AN INTERVIEW WITH DOCTOR R. W. BOULDIN....SEPTEMBER, 2007
Dr. Bouldin's father ran a stave mill in Lewis county in 1899-1902. Mr. Hubert Peery, father of Dr. Cloyd Peery was working for the Warren-T company selling aspirin, etc. and suggested that Dr. Roger talk with Dr. Plummer, as he was nearing retirement age, about purchasing his dental practice. They met, agreed on a price and Dr. R. W. Bouldin began his dental career in Hohenwald. He practiced above the First National Bank for six years and then purchased the building where he retired. He was instrumental in Attorney Bill Keaton and wife moving to Lewis County.
Dr. Bouldin,s practice was in the front and Attorney Keaton in the back half of the upstairs office. The tooth grinder was foot powered being the same kind that Dr. Bouldin had used all through South and Central America for four years. The cabinet used for dental equipment was purchased and donated to the Dental Museum in Nashville. Dr. Bouldin was chosen as Museum Curator for the 100th anniversary. The dental chair was a 1885 Harvard chair. The building that he moved to was a former undertaker's parlor with casket storage in the back.
"I have never regretted moving to Lewis County", "I found out exactly where I ought to be." This was among his first statements and the next was near the end of the interview, "Dr. Bouldin, how do you want to be remembered?" His thoughtful reply, "a good dentist" and "I would like to be remembered as a Christian Gentleman."
Special professional memories. I was up over the first national bank. I was there six years before I purchased my first building for a cost of $6000.00. Since the
building was a prior funeral home, folk would come asking to see the body and his reply was, "I am the only body here".
Dr. Bouldin helped Clay Beatty build his house near Downey Springs where he lived until his death. Clay worked for Bob Kistler blacksmith shop. Bob often wrote to
the boys who were in the military service. He was a member of Organized Dentistry, a professional organization, as was his father. He was Vice President of the TN
dentistry association at one time and very active.
He recalls numerous blacksmiths, later called farriers, and stated that when he arrived here, there were no livery stables. The livery stables were primarily for travel
where the train left off. There was a spoke factory here where wagon wheels were made. It was near the old Shell bulk station and near the ice plant.
The train stopped at Kimmins first then, Hohenwald, and finally Allen's creek. The train turned around at a Y at Allen's creek rather than a turn table. There is still a Y turnaround at Hohenwald. The train brought coal black to Lewis Products to make rubber and most everything else before the beginning of a local truck company. At one time there two passenger coaches which were finally removed due to lack of passengers. He stated that he is amazed that the train is still here but is due to efforts of a few local folk.
Electricity was already here. One fellow, when asked if he liked the new electricity stated he didn't know if he liked electricity or not because there was so much light
he could now see any flies which were in the butter.
The phone operators knew everyone in town by the phone number. Operators pretty well knew where everyone was and would tell the customer there was no need
to call Dr. Bouldin or others because their whereabouts were know. Women calling to talk with their business owner husband would be told that there was no need to ring him because she, the operator, had seen him on his way home.
Doctors that he remembered most were Dr. Boyce and Dr. Powers. When asked about Dr. Springer he told me that he was the father of Mr. Buddy Marbets wife
and that he had the first car in Hohenwald. I asked about him because I live in the Springer community. It, the school and now church are named for him because
he owned property there.
Dr. Boyce would give any general anesthetic that Dr. Bouldin needed for tooth extractions, etc. Dr. Boyce used Chloroform, which was dangerous but the patient
would have a fast recovery rather than an all day recovery. Dr. Boyce was very knowledgeable and a very good doctor.
Some of the first teeth pulled brought in $1 and later was raised to $2 due to the addition of xray. When he quit he was charging $12 for a single tooth which
included an xray. He saved all the teeth he pulled plus those he could get from Dr. Peery. He eventually had 40-50 thousand and sold all of them. Who ever would want to buy teeth, I asked? Different folk with different reasons. He thinks some were eventually made into jewelry. I am sure some just wanted the novelty of having a quart jar filled with boiled and disinfected teeth.
He served four years and four months in the army as a dentist. He felt his talents were limited and that dentistry was his calling. His wife, Sue, said she believed he would have made a great college history professor.
In 1900 his grandfather came from Dickson and constructed a stave mill, making staves for whiskey barrels. His current next door neighbor is Mrs. Lillian Keaton, now 95 years old. Their family association goes back a long long way, including Kimmins with many tales in his memory.
I asked what the name of the spring branch running parallel to the Allen's Creek road was called and he believes it was called Allen's Creek.
Dr. Bouldins father would set up dental practice for three days at Allens creek. He didn't stop at Hohenwald because all the action was at Allens Creek. All those
hills at Allen's Creek were covered with houses when Dr. Bouldin's father practiced there. Most of the houses were owned by the mining co. His wife Sue lived at Riverside close by the Potts home at Texas Bottom. Her father, Charlie Anderson, lived on what is now the Crofton place. She recalls a large grist mill and blacksmith shop behind the Patton store. L. P. Griffins wife's family lived across the road from the store and shop and worked for the Mann family.
A note about this photo: One day Clay walked to town as he did most of the time. This time he was looking for yours truly. He had grappled this 99 pound catfish and wanted me to make a picture of it. He and I drove back to his house and I began looking for the fish. We walked out to a small stream and I still didn't see the fish. He began removing large leaves, cottonwood I believe, and there half submerged in the spring water was this trophy. He and I hung the fish and this photo is the result.
There are many ways to grapple a fish but his way was to reach his hand and arm under the surface of the water and into holes in the river bank, feeling for his catch and using his hand for bait.
Some of Dr. Bouldins best memories include Clay Beatty. "He was my boat paddler." He accompanied Dr. Bouldin and wife Sue on numerous fishing trips covering most of the fishing spots of the county. Clay, among other jobs, was a blacksmith behind Kistlers house and prior to that, a blacksmith at Allen's creek.
Note: This article will receive some refining and updating. Just wanted to get it on the site in it's beginning stages.