Historical Markers and War Memorials in Pulaski, Tennessee
Pulaski is the county seat for Giles County
Pulaski is in Giles County
Giles County(73) ► ADJACENT TO GILES COUNTY Lawrence County(61) ► Lincoln County(55) ► Marshall County(32) ► Maury County(124) ► Lauderdale County, Alabama(239) ► Limestone County, Alabama(90) ►
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Near South Rhodes Street north of East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
Tennessee State Senator 1821 - 1825
Tennessee State Representative 1831 - 1833
U.S. Congressman 1839 - 1845
Governor of Tennessee 1845 - 1847
Postmaster General of the United States 1857 - 1859
Born in Brunswick County, Virginia August . . . — — Map (db m151140) HM
On Bodenham Road at Weakly Creek Road, on the right when traveling west on Bodenham Road.
Bodenham Mill
This property is listed in the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the
United States Department of the Interior
Established 1832 — — Map (db m179076) HM
On North 1st Street (Tennessee Route 7) at Mitchell Street, on the right when traveling north on North 1st Street.
Though black public education existed in Giles County by 1869, Bridgeforth was the first black high school. Designed by America's first black architectural firm, McKissack and McKissack, which had local roots, and named for black educator J. T. . . . — — Map (db m81559) HM
Near South Sam Davis Avenue south of East College Street.
Casimir Pulaski was born into a family of minor Polish nobility in Winiary, Poland on March 4, 1747.
His father, Jozef, active in the defense of their native land, joined with others, in 1768 in a insurrection under the motto, “For Faith . . . — — Map (db m151156) HM
Near South Second Street north of West Madison Street, on the right when traveling south.
Giles County natives Donald G. Davidson and John C. Ransom were influential personages in American literature. Professors at Vanderbilt University, they helped found The Fugitive (1922~25), a magazine which launched the "Southern literary . . . — — Map (db m29807) HM
On South Sam Davis Avenue north of Magazine Road, on the right when traveling north.
Dr. William Albert Lewis was raised in the Wales community of Giles County and
attended public school in Pulaski. He graduated from Pulaski High School in only
the second graduating class for Black students in Giles County and upon his
graduation . . . — — Map (db m151148) HM
Edward Eslick, son of Merritt and Martha Abernaty Eslick, was born near Pulaski on April 10, 1872, attended public schools in Pulaski and Bethel College in Russellville, Kentucky. He studied law under William H. McCallum, was admitted to the bar in . . . — — Map (db m75182) HM
Near South Sam Douglas Avenue south of East College Street.
On November 14. 1809, the Tennessee General Assembly passed an Act which brought Giles County, and its County Seat, Pulaski, into being. The new six hundred square
mile county was formed from land ceded to the State in 1805 by treaty with the . . . — — Map (db m168698) HM
On Elkton Highway (U.S. 31) 0.2 miles north of Tarpley Shop Road, on the left when traveling north.
Driving north from Alabama in his bid to cut Sherman's communications, Buford's Division, advance guard of Forrest's Cavalry Corps, met Federal resistance in this area. Pushing forward and extending his line to right and left with Johnson's . . . — — Map (db m96515) HM
On East Grisby Street at Childers Street on East Grisby Street.
During the years following the Civil War, Gabriel Moses McKissack (1840-1923) laid the foundation in Giles County for a family building tradition that included the first black architectural firm in the United States, Nashville's McKissack and . . . — — Map (db m75129) HM
Near South Rhodes Street north of East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
Adams was born on July 1, 1825, in Nashville, Tennessee, of Irish immigrant parents. Having entered the U.S. Military Academy in 1841, he graduated 25th in his class and was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the 1st Dragoons/U.S. Regular Army. He . . . — — Map (db m75178) HM
Near South Rhodes Street north of East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
John Calvin Brown was born on Giles County, Tennessee on January 6, 1827. He was one of nine children born to Duncan and Margaret Brown and the brother of Neill S. Brown, Governor of Tennessee (1847-1849). A graduate of Jackson College in Columbia, . . . — — Map (db m75175) HM
Near South Sam Davis Avenue south of East College Street.
