Bartlett

Robert W. Dye

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2010
• Print ISBN: 9780738566733
• eBook ISBN: 9781439622476
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Situated in the geographical center of Shelby County, Bartlett is one of the fastest growing communities in the metro Memphis area. Originally known as Union Depot, Bartlett was chartered in 1866 and was renamed in honor of Gabrial Maston Bartlett. Settlers such as Nicholas Gotten, Samuel Bond, John Blackwell, and Gabrial Bartlett helped to lay the foundation for the city so many call home today. From its early farming days through the Civil War and yellow fever, Bartlett has continued to grow and prosper. Voted the best sports town in Tennessee by Sports Illustrated, Bartlett has seen tremendous growth in recent years, yet it has kept the warmth and feel of a small town.

Five

SCHOOLS

In Bartlett, as in many small towns, the high school played a very important part in the community. Many parents who never attended school themselves could, for the first time, send their children to school. In 1858, Prof. John Rousseau and his wife, Anna, moved to Bartlett, then known as Union Depot, and set up the first organized school in the town. Located on Stage Road near Alfaree Street, the boarding school operated until 1871, when the land and home were sold. Another of the first schools in Bartlett was taught by Rev. John Shelton from 1860 until just after the Civil War. The school was located on Sycamore View Road, then known as Brownsville Road. In 1885, the Bartlett Training Institute was opened with John and George Neuhardt as instructors. The school was held in the Bartlett Courthouse, which was vacant due to the district courts moving out of Bartlett in 1885.

In 1908, additional money was granted to Bartlett for the purchase of a horse-drawn wagonette to transport the students. The same year, Dr. Nicholas Blackwell, who had donated the land for the original courthouse, deeded the property and courthouse to the school. In 1917, his daughter, Willie Bugg Blackwell Miller, donated additional land west of the courthouse for the construction of a new building to be named Nicholas Blackwell High School. The new school had 100 students and seven teachers. Dora Gholson had served as principal of the Bartlett Courthouse School and remained in this position at the new school until 1922, when John H. George took over. In 1905, the Shelby County Industrial and Training School was built at the corner of Memphis-Arlington and Alturia Roads. The county-sponsored home was built to house boys who had no supportive family. They spent half their day in school and half working the agricultural fields surrounding the school. One of the superintendents was Thomas P. Westendorf, who before coming to Bartlett wrote and published many songs, including “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen,” which was later covered by Elvis Presley. Ellendale School operated from the late 1800s until 1918 for children in the Ellendale area. In 1918, a new school was built on Third Street, and it operated until 1976. This building is today the Singleton Community Center. With Bartlett’s rapid growth in the 1980s, many new schools have been built, including Oak Elementary, Appling Middle School, and Kate Bond Elementary. St. Ann School was established in 1960 and was the first Catholic School in the Bartlett area.

As Shelby County grew after the Civil War, citizens found the need for a circuit courthouse that was more centrally located. Bartlett was chosen, as it was near the center of the county. In 1870, James Oglesby built the Bartlett Courthouse, which cost $12,449. The courthouse operated from 1870 until 1885, when the courts were moved back to Memphis. After the courts lef...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - EARLY HISTORY
• Two - PEOPLE
• Three - HOUSES
• Four - CHURCHES
• Five - SCHOOLS
• TIMELINE