seven
o'clock D. M, the doors of the Method
list Church were thrown open to admit
a large waiting assemblage of men, wo
men and children. On entering we
found the house decorated until the
appearance was perfectly beautiful,
while in front of the pulpit stood a
large cedar lighted up with one hun
dred burning tapers, and as full of
Christmas gifts as those trees are wont
to be of snow birds on cold snowy
night in December. Prayer was offer
ed by the writer, Mrs. Marshall John
son gave US some beautiful music, after
which Miss Mamie johnson delivered
an appropriate address, and the dis
tribution ofsthe presents began The
tree was found to yield more than
twelve manner of fruit. and gifts
were found from the jewsharp up to
$50 in gold. A beautiful shirt, pair of
socks, and a velvet waistcoat were |
found to bear the writer's name, and | |
feel assured that the shirt and coat |
came out of the store of Olagett & !
Bro. This is the only dry goods store
of note that / know of in Hickman
that has not changed hands or gone
under within the last four years, it
stands like "stonewall.
Centerville has two nice churches,
the Methodist and Christian two
good lawyers, Messrs. Mooney and
Nichols; FIVE physicians, nrs. Wood,
Wilson, Norris, Pool and Thompson.
1t affords one good hotel and livery
stable kent nv Cant. Thos, EasleY.