I find it interesting how I remember a comment or statement made by someone many years ago.
I may forget almost everything about an event, but there is usually something that stuck in my head that was said.
For example, I remember during one of my many conversations with the late W.H. Westbrooks, former Murfreesboro mayor, something he mentioned about his grandfather.
According to Mayor Westbrooks, his grandfather could not understand why people wanted to cluster together in a city environment. The grandfather’s famous take on the subject was, “When you see the smoke rising from your neighbor’s chimney, it’s time to move.”
I remember the mayor chuckling as he reminisced about his grandfather and other musings about life in Rutherford County.
He and I spent many hours sitting in the shade at Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village where he shared stories about Murfreesboro politics and the birth of his pet project, Cannonsburgh Village.
Conceived as a Bicentennial project, Cannonsburgh has many interesting components: a gristmill, one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, museum, general store, a little country church with beautiful stained glass windows and a pump organ, Town Hall, a log home and a large collection of antique farm equipment.
Several thousand visitors tour the facility each year. It is also home to Uncle Dave Macon Days, which attracts approximately 50,000 bluegrass music fans along with arts and craft shoppers.
Mayor Westbrooks got a kick out of telling about one embarrassing moment when he was speaking in public about Old Fort Parkway.
He even blushed a little when recalling how he put an “A” instead of an “O” in the word Fort. While I was not present when the blunder was originally made, I can only image the chagrin Mayor Westbrooks felt at the time.
Now, let’s go back to Cannonsburgh Pioneer Village.
He told about the little house with the switchboard. I think that it was originally in Rockvale.
The mayor said that in the early days of telephone service, the switchboard operator had the facility in her home, and was available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A caller would use the hand crank on the telephone to reach the operator. She in turn would connect the person to the requested party.
Mayor Westbrooks remembered how he once called the operator and asked to be connected.
She said, “Oh, they are not at home. I saw them pass earlier headed to Murfreesboro.”
The switchboard operator was a source of local news — and maybe even a little more since she was privy to those telephone conversations.
Yes, the mayor enjoyed reminiscing and sharing those stories about the bygone years.
Even though the mayor’s voice has long been silenced, his influence is still with us.
You can see his handprints on many things around town.
Personally, I can almost hear his soft-spoken voice as he mused about smoke rising from a neighbor’s chimney, Old Fort Parkway and the challenge of growing older.
Mayor W.H. Westbrooks will always be a legend. |
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