KIMMINS


This article will be brief because much of it will be a condensed version of the history of Kimmins being written by Patsy Hinson.  If she decides to share photos and details we will be happy to include them but understand that only portions of her exhaustive and very interesting work has been completed.  The name of the town, Kimmins, was named for Joseph Kimmins, who settled near Aetna in Hickman County in 1897.  Aetna, at one time, was a thriving  community where many families lived and worked at Aetna Furnace and other related businesses.  But this account is strictly about Kimmins and maybe my rapidly scribbled notes taken while Patsy talked, will contain only a few errors.

My (Harold Sublett) first memories of Kimmins evolved around the McClearen store, the purchase of peanuts for seed and returning again with our crop of harvested peanuts to be  sold and shipped on the train that stopped at the depot.  This trains stopping place was kimmins at one time but later extended to Hohenwald and Allen's Creek.  Going to that store was a great treat for this fourteen year old, new to Lewis County and fresh from the cotton fields of Alabama.   As always, when I was priviledged to go to town with my dad, the treat I requested was a Moon pie and RC cola.  Peanut harvesting was back breaking and dirty but working on the discharge end of a peanut thrasher meant wearing a cloth over my nose and mouth and goggles over my eyes.  My job was to rake down the vines, leaves and trash in a cloud of dust.

 The train stopped twice daily, some say three times and there were enough travelers to support a hotel and livery stable.  Timber was a big business and as mentioned earlier, peanuts.  There were three stores but only one remained when I first visited Kimmins.  I recall how  large it was and so tall that a rolling ladder ran along each side to reach the merchandise on the top shelves.  The upstairs which was reached by beautiful stairways  was used by visiting businessmen .  The Post Office was also in the store.

The hotel had a delco lighting system and it later became the Savannah Skelton family home around 1936.  The one room school served eight grades and later was used by various church groups.  The Kimmins Church of Christ, having started in  1917 or 1918, continues today .  The School burned in the 30's.

The potato house, as the name implies, was used to store potatoes.  It was a community effort and one person was charged with keeping the fire going  during the winter months and at other times to keep uninvited visitors away.  It was also used as a storm house.  I don't recall the mention of ice but since  there was an abundance of sawdust insulation, it may have also been used as an ice house.  Many church services were conducted in the potato house.  The Kimmins Church of Christ met in the potato house for awhile.   Much of the sawdust was removed to make room for the church services. Guy Nicholson and Richard Hinson had some funny tales regarding the potato house.  Around 1900, Will Stevens and wife, living in Texas were contacted to come back and run the store.

Dr. Bouldin told of a lady who had her cow killed by the train.  She tried to get the train company to pay for her cow but they didn't react to her demands. She began to grease the tracks on the upgrade to keep the train from being able to climb the steep grade.  They continued to refuse to pay and she  continued to grease the tracks until they paid for the cow that their train had killed.

Kimmins, not unlike many small towns, was pretty much self-sufficient and continues today as a very neat, clean and pretty community.  Patsy will complete  her history and maybe it will become available by whatever means she chooses.  A book would be great.  The best thing about a local history project is getting to share and maybe a pat on the back.

                                                                                         THE PENROD FARM AT KIMMINS AND EGG PRODUCTION

One large 1600 acre farm was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Trella Penrod.  They had moved down from Michigan, received help from the University of Tn designing several Chicken houses and went into the egg business.  The support post were encased in gallon coffee cans filled with concrete in a shallow hole which were ineffective as several houses, over the years, have blown down in high winds.  They also installed a conveyor belt system moving the eggs from the laying hens to a central location for washing, grading and crating.  This also didn't work.  The hens were so scared by the moving belt that they would lay their eggs on the ground rather that get up close to the belt.

The farm, containing 1600 acres, also included the part that Tommy and Melba Rasbury live on now.  The Penrods house was located where the Rasbury house is now but burned.  Richard and Doris Dorning were looking for a large farm for soybean and cattle.  Soon after Mr. Penrods death, his widow decided to sell the farm.  Richard and Doris Dorning only wanted 800 acres, which they purchased May 25, 1963, and still own.  They were immediately in the egg business.  At different times the number of laying hens varied from a low of 6000 to a high of 10,000 which was the capacity of the houses. an
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There was a small two room house near the chicken houses with electric, water and sewer and the Dornings hired Clyde Beatty to work on the farm.   He lived in the small house.  That house was later moved to the rear of their home.

The men who had been working for the Penrods stayed on as they knew the business and delivery routes.  This was very hard and demanding work as every hen received her due attention and every egg was meticulously washed, viewed by light for cracks, etc. and gently placed in cartons for delivery to stores for many miles around including Nashville.

The drilled well supplied drinking water for the hens around the clock. There were 24 long watering troughs and water ran constantly.  It also supplied water for egg washing.  The same well today is supplying drinking water for the Dorning family.  Within the last few years  more of the original houses have blown down.  Egg production ceased around 1968.  A very large herd of beef cattle roamed the farm not long ago.  They were sold a few years ago and the lush growth of grass is now being cut for hay.  All farm equipment will be sold in the Spring of 2008.

          From a newspaper ad:   Kimmins training School--Primary, Preparatory, Academic.  Board $6 to $8 per month.  W. A. Edwards, Principal.



Corrections, additions and deletions if needed will be appreciated.  We will post photos and additional tidbits of information as available but have no plans to infringe on Patsys work.

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