From the pages of Arlington: A
Short Historical Writing of the Town
by Rachel Herring Kennon Burrow 1962
In 1818 the
portion of Tennessee, now known as Shelby
County, was ceded to the United States by the
Chickasaw Indians. Previous to 1818, North
Carolina, while Tennessee was under Territorial
Government, made large grants of lands to
individuals. Early pioneer settlers made
journeys from North and South Carolina,
Virginia, and other neighboring states to
establish homes for their families in this area,
which was basically a wilderness at that time.
In 1856 a railroad, the Memphis & Ohio, now the
L & N, or Louisville & Nashville, ran to Bond’s
Station (now Ellendale), to Brunswick, Pea
Point, and on to the community now known as
Arlington. The purpose of this railroad was to
attract shipping to the Fayette County community
of Withe. The station was known as Withe Depot,
but the community was known as Haysville because
General Samuel J. Hays, who attended West Point
Military Academy, donated the depot land. The
Civil War, which began soon after the rail were
ready, halted the growth of Haysville.
All the land surrounding Withe Depot belonged to
General Hays until 1868 when the executor of his
estate laid off a town and sold the lots at
public sale. The village began to grow. The
streets of the town were named for important men
of the day. A second incorporation of the town
of Arlington is recorded in 1900. The town had
been incorporated as Haysville in 1878. The name
was changed to Arlington in 1883. The Post
Office at Arlington was established as Withe
Depot in 1866, and became the Arlington Post
Office in 1885.
In 1881, the Memphis Conference of the Methodist
Church began to make plans to locate a high
school at Arlington. This was done with the
establishment of the Methodist Church in the
community, known at the time as Withe Depot. The
school which was called the Memphis District
High School opened for its first session in 1884
and by 1885, one hundred had been enrolled. The
first graduating class was in 1888. In 1895, the
Memphis District High School was taken over by
the public school system of Shelby County.
Mrs. L.W. Hughes (Mabel W.) was elected
Superintendent of Shelby County Schools in 1909
and served until 1915. She was succeeded in
office by her sister, Charl Ormond Williams, who
served eight years. While Miss Charl Williams
was Superintendent of Shelby County Schools, she
was elected president of the National
Educational Association (NEA); then resigned and
went to Washington, D.C. to join the staff of the
NEA as Secretary of Extension. During the time
she was serving on the staff of the NEA, she was
elected president of the National Association of
Business and Professional Women, the first
teacher ever elected to that position.
Arlington is a community of long standing
historical church congregations originating in
the 19th century, such as The Church of the Holy
Innocents (Episcopal), Arlington Methodist
Church, The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. of
Arlington, Arlington Baptist Church. The
Cumberland Presbyterian Church is the oldest
church in Arlington, having been established in
1871. In 1906 the Memphis Presbytery appointed
the Reverend C.A. Davis as missionary of the
entire Memphis area. He sponsored the Arlington
church and served as its pastor for nearly fifty
years. The church was officially named David
Memorial Church by the Presbytery in 1945.
The Arlington Cemetery, located on a hill
southeast of town, was first begun as a
community project in 1909. Before that time,
most families had a family burial plot. The Holy
Innocents Cemetery was established in 1881 with
the burial of a young child. The cemetery was
built on the property in 1882. In 1883, Ephraim
Edward and Sarah Louisa Butler Greenlee deeded
the one-acre lot with the church building and
the graveyard to the "Convention of the
Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of
Tennessee," reserving the right for themselves
and their family to be buried on the property.
Members of the some of the founding families of
Arlington are buried in the Holy Innocents
Cemetery. The last burial in the cemetery
occurred in 1987. The church building was
dismantled in 1929, and some of the lumber was
used to improve other buildings in the
community. In 2003, the Diocese of West
Tennessee deeded the property to the APTA. In
2017, a church replica was rebuilt as an open
air building, utilizing the original window
frames from the late 1800. As a chapel, it can
be used for small weddings, teas, prayer
services, etc.
Samuel Young Wilson opened “Wilson’s Store” in
1893. The present two-story brick building was
constructed in 1913, and an extensive remodeling
of the interior was completed in 1955. It was
always the aim of S.Y. Wilson and Company to
have on hand at all times items used and needed
by the people in the area which are supplies of
groceries, farm implements, hardware items, dry
gods, and most other needs.
By the end of the 19th Century, the community
boasted its own post office, physician,
druggist, cotton gin, lumber store, several
general stores, blacksmith, meat market, and an
undertaker. The heart of Arlington is now known
as Historic Depot Square.
The first automobiles in Arlington were those
owned by Mr. Etheridge and Mr. W.J. Harrell. In
1905, the Arlington Bank and Trust Company was
established. Its first officers were H.S.
Griffin, S.Y. Wilson, A.H. Murray, C.P. Stewart
and Dr. J.P. Douglas. The first telephone
exchange in Arlington was installed in 1910 by
Cumberland Telephone Company. Humphreys Flower
Farm was a large operation for more than one
hundred years dating back to Civil War years.
Highway 70 reached Arlington in 1927, and
business places began locating on the new
highway. Highway 70 was made into a four-lane
highway from Memphis to Arlington in 1953.
The Rachel H. K. Burrow Museum is located in
Historic Depot Square on the corner of Chester
and Walker Streets. It was originally built as a
bank in 1905. Following the closing of the bank
in the early 1930's, the building was used as a
community center where Miss Sarah Robinson
taught dancing to the children of the community.
It currently displays local historical items and
changing special exhibits. This site is listed
on the National Register for Historic Places.
Doctor Malcolm A. Baker came to Arlington in
January 1952 and used this building for his
medical office. After he moved his office, the
first library in Arlington was started in the
building in 1957. The museum is listed on the
National Register for Historic Places. This
one-room building was built as a bank and was
once Arlington's library. Maintained and
operated by the Arlington Chapter of the APTA
(Association for the Preservation of Tennessee
Antiquities), it is filled with local
memorabilia and historical items.
For current
information about Arlington, please visit the
official website:
www.townofarlington.org
Or, contact:
Arlington City Hall
5854 Airline Road
Arlington, TN 38002
901-867-2620
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ArlingtonTennessee/
APTA
(Association for the Preservation of Tennessee
Antiquities-Arlington Chapter
www.arlingtonapta.org
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