Forbus, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Forbus Historic District
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Forbus General Store
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 Location in Tennessee
Location in the United States
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| Location | TN 28 E of Davidson, Forbus, Tennessee |
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| MPS | Fentress County MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000821 |
| Added to NRHP | July 3, 1991 |
Forbus is a small community in Fentress County, Tennessee. It's known as a "crossroads community" because it grew up where important roads met. Forbus is special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's an historic district called the Forbus Historic District. In 1991, the district included an old general store, a house, and some other small buildings.
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Discovering Forbus: A Historic Place
Forbus is an interesting place with a rich past. It's located along U.S. Route 127 in the beautiful state of Tennessee. Being on the National Register of Historic Places helps protect its unique history.
Early Days of Forbus
Long ago, Forbus had different names like Blue Rock and Gatewood. In the mid-1800s, there was even a school here called the Van Buren Institute. People started mining coal in the area during the 1800s.
Forbus in the 20th Century
In the early 1900s, the community's main jobs were lumbering (cutting down trees), mining for a mineral called barite, and farming. By the 1930s, Forbus was a busy place. It had a school for younger kids with 84 students and three teachers. There was also a high school, a weekly newspaper, and two churches.
The Famous Forbus General Store
The Forbus General Store is a very important part of the community's history. It was built in 1892 by a man named W. M. Johnson. He ran the store for many years, until 1941.
What the Store Was Like
The general store was once much bigger than it is today. It had a special mill powered by natural gas to grind grain. There was also a place for a blacksmith to work and several buildings to store grain. Today, only the main store building remains.
Buying and Selling at the Store
The Forbus General Store was a central hub for the community. Local people would sell their farm produce and animal furs to the store. At one point, the store even had a deal to send local apples to a company in Pennsylvania that made brandy. In return, the store sold many different items. You could buy tools, clothes, fertilizer for farms, animal feed, school books, guns, furniture, and even caskets.
A Community Meeting Place
The top floor of the store was used for meetings by a group called the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. This shows how important the store was as a gathering place for the community. The Forbus post office also operated out of the store until 1965. Later, in 1972, it joined with the post office in Pall Mall.
