Tullahoma, Tennessee: An Important Town You May Have Never Heard Of ~ by Michelle Shocklee

Unless you're from Tennessee, you may have never heard of a small town an hour south of Nashville called Tullahoma. I sure hadn't. Unbeknownst to me, Tullahoma played a significant role during World War II as well as the Civil War. The town today is charming and the people friendly, and it just so happens to be the setting of my new novel, All We Thoughts We Knew. Let me take you on a journey to Middle Tennessee and visit this little town that became an important stop during two wars.

Nashville & Chattanooga passenger depot, Tullahoma, TN 

The area where Tullahoma is located was occupied by various Native American people. Streams, waterfalls, and plentiful wildlife made it an ideal place to live. After Tennessee obtained statehood in 1796, white settlers began to migrate to the area. 

In the early 1850s, a railroad camp was created for men employed by the Nashville & Chattanooga railroad company. A brand new rail line was being built that would connect Nashville to middle Tennessee. It isn't unreasonable to say that the railroad created Tullahoma. The town was chartered in 1852 and continued to grow. The earliest settlement was by farmers from Virginia and North Carolina. Using slave labor, they developed plantations for tobacco and hemp.

By Hal Jespersen at en.wikipedia - Own work by Hal Jespersen
based on File:Braxton Bragg.jpg & File:GenWmSRosecrans.jpg.

When the Civil War began in April 1861, Company B, 1st Regiment of Tennessee Volunteers, was formed in Tullahoma. It joined General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. In 1863, Tullahoma served as the headquarters for the Confederate Army of Tennessee. The selection of Tullahoma as a headquarters by Confederate General Braxton Bragg has been much criticized by military historians. Although the location was strategic with regard to the road and rail network, it had no strong natural defenses. Bragg did little to fortify it while his forces occupied the area--a mistake he would regret. From June 24 to July 3, 1863, the Union Army, led by Maj. Gen. William Rosecans, began an operation now known as the Tullahoma campaign, effectively forcing the Confederates to abandon Tullahoma. It would remain under Union control throughout the war. 

Cline Photo Co., Chattanooga. Tenn. "Tichnor Quality Views," Reg. U. S. Pat. Off. Made Only by Tichnor Bros., Inc., Boston, Mass. -
Boston Public Library Tichnor Brothers collection #69994, Public Domain, 

In the late 1930s and early 40s, with fighting erupting all over Europe, the US military quietly began to prepare for war. Despite many Americans who strongly believed we should stay out of the fight, President Roosevelt and military leaders wisely realized that wasn't realistic. Tullahoma, a town of about 4,500 people in 1940, would become home to one of the largest military installations -- Camp Forrest -- eventually causing the town's population to swell to 75,000 by the end of the war. I'll share more details about Camp Forrest next month, but suffice it to say the camp was instrumental in training troops as well as caring for the wounded throughout the war. One of the most fascinating facts I learned about it, however, is that German POWs and German Enemy Aliens were housed there throughout the war. 

So that's the story of little ol' Tullahoma, Tennessee. With my new book set there, I've spent a lot of time in this quaint town recently. After the war ended, the population shrunk, and it's now home to about 20,000 people. If you're ever in the area, I encourage you to stop for a visit. 

 

Your turn: Is there a town in your area that played an important role in history, yet most people are unaware of it?

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

Releases October 1, 2024

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

Click HERE for Preorder information!

Tullahoma, Tennessee: How a Railroad Workcamp Became a Town ~ by Michelle Shocklee

It's cool how research for one novel leads to the development of another novel. As an author of historical fiction, I often say research breathes life into my books. I spend a LOT of time reading history books, biographies, and online articles on topics related to the story long before I write the first words of Chapter One. Only a small portion of what I read actually makes it into the book, but sometimes an unused nugget turns into a vast mine of great ideas! 

When I was doing the research for my novel Count the Nights by Stars, I needed to know about the Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis railroad, the oldest railroad in Tennessee. Not only did the characters ride the train several times, but Pricilla's father was a railroad executive, making it necessary for me to get my facts right. (I blogged about the NC&StL here.)

That research introduced me to the town of Tullahoma, Tennessee. 

And that introduction led me to eventually write All We Thought We Knew, my new book that will release in October 2024!

Like many towns across America, Tullahoma probably would not exist if it hadn't been for the railroad. In the 1840s, Tennessee was growing. In order to connect Nashville with towns spread across the state, a railroad was created--the Nashville & Chattanooga. Miles and miles of track were needed, which in turn required hundreds and hundreds of workers.   

1903 Railroad map showing Nashville and Tullahoma, Tennessee

Life in a Railroad Camp

Laying track and living in and among the railroad construction camps was often very difficult. Railroad construction crews were not only subjected to extreme weather conditions, they had to lay tracks across and through many natural geographical features, including rivers, canyons, mountains, and desert. Like other large economic opportunity situations in the expanding nation, the railroad construction camps attracted all types of characters, almost all of whom were looking for ways to turn a quick profit, legally or illegally. Life in the camps was often very crude and rough.

One such camp was located in present day Tullahoma in 1852. A man named Peter Decherd donated the land for the railroad right-of-way and named one station Decherd, after himself, and the other as Tulkahoma. It was later changed to Tullahoma after Decherd's favorite horse, which had been named for a Choctaw chief captured by Decherd's grandfather. The word Tullahoma means "red rock."

Life in Tullahoma

In 1863, Tullahoma served as the headquarters for the Confederate Army of Tennessee. That year the Union Army undertook the Tullahoma Campaign, defeating Confederate forces and taking control of Middle Tennessee. Federal troops occupied this area for the duration of the war. As a result of the campaign, Union forces also captured Chattanooga.

After the war, Tullahoma recovered slowly but began to prosper due to the railroad. In 1939, US 41A was built, making it easier to travel from Tullahoma to Nashville. During World War II, Tullahoma was chosen as the site for a large military installation. That installation, Camp Forrest, is the setting for my novel. (I'll blog about Camp Forrest and its fascinating history in October!) After the war, the Arnold Engineering Development Complex replaced Camp Forrest and became a major development and test center for the Air Force, as well as NASA.

Today, Tullahoma is a quaint but growing community. Here are some pics I took of the town from a recent research trip. 

Your turn: Are there any communities in your area that began as a railroad camp? Have you ever considered how many towns might not exist if the railroad hadn't gone through that area? 

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including Count the Nights by Stars, winner of the Christianity Today Book Award, and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy Awards and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been included in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. Married to her college sweetheart and the mother of two sons and mother-in-law to two beautiful daughters, she makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the historical sites she writes about. Visit her online  at www.MichelleShocklee.com

ALL WE THOUGHT WE KNEW

Releases October 1, 2024

1942
Ava must put her life back together after her husband is killed at Pearl Harbor. A job at Camp Forrest provides income, but it also puts her in contact with Enemy Aliens interned on the military installation. Can she trust the German medical student whose friendship means more to her than it should?

1969
Mattie ran away from the pain when her brother was killed in Vietnam. Now she’s back in Tullahoma facing another devastating loss. Yet it is the bundle of WWII letters Mama insists she reads that makes her question everything she thought she knew about herself.

Click HERE for Preorder information!