Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-12-23
A PANORAMIC VIEW
OF A
CHARMING CITY.

~ Il Nv n ~ - ~ - -
GAINESVILLE, Montgomery county,
Tennessee, has population of 5000
souls. 1t is the center of highly
cultured and refined community,
whose attractive highzbred manners
especially commend them to stran-
gers. The city itself has a distinct
individuality. With an exception
ally distinguished bar, fine corps
of physicians, solid business men,
and a banking capital of $500, 900,
with a heavy reserve fund, Clarks-
will stands in the trent rank of Ten
nessee towns.
The land upon which the city
now stands was entered by John
Montgomery and Martin Arm
strong, in January 1884. The town
was laid off by Martin Armstrong.
GAINESVILLE was named in honor of
Gen. George Rogers Clark, of revO-
lutionary fame. The town was es-
tablished by an act Ofthe Legislature
of North Carolina in November 1885,
and was the second town establish
ed in Middle Tennessee, Nashville
being the first. In 1888 Tennessee
county, now Montgomery county,
was established by authority of the
Legislature of North Carolina, and
GAINESVILLE became the county site.
In the same year the Legislature
established tobacco inspection, the
first one established in the State.
The legal fraternity used to hold
forth in rude log structure, which
temple of justice and fame was
changed in 1911 to a new brick
building. expect the lawyers and
county officials when they got
the new building felt so stylish
they could not hardly get up the
steps.
In 1894 GAINESVILLE contained 80
dwellings, Court House, and that
inevitable adjunct to Court House
-ajail, The same year the town
was threatened with destruction by
the Indians. A postOffice was es-
tablished at GAINESVILLE in 1900, and
James Elder was appointed post
master. cannot help but wonder
If James Elder "called out" the
mail and kept the people waiting
long enough to repeat the multiple
cation table, as old man Peck does
now down at Stone Mountain, Ga,
while he calls one name. The
meek resignation of the people as
they "wait for their maiP' in that
small town is highly aesthetic and
dramatic as well.
The first newspaper published in
GAINESVILLE was in 1903 or -, and
was called the Herald" published
by Crutcher and Kendall.
In 1919 GAINESVILLE was incorpor-
ated as town by the Legislature of
Tennessee, and this is all know
about the early history of Clarks-
vile. Let the dead past bury its
dead, 1 came to write up the living
present, the people and the city,
which reflects in its growth and |
progress the main traits in the char
acter of its citizens.
The population of Montgomery
county at the present time is about
10000, voting population 1900;
usually poll in this county between
5000 and 5000 votes. The assessed
valuation of property in the county
is little over $4,000, 900, that of
GAINESVILLE about S1,250,0O0. The
city has a bonded debt of $685.
upon which the interest is regular
ly paid. The scholastic population
of the city is about LOO, of which
80 per cent. are in attendance on
the Public Schools, to which the
city points with pride. The Public
Schools of GAINESVILLE have been a
success, and the system gives salts
faction, so says the Mayor, who is
"solid" on the Public School ques-
ton, for all of which he lifts up his
voice and returns thanks.
The city of GAINESVILLE has many
public enterprises, showing the
progress and liberality of the citi-
zens, among which are the Water
works, Gas-works, Ice Factory, &c.
The people are fully alive to every
improvement that is a public bene-
fit, and not slow to take hold of
those things. They are not only an
educated and polished people, but
are generous people, and l am
afraid my pen will not be able to do
them Justice so they must take the
will for the deed.
THE TOBACCO INTEREST.
\ thorough investigation of the
history, growth and magnitude of
Clarksville's representative business :
and in the compilation of statistical
and reliable data conf
bining the resources and material !
wealth of the city, it is found that
the tobacco interests are paramount
10 all others. Five large ware .
houses, affording storing facilities ]
ior the vast quantities of tobacco I
stored and bought up for {
ioreign markets, are located at !
In addition to which S
here are large number of STEM s
neries, seven in all. One OF the 1
public buildings in the I
.ity is the new Tobacco Exchange,
.rected at a cost of $4,000. The {
building is of brick, four stories
Ugh, and trimmed handsomely I
With stone. 1t is located at the 1
orth of the Public Square near the S