Ripley in Lauderdale County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)

Ripley, TN

Winner of Maker's Mark Most Remarkable Small Town in America Contest

— December 2020 —

Ripley, TN Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 28, 2025

1. Ripley, TN Marker

Inscription.
This plaque commemorates the accomplishment of Ripley being the only small town in the United States chosen as the winner of Maker's Mark "Small Town, Bright Lights" holiday contest.

The City of Ripley was chosen out of nearly 700 other small towns to win a $100,000 holiday makeover from Maker's Mark. The bourbon maker created the "Small Town, Bright Lights" contest to spotlight a small town doing remarkable things.

“We've been crafting Maker's Mark Bourbon in our small town of Loretto, Ky. since my grandparents' vision lead to the creation of Maker's Mark more than 60 years ago,” said Rob Samuels, Chief Distillery Officer of Maker's Mark. “It's safe to say we have a soft spot for all the little things that make small towns special, including an undeniably strong sense of community.”

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Events. A significant historical month for this entry is December 2020.

Location. 35° 44.71′ N, 89° 31.819′ W. Marker is in Ripley, Tennessee, in Lauderdale County. It is on Washington Street just east of South Jefferson Street, on the right when traveling east. The marker is mounted at

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eye-level on the front/north facade of Ripley City Hall. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 110 Washington Street, Ripley TN 38063, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in West Tennessee.

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 12 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lauderdale County Courthouse (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hands Across America Mid-Point (approx. 1½ miles away); Alex Haley's Boyhood Home (approx. 5.6 miles away); Fort Pillow (approx. 5.6 miles away); Battle of Fort Pillow (approx. 7.3 miles away); Roark Bradford (approx. 11.2 miles away); Woodlawn Baptist Church (approx. 11.2 miles away); In Memory of Rev. Harden Smith (approx.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 28, 2025

2. Ripley, TN Marker

The marker is on the front wall of Ripley City Hall, above a Maker’s Mark barrel.

11.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ripley.

Also see . . . Maker’s Mark Turned This Deserving Small Town into a Winter Wonderland.

(Dec 16, 2020) Excerpt: Earlier this year, Maker’s Mark launched the “Small Town, Bright Lights” contest, where people across the country were asked to nominate a small town that deserved a once-in-a-lifetime holiday makeover as a reward for its remarkable character in 2020. Out of hundreds of responses, they chose Ripley, Tennessee — a rural community in West Tennessee that came together to save their local hospital, which was on the brink of shutting down before the pandemic began.
Ripley’s prize isn’t your average holiday light display. The town (which was nominated by Ripley native and current Ripley Mayor Craig Fitzhugh) was decked out by Maker's Mark’s team of holiday lighting experts and window display artists, who transformed the streets into a full winter showcase. The display is certainly social-media worthy, complete with brilliant lights, festive window displays, a synchronized music and light show, and a magnificent tree. Mayor Fitzhugh even
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, September 28, 2025

3. Ripley City Hall
The marker is mounted near the center of the front facade.
helped illuminate the town square in a blanket of holiday lights as he pushed down on a barrel shaped “plunger” that switched on the bulbs for the very first time. While he did so, he thanked Maker’s Mark for recognizing Ripley as the most remarkable town in America as the socially distant (but united!) townspeople took it all in.
Even before 2020, rural hospitals were seriously struggling. In fact, 120 rural hospitals closed in the last decade, creating a health crisis for those communities. That was nearly the case for Lauderdale Community Hospital in Ripley, which filed for bankruptcy in March — right when the COVID-19 pandemic began to ramp up around the country. The community came together to keep the doors open after a scheduled bankruptcy auction was canceled. Then, the hospital started raising money itself to feed the community’s elderly and shut down nonurgent services to focus on helping COVID-19 patients in bigger cities like Memphis, Tennessee. After a year like this one, taking a moment to celebrate that community spirit is what the Maker’s Mark “Small Town, Bright Lights” campaign is all about.

(Submitted on November 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 49 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.