Rugby in Morgan County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Perrigo/Alexander Boarding House
Rugby's Hidden History
Photographed by Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
1. Perrigo/Alexander Boarding House Marker
Research does provide some background on two different resident families - Winfield Scott Perrigo, his wife, Ora, and their grandson C. Joe Galloway; and the Samuel Logan Alexander family.
Winfield Scott Perrigo was from Michigan and had probably been in Tennessee for some time before any involvement with Rugby, He apparently died just as the family was getting established in Rugby around 1901. His widow Ora may have been the first person to run the building as a boarding house until her death in 1903. Her grandson, C. Joe Galloway, lived with her at Perrigo Boarding House until her death. He contacted Historic Rugby in the 1980s to relate his childhood memories in turn of the century Rugby and his love for his grandmother. He donated funds to Historic Rugby to purchase the property in hopes that Perrigo Boarding House could eventually be historically reconstructed in memory of his grandmother. Private owners recently
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The Samuel Logan Alexander family history in relation to this house is more complex. They were originally from Kentucky, and lived in nearby Fentress County and perhaps Scott County before taking up residence in Rugby at this house. It's possible they were here before the Perrigos, and then again after Ora died. Whether or not they ran it as a boarding house is also uncertain but seems likely. Alexander family descendants have donated several family household items that had once been in the house, including a clay jug that looks similar to the one on the back porch in the picture at left.
Oral history interviews in the Rugby Archives include the late Joe Gibson, who lived just to the right of the Perrigo/Alexander House in later years. He stated that the house was "taken down" and the materials, including the stone foundation, hauled away sometime in the 1930s.
[Captions]:
This image of the Samual Logan Alexander family in the side yard was probably taken around 1905. The family later moved to Eastern Kentucky near Wilmore.
This c. 1915 picture with children in the foreground shows the Perrigo / Alexander house. From the lack of curtains and objects on the verandahs, it appears not to have been occupied at that time.
Ora Pertigo is seated at right in this interesting c.1901 picture that demonstrates her interest in plants and gardening. The lady with the fiddle is unidentified.
Topics.
Photographed by Tom Bosse, March 18, 2023
2. Perrigo/Alexander Boarding House Marker
Location. 36° 21.697′ N, 84° 42.146′ W. Marker is in Rugby, Tennessee, in Morgan County. It is on Rugby Parkway (Tennessee Route 52), on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1490 Rugby Pkwy, Rugby TN 37733, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee and in the Cumberland Plateau. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Roadside Cottage/Grey Gables (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Thomas Fardon's Drug Supply & Home (about 500 feet away); The Tabard Inn (approx. 0.2 miles away); Meet the Massengales (approx. 0.3 miles away); Early Rugbys Appalachian Neighbors (approx. 0.4 miles away); Welcome to the Massengale Homeplace (approx. 0.4 miles away); Gentlemen's Swimming Hole (approx. 0.6 miles away); Morgan County / Scott County (approx. 5.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rugby.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 26, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 392 times since then and 39 times this year. Last updated on April 6, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 26, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