In its colorful history the county of Giles has had six courthouses to serve its citizens. These buildings have included a “log structure with dirt floor,” at Kirk's Settlement, also known as the Shoals on Richland Creek (the 1810 . . . — — Map (db m151157) HM
On South Sam Davis Avenue north of Highland Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
This unique, stylized ironwork once adorned the front of the Giles County-High School, located on West Hill from 1937 until 1961. It covered two windows at the front entrance and along the roof above the gymnasium and auditorium. It, along with . . . — — Map (db m151163) HM
On Stadium Street near East College Street (U.S. 64).
"Long time we travel on way to new land...Womens cry... Children cry and men cry... but they say nothing and just put heads down and keep go towards West. Many days pass and people die very much."
-Recollection of a survivor of the Trail of . . . — — Map (db m29815) HM
On West Shoal Street at South 6th Street, on the right when traveling east on West Shoal Street.
The first courthouse in Giles County, a rough log cabin, stood in Kirk's Settlement near this spot. Court was held here from February 1810 until December 1811. — — Map (db m151133) HM
On West Madison Street west of North 3rd Street, on the right when traveling west.
Built between 1853 and 1860 by Dr. William Batte, this house is a significant example of Greek Revival architecture. As the home of Dr. Elihu Edmondson, it was occupied by Union troops during the Civil War. The house was owned by John C. Brown after . . . — — Map (db m151113) HM
On West Madison Street west of North 3rd Street, on the right when traveling west.
Beginning in the early 1960s, Herbert and Grace Grissom
became associated with Martin Methodist College through
their service to the United Methodist Church. Since that
time they have become two of the most dedicated friends of
the College. For . . . — — Map (db m151130) HM
On West Madison Street west of North 3rd Street, on the right when traveling west.
For well over a century, “Colonial Hall” was a private residence adjacent to the Martin Methodist College campus. Built in 1848 by community leader and physician Dr. William Batte, the mansion later served as the residence for the son of . . . — — Map (db m151115) HM
Near Cleveland Street west of South Sam Davis Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
James M. McCallum was born in Roberson County, North Carolina in 1806. At an early age his family moved to Giles County where he eventually studied law and opened an active practice in Pulaski.
In 1842 McCallum was elected Clerk and Master of the . . . — — Map (db m151142) HM
Near East Cemetery Street at Water Street, on the left when traveling east.
was the announcer for all of the football games for Bridgeforth High School, which was for the black population in Giles County from 1937 until integration in 1965. The sports teams were named the Bridgeforth Blue Devils and played all of their home . . . — — Map (db m201335) HM
On East College Street (U.S. 64) at South Sam Davis Avenue, on the right when traveling east on East College Street.
Born in Nashville, July 1, 1825, he served as an officer of the First Dragoons following graduation from the Military Academy in 1846. Resigning at Secession, he rose to command a brigade in the Confederate Army of Tennessee. He was killed leading . . . — — Map (db m75153) HM
Near Cleveland Street west of South Sam Davis Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
The oldest son of A.M. and Mary Ballentine, John Goff Ballentine was born at his family's residence on South First Street in Pulaski on May 20, 1825. He graduated from Wurtemburg Academy in 1841, from the University of Nashville in 1845 and from . . . — — Map (db m151143) HM
On South Rhodes Street near East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
In 1854, the City Board of Mayor and Aldermen of Pulaski recognized the need for an additional cemetery. The initial purchase of what is now Maplewood Cemetery was approximately seven acres. The first lots were sold in 1855. This original design of . . . — — Map (db m75168) HM
On West College Street (Tennessee Route 166) at South 7th Street on West College Street.
