Middle South

Making my way south, I hit Nashville for some family time and new sights. It was a little hazy when I was there, but cooler than it had been. Here is the State House, designed by Philadelphia architect William Strickland. He is apparently buried up there, too. More on Strickland later.

A great discovery was the Marathon Motor Works, a Nashville-based car manufacturer from the first decades of the automotive industry. The company was apparently quite successful during its short tenure--located at this industrial buildings in Nashville from about 1909 to 1914. Financial mismanagement apparently led to its downfall. The site is now developed into offices and retail shops and is a great example of early industrial construction and how it can be successfully repurposed.

This is not a Marathon car, but it showed up all of a sudden.

Another great stop was the Nashville Farmers' Market--right in the heart of downtown.

I love this arrangement of yellow squash.

One of the great treats of the visit was the opportunity to go inside the truly spectacular Egyptian Revival First Presbyterian Church in downtown Nashville. The church was designed by William Strickland and built from 1849-1851. Strickland was a great architect of the Greek Revival (see the Second Bank of the United States and Providence Athenaeum), but here he is working in a different and popular style of the time.

This most spectacular interior is the real treat.

The stained glass and elaborate decorations are amazing--and beautifully preserved.

There were many more treats--including the fireworks and a South-wide survey of barbecue joints, but more on both of those later.  Here is Clovis in his celebrity motor coach.