Another Google search for Overall Hotel in Wartrace, TN yielded this website which shows excerpts on page 301 and 302 from a book entitled "Duck River Tour". The interesting part of this reading is the brief history of Wartrace, TN and of the Overall Hotel built and run by Jesse Robert and Nora Overall and their family, which included my grandfather, Jesse Robert Overall, Jr. ("Poppy"). This hotel was later purchased by Richard Carothers, who changed the name to the Walking Horse Hotel during the time when local horse breeders started having "walking horse shows" in Wartrace and later in nearby Shelbyville, where the "world champion" walking horse celebration has been held for many years. The actual excerpt from the book reads as follows:
Andrew Jackson supposedly gave the town (Wartrace) it's unusual name. An old Indian war trail came through here. Jackson, who owned land nearby, carved these words into a beech tree by the creek: "This is Wartrail Creek". By the time the railroad was build, the name of the creek had been corrupted to Wartrace, and the railroad gave that name to its depot in 1851.
The most prominent building along the railroad tracks is the Walking Horse Hotel, built in 1917. Jesse Robert Overall and his wife, Nora, operated a hotel called the Overall House at Smyrna in adjoining Rutherford County. The Overalls heard reports from salesmen and other travelers that Wartrace had no hotel, a significant omission in those days, so they built Hotel Overall in 1917. Floyd and Olive Carothers bought the place around 1930 and changed the name to Floyd's Walking Horse Hotel. It is recognized as the "birthplace of the Walking Horse".
If you explore this matter further on the internet, you'll learn that the hotel has since had several owners and is a historic site that is still very prominent in the town of Wartrace. The current owner, Joe Peters, is a very successful musician who did a lot of improvements around 1997 and now features live music, excellent food, and 5 hotel rooms for those who wish to stay overnight. The owner and his own band play there, along with a wide variety of other talented groups. Check them out on the internet at http://www.walkinghorsehotel.com/
In Years past, I have enjoyed visits and overnight stays at this historic hotel with my parents, my grandmother, and other family members. Besides the obvious sentimental family history that we have with the original owners, we also enjoyed the walking horse decorations and pictures throughout the building, the "WHOA" stop sign that was mounted on the road in front, and the peaceful visit to historic Wartrace, TN. It's only a short drive from Shelbyville, TN, so please take the opportunity to visit if you're "in the neighborhood".
John Fox Wheatley III / March 26, 2010
No comments:
Post a Comment