Thomas Martin founded Martin Female College in 1870, to fulfill the wish of his dying daughter for a girls' school in Giles County. Its first president was William K. Jones. Fire destroyed it in 1904. It became coeducational in 1937. The Methodist . . . — — Map (db m29802) HM
Near South Sam Davis Avenue south of East College Street.
The land that was to become Giles County was claimed as hunting lands by both the Chickasaw and Cherokee Nations. The treaties of Hopewell between the U.S.
Government and the Cherokees (1785) and the Chickasaws (1786) established boundaries between . . . — — Map (db m151150) HM
Near South Rhodes Street north of East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
City Recorder of Pulaski
Member, Tennessee State Legislature
Governor of Tennessee 1847 - 1849
United States Minister to Russia 1850 - 1853
Speaker of the Tennessee House of Representatives
A native Giles countian, Neill S. Brown was born . . . — — Map (db m151141) HM
On Stadium Street at South Rhodes Street on Stadium Street.
This sculpture is a small piece of theater, a tableau to engage the spectator in the heartbreak of the Cherokee walking west on the two routes of the Trail of Tears that crossed in Pulaski. Fear, suffering, survival, and resolve are expressed within . . . — — Map (db m81562) HM
On South 1st Street (US 31/SR7) at West Cemetery Street on South 1st Street (US 31/SR7).
Site of the first graveyard in Pulaski. Used for interments from 1817 until 1888. The first pastor of the local Presbyterian Church is buried here along with ten former mayors and other prominent citizens of the time. In 1968 the abandoned graveyard . . . — — Map (db m75152) HM
On South Sam Davis Avenue north of Magazine Road, on the right when traveling north.
Born in Giles County in 1870, J.T. Bridgeforth was educated at A&T State College. In the early 1900's he became interested in securing a county school for black children living outside the city limits of Pulaski and was the prime mover in organizing . . . — — Map (db m151147) HM
Near South Sam Davis Avenue south of East College Street, on the left when traveling south.
The first school in Pulaski/Giles County was chartered by the State of Tennessee on November 23, 1809, just nine days after the passage of the legislation establishing the county. Chartered as the Pulaski Academy, the designated trustees were . . . — — Map (db m151162) HM
On East Grigsby Street (Alternate Route 31) east of North 1st Street (U.S. 31), on the right when traveling east.
This marker is one of four which laid out one square mile (640 acres=one section) in 1841. A land grant was issued in 1809 and 1813 to the City of Pulaski and the County of Giles by James Madison, President of the United States. — — Map (db m151109) HM
On South Sam Davis Avenue south of Cleveland Street, on the right when traveling south.
This marker is one of four which laid out one square mile (640 acres=one section) in 1841. A land grant was issued in 1809 and 1813 to the City of Pulaski and the County of Giles by James Madison, President of the United States. — — Map (db m151145) HM
This District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 by United States Department of Interior. The Square was laid out in 1811 by the original County Commissioners. Buildings date from 1867 and reflect the Victorian Style of . . . — — Map (db m29806) HM
On Madison Street, on the right when traveling west.
(Front):
Born Oct. 6, 1842 Near Smyrna, Rutherford County Tennessee.
Though a Confederate Soldier in the line of duty, he was executed as a spy by the Federals at Pulaski, Nov. 27, 1863.
"Let come what must, I keep my Trust." Sam . . . — — Map (db m81563) HM
On S. Sam Davis Avenue at Highland Avenue, on the left when traveling north on S. Sam Davis Avenue.
Tracing the original eastern city boundary and the Congressional Reservation Line once dividing white and Indian territory, Sam Davis Avenue is named for a Confederate hero hanged by Federals on this hill in 1863. The Historical District, placed on . . . — — Map (db m87123) HM
On South Sam Davis Avenue south of Cleveland Street, on the right when traveling south.
Sam Davis was born on October 6, 1842 in Smyrna, Tennessee, attended Nashville's Western Military Academy and, like many other young men, left school to join the Confederate Army in 1861. He served as a private in Company I for the 1st Tennessee . . . — — Map (db m151144) HM
On Columbia Highway (U.S. 31) south of Mc Carey Road, on the right when traveling south.
