Covington in Tipton County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Hotel Lindo

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

1. Hotel Lindo Marker

Inscription. This property has been
placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.

Location. 35° 33.882′ N, 89° 38.813′ W. Marker is in Covington, Tennessee, in Tipton County. It is on West Liberty Avenue (Tennessee Route 54) west of North Main Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114 W Liberty Ave, Covington TN 38019, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee

and in Greater Memphis.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in the Upper South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Isaac Hayes (within shouting distance of this marker); Tipton County Confederate Monument (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tipton County in the Civil War (about 400 feet away); Canaan Missionary Baptist Church History (about 500 feet away); St. Matthew's Episcopal Church (about 800 feet away); Frances Boyd Calhoun (approx. 0.2 miles away); Thomas Goode (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Covington.

Regarding Hotel Lindo. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:

The Hotel Lindo, built in
Paid Advertisement

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1901, is being nominated under Criteria A and C. The building is significant in the social and commercial history of Covington, Tennessee, and the architectural development of the community. Because the Hotel Lindo was Covington's only hotel from its completion until the early 1950's, it became the hub of social life in Covington. Clubs met there, it was where important visitors could be encountered by townfolk, and important events frequently had an association with the hotel. Architecturally, the Lindo has had a strong impact upon the character of Covington's public square. In 1901, the hotel's design combined Italianate and Romanesque features in a fashion unique among the other commercial buildings about the square. Today it remains a prominent local landmark.

The Hotel Lindo's construction was financed by three of the most prominent and progressive men in Covington: Green B. Gillespie, W.C. Shelton, and C.E. McFadden. Gillespie, a physician, studied in Berlin, Vienna, Edinburgh, and served as clinical assistant to Lord Joseph Lister in London. He would later gain distinction in 1936 as the oldest practicing physician in Tennessee at age 92. Shelton and McFadden were two of the wealthiest landholders in Tipton County. Their progressive livery firm of McFadden, Shelton, and McClanahan was the site of the county's first telephone installation, and registered the first
via NPS, unknown

2. Hotel Lindo
National Register of Historic Places Digital Archive on NPGallery website entry
Click for more information.
sale of an automobile.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 25, 2022

3. Hotel Lindo Marker

J.J. Darby Barber Shop image. Click for full size.

via Tennessee State Library & Archives (Public Domain), circa 1900

4. J.J. Darby Barber Shop

The barber shop was located inside the Lindo Hotel.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 26, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 827 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 26, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on June 28, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4. submitted on June 26, 2022, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.