Charles Head


Latest Articles:

South Pittsburg 150th Celebration – History of the City

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is David Head and like most of you, I was born and raised here in South Pittsburg and will likely take my last breath here. I love this little town. Its beauty draws me back no matter what part of the country that I find myself in. South Pittsburg is my home. My remarks here... READ MORE >

Marion County History: SAMUEL TATE ANDERSON

There was a time, a few decades back, that if one needed a prescription filled he had the choice of four drugstores on main street in South Pittsburg in which to do so. Cedar Avenue, the business district of town was a busy place then, especially on Friday afternoons and Saturday when folks came to town to do their shopping.... READ MORE >

Advertising Pens and Pencils

Wooden lead pencils have been around for hundreds of years. Ink pens evolved from those much later. Pencils began being produced in the United States in the 1830s. One-hundred years later, it had become the norm to use them as an advertising medium. Here in Marion County, pencils, as well as ink pens, were used to advertise a particular product... READ MORE >

The Glancy Sherman Mansion

Glancy Sherman was born on Oct. 10, 1862 and came to the town of Sequatchie in 1889 from Lundy’s Layne, Pennsylvania. He helped develop the town’s water system, built the Sequatchie Supply Store in 1890, and started the Sequatchie Handle Works in 1899. He also bought up a considerable amount of farmland along the Little Sequatchie River and several thousand... READ MORE >

A Look at Monteagle Through Old Post Cards

Monteagle is not the oldest town in Marion County but is unique in other ways as it is spread out into three counties; Grundy, Marion, and Franklin. Some 64.9% of the town’s residents live in Grundy County, 34.6%  in Marion County, and 0.5% reside in Franklin County. Long famous for its coal mines, Wonder Cave, and Highlander Folk School, today... READ MORE >

Howard Graham Swafford

There have been many prominent families in Marion County. Some made their living in the cement business, others made cast iron stoves, some made it big in the lumber and hardware trade, one family even became famous for making skillets. Not everyone gained wealth in industry, some maintained restaurants and hotels, a select few became doctors and funeral directors. One... READ MORE >

An Early History of the South Pittsburg Army National Guard Pt 1

The South Pittsburg Army National Guard can trace its early roots back to July 1942. That is when Company “L”, 6th Infantry Regiment of the Tennessee State Guard was organized through the efforts of Judge A. S. Kelly and C. A. Duggar, assisted by numerous others. The company was sworn in on July 3,1942 by Col. Kenneth Whitaker Commander of... READ MORE >

A House Divided

St. Mark 3:25  “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” The Holy Bible is the most read book in all of history and certainly all of the participants leading up to, and who actively participated in, South Pittsburg’s tragic Christmas Day shooting in 1927 had read the Bible verse in St. Mark, or had heard... READ MORE >

Looking back in the South Pittsburg Hustler

  Area girders at University of the South. Pictured above is Horace Moore, former Grundy County High School coach and now assistant at Sewanee, with area football players of the 1966 Tigers. In front are three South Pittsburg boys, from left, Rusty Adcock, Jim Beene, and Joe Barker. Standing with Coach Moore are Curtis Smith of Dunlap, Ernest Kirk of Jasper, Joe Guess... READ MORE >

The Murder of Louise Holmes, Part 3

It just so happened that Marion County Deputy Sheriff Arthur Smith was sitting in his patrol car on main street in South Pittsburg when South Pittsburg’s Chief of Police, Jeff Mayfield, received the call from Ray Miller about the assault of Mrs. Holmes and her son at Nickajack Cave. Knowing that the crime occurred outside of his jurisdiction, Chief Mayfield hurried to Deputy Smith and requested that he accompany him to the crime scene. Together, they... READ MORE >