McMinnville, Tennessee

McMinnville is the largest city in and the county seat of Warren County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 13,788 at the 2020 census. It was named after Governor Joseph McMinn.

Geography

McMinnville is located at 35°41′12″N 85°46′46″W (35.686708, −85.779309), approximately 35 miles (56 km) south of Cookeville and 70 miles (110 km) northwest of Chattanooga.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.0 square miles (26 km2), all land. McMinnville lies at an elevation of 968 feet (295 m), as it sits along the Eastern Highland Rim near the base of the Cumberland Plateau. The city is drained primarily by the Barren Fork, a tributary of the Collins River.

Arts & culture

The Grand Reopening of the New Park Theater was May, 16th 2015. Located on West Main Street, this 2 million dollar facility was restored to its original beauty and is now the home of concerts, plays, and movies. Multiple shows go on every year. Dream Reality Group performs there, as does Warren Arts Community Theatre.

The city hosts a number of annual and frequent events. The non-profit downtown revitalization organization Main Street McMinnville hosts "Main Street LIVE!", a summer concert series that is held in June and July. In Autumn, the Chamber of Commerce hosts the Autumn Street Fair on one day in October. It features crafts, food, live music, and other activities in downtown McMinnville. Throughout spring, summer and winter the city hosts the Warren County Farmers Market.

The city also has an annual County A+L Fair. The event has regular rides and food booths, but also has local activities and food. Plenty of companies and non-profits set up food stands to advertise and raise money/awareness. In addition, there is a large seating area/stadium where there is a beauty pageant and music.

Falcon Rest, built in 1896, once served as the home of entrepreneur Clay Faulkner and his family. A large 10,000 square feet (900 m2), at the time of its completion it featured electric lights, indoor plumbing and central heat. PBS described the home as "Tennessee's Biltmore" due to its innovations and grandeur. In the 1940s the home was made into a hospital and nursing home and was eventually renamed Faulkner Springs Hospital. In 1989 George McGlothin bought the house and renovated it to its former 1896 appearance. In 1992 the house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The renovations earned the house the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Great American Home Award in 1997. The house is open to the public for tours, shopping, dining, and special events. It also claims to be the home to a "friendly ghost". The Black House is the oldest remaining residence in the city. Built in 1825 by Jesse Coffee, it was one of the first in the area to have a brick exterior. Its current name stems from former occupant Dr. Thomas Black and his family. Dr. Black was a Confederate surgeon during the Civil War and purchased the home following the war. Dr. Black practiced medicine at the house. In the 1980s it was deeded to his relative, Jean Leonard, who worked with the Eagle Club to begin restoration on the house. The house serves as a museum and provides tours to the public. In 1983 the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Economy

The McMinnville area includes over 50 business and manufacturing plants and over 450 nurseries. The nursery business generates over $300 million in revenue and has given the area the title of "Nursery Capital of the World". The city's industrial needs are served by the Caney Fork and Western Railroad.

McMinnville, like many smaller American cities and towns, has gone through a revitalization of its downtown area. "Main Street McMinnville" serves as the city's non-profit revitalization organization funded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Tennessee's own Main Street Program.

Parks & recreation

McMinnville serves as home to Cumberland Caverns and Court Square Park. Cumberland Caverns is the largest show cave in the state. At a total of 27.7 miles of cave, Cumberland Caverns formerly held the title of the second largest cave in the United States. A notable feature of the caverns is the "Volcano Room", which is large enough to hold 900 people and features a chandelier from the former Loews Metropolitan Theater of New York City. The McMinnville Parks and Recreation Department manages five city parks, the McMinnville Farmers Market, the Barren Fork Greenway, a playground, and local sports leagues. The parks department also manages the McMinnville Civic Center, which serves as a community center for sports and special events.

Notable people

Charles Faulkner Bryan, music composer, musician and musicologist of folk music was born on July 29, 1911, in McMinnville. He would eventually leave to attend the Nashville Conservatory of Music.

Duke Droese, wrestler, "Duke the Dumpster"

Asa Faulkner, owner of mills, member of the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1865 to 1866 and the Tennessee Senate from 1869 to 1871; built Falconhurst.

Benjamin J. Hill was a Confederate States Army brigadier general during the American Civil War. Before the war, he was a merchant and served in the Tennessee Senate. After the war, he was a merchant, lawyer and president of the McMinnville and Manchester Railroad.

Uncle Dave Macon, Country music legend born just outside McMinnville. Macon would go on to move to Nashville in 1884. A memorial at the Warren County Courthouse memorializes his birth and is built of brick from the home of his birth.

David R. Ray, Posthumous Medal of Honor recipient was born in McMinnville in 1945.

Sophia Foster Richardson (1855–1916), mathematician at Vassar College.

Carl Rowan, United States government official, journalist and author was raised in McMinnville and attended Bernard School. Born in Ravenscroft in 1925, he worked in the nurseries of McMinnville, hoeing bulbs as a teenager for $.10 per hour.