Major General Schofield, with the IV Corps, to which were attached the XXIII Corps (Stanley) and Hatch's Cavalry Division, started north from this area toward Columbia, to avoid being outflanked by the Army of Tennessee (Hood), advancing from the . . . — — Map (db m151164) HM
On Elkton Highway (U.S. 31) 0.2 miles north of Bunker Hill Road, on the left when traveling north.
Died in the performance of a faithful service.
On the morning of September 27, 1864, the Seventh Kentucky Mounted Infantry, Forrest's Cavalry, Confederate States Army, engaged the enemy on this field, and the following is a list of it's . . . — — Map (db m69732) HM WM
On West College Street (U.S. 64) at South 1st Street (U.S. 31), on the right when traveling east on West College Street.
This district, including South First, South Second and South Third Streets, was placed on the National Register of Historic places by the United States Department of Interior. The streets were laid out on the original town plat. Houses date from . . . — — Map (db m29804) HM
On Stadium Street near East College Street (U.S. 64).
Bell's Route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears in Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma, 1838-1839 Overview
The detachment headed by John Bell differed from the parties under Cherokee Chief John Ross's supervision. Bell's detachment was composed of . . . — — Map (db m29811) HM
John Benge's Route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears in Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma, 1838-1839
John Benge led one detachment of approximately 1100 Cherokee with 60 wagons and 600 horses that left from Alabama on . . . — — Map (db m29812) HM
On West Cemetery Street at South 3rd Street, on the left when traveling west on West Cemetery Street.
Two Cherokee Detachments traveling on the Trail of Tears crossed Richland Creek in Pulaski just two weeks apart in the autumn of 1838. John
Benge led one group of nearly 1100 Cherokee with 60 wagons and 600 horses through Pulaski, possibly on . . . — — Map (db m151136) HM
The Trail of Tears Interpretive Center Popularly known as the Rock Church, this beautiful chapel of Gothic architectural design was constructed by native limestone and was dedicated as the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church on August 10, 1941. A . . . — — Map (db m29810) HM
On North 2nd Street north of West Madison Street, on the right when traveling north.
This well, hand dug by the city in 1847, was the main water supply for the square until a public water system was installed in 1892. — — Map (db m151111) HM
Near South Rhodes Street just north of East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
Thomas Martin epitomized what is meant by “Good Citizen.” With others of his time, Martin was recognized for energy, perseverance, integrity, liberality and enlarged views of public policy. He left an impression for good on each . . . — — Map (db m151139) HM
Near South Rhodes Street north of East Cemetery Street, on the right when traveling north.
Thomas Jones was born in Peron County, North Carolina on December 12, 1816 and moved to Giles County with his family in 1817. Jones received his early education at Wurtemburg Academy and studied at the University of Alabama and University of . . . — — Map (db m75174) HM
On East College Street at S. Rhodes Street on East College Street.
The 1830 Indian Removal Act mandated the removal of all American Indian Tribes East of the Mississippi River to lands in the West. Pulaski, Tennessee is where the Bell and Benge routes crossed in 1838. Benge's route left Fort Payne, AL on September . . . — — Map (db m81601) HM
On South Sam Davis Avenue south of Cleveland Street, on the right when traveling south.
The Union Army's utilization of freed slaves as soldiers in southern middle Tennessee and north Alabama began in earnest in late 1863 with the recruitment of 300 black men for the 17th United States Colored Infantry. By February of 1864 over 7,500 . . . — — Map (db m151146) HM
On West College Street (U.S. 64) at South 1st Street (U.S. 31) on West College Street.
Born in Pulaski, in 1891, Walter Herschel Beech was an aviation pioneer. In 1924 he helped to establish the Travel Air Manufacturing Company in Wichita, Kansas. By 1929 the company was the world's largest producer of commercial aircraft. In 1932, . . . — — Map (db m29803) HM
