Lebanon in Wilson County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Evins Front Porch

Photographed by Mark Parker, February 13, 2025

1. Evins Front Porch Marker

Inscription. Dan W. Evins graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy, enlisted in the Marines, attended Cumberland University and served on the Cumberland University Board of Trust. In 2007, Mr. Evins was awarded an honorary doctorate within this same space for outstanding business leadership and numerous years of community service. Mr. Evins came from a family of prominent Tennesseans such as State Senator Edgar Evins and US Representative Joe L. Evins, who attended Cumberland School of Law in 1934. Evins Front Porch is a nod to a man that embodied genuine hospitality and vision with the birth of the Cracker Barrel brand. We are grateful for his many contributions to Cumberland University and our community. Mr. Evins is remembered by his family and friends as humble and kind.

Erected 2023.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 2007.

Location. 36° 12.242′ N, 86° 17.96′ W. Marker is in Lebanon, Tennessee, in Wilson County. It is at the intersection of Cumberland Drive and West Spring Street when traveling south on Cumberland Drive. The marker is on the east brick wall on the plaza in front of Memorial. Visitor parking is available on Cumberland

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Drive at the entrance to the campus from West Spring Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Cumberland Dr, Lebanon TN 37087, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Middle Tennessee

and in Greater Nashville.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

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: The Reverend Dr. Winstead Paine Bone (within shouting distance of this marker); Cordell Hull (1871-1955) (within shouting distance of this marker); Memorial Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); The WWII Years at Cumberland (within shouting distance of this marker); Cumberland University Headquarters Tennessee Maneuvers (within shouting distance of this marker); David Robert "Bobby" Ray (within shouting distance of this marker); Wilson County's First Gym (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cumberland University Founded in 1842 (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lebanon.

Also see . . . Dan Evins. Biography of Dan Evins, founder of Cracker Barrel restaurant chain, which began in Lebanon, TN, near Cumberland University.

While working in the family gasoline business back in the late 1960s, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store founder Dan Evins began thinking of ways to better meet the needs of folks on the road.

(Submitted on February 18, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina.)

Evins Front Porch Marker on the plaza at the center of campus image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, February 13, 2025

2. Evins Front Porch Marker on the plaza at the center of campus

Memorial Hall is off the picture to the right

Evins Front Porch Marker is on the inside brick wall of the plaza. Memorial Hall in the background image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Parker, February 13, 2025

3. Evins Front Porch Marker is on the inside brick wall of the plaza. Memorial Hall in the background

Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 234 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 18, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.