🚂🚂🚂2016 October 15, Saturday, Train Ride! Monterey Fall Foliage Excursion Nashville, TN Tennessee Central Railway Museum

The sun was peeking through the clouds as we rode through Columbia, Tennessee.
We ate breakfast at Burger King in Columbia, Tennessee. My Hubby ordered an egg, cheese, and sausage croissant, while I ordered two pieces of sausage and three French breadsticks with syrup, along with water to drink.
We arrived around 7:00 A.M. at the Central Railway Museum, 220 Willow St, Nashville, TN.
Several people had arrived, and they were parking wherever they could find an open spot. We were the last ones to park in a gated area.
We walked to the museum, and there were people already standing in line.

We walked into the train museum, and there were several rows of people sitting. We walked to the back of the museum, where we saw a miniature running train display,

At 7:30 A.M., we heard the train whistle, signaling that it had arrived and it was time to begin loading.
The train holds 500 people, and the excursion was sold out.
An older couple had just sat down on a nearby bench.
The woman said the train does not leave until 8:00 A.M., and it will take a while for all these people to board, so we decided to sit down next to them and wait.

The couple had seats in the dome car of the train.
We were sitting in seats 25 and 26 on TCRX 4719, First Class.
The conductor/ticket collector had a list of all the passengers, and he checked them off as people boarded.

The train's horn blew at 8:00 A.M. as we were leaving the train station.

Selfie as we began our train excursion 

At times, the train would gain speed up to 55 MPR and then drop down to 35, 25, or 15 MPR.

The restrooms were not available until the train started to move. Our conductor/ticket collector had to unlock them.
That was my first stop.
The windows on the train were made of thick, rigid plastic, not glass, which made it hard to get a good picture.

Riding the train up the mountain, we saw lots of dried-up creeks and empty fields where the crops had been gathered.
We saw cows, bulls, and other animals grazing in the hill country.
We rode through the towns of Lebanon, Watertown, Brush Creek, Gordonville, Caney Fork, Lancaster, Buffalo Valley, Silver Point, Baxter, Watertown, & Cookeville.

I-40 

The train crossed over I-40 several times.
I walked to the dining car for snacks (which was several cars back). I bought two Diet Cokes and two packages of peanut butter crackers, which cost me $6.00

Standing Stone Festival was taking place in Monterey, "Where the hilltops kiss the sky."
At  9 A.M., they were having a parade, a Cruise-In after the parade, and at 10 A.M., a Ceremony at Standing Stone.
Near noon, they were expecting the Excursion train coming from Nashville.
When we arrived in Monterey, the train blew its whistle, signaling to the people that we had arrived.
Before we left the train, we were told to be ready to board the train at 1:50 P.M., and it would depart the station at 2:00 P.M.

The crowd leaving the train

The people of Monterey were prepared for visitors.
The VFW had grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and a group of women had cooked pinto beans and cornbread.
The Blue Cup and Saucer were filling up with people from the train.

The Cup & Saucer Restaurant 

We walked down the street looking at the vendor's wares.
We stopped at a booth where several young girls were selling cookies.
We bought a package of peanut butter cookies and a package of oatmeal raisins.
We had a diet cook left over from the train ride.
We ate our snacks as we walked through the downtown area, which was a couple of blocks away.
We stopped to look at the cars from the cruise-in, which consisted of about 10 vehicles.

I stopped to take a picture of the Civil War Historic Marker.

Stokes' Atrocity
Four miles north of this site, the atrocity occurred during the War Between the States. On March 12, 1864, Federal Col. William B. Stokes and approximately 200 soldiers of the 5th Tenn. Volunteer Cavalry (Union) surrounded the homes of a Southern sympathizer and shot six unarmed Confederate soldiers. These soldiers, led by 2nd Lt. Robert S. Davis, included members from Terry's 8th Texas Cavalry Regiment and one Alabama cavalryman. They became separated from their original outfit and had recently joined forces with Captain Champ Ferguson's independent cavalry company.
Continued

Stokes' Atrocity
Days earlier, the Confederates had routed Col. Stoke's command in the skirmish at Dug Hill on the Calfkiller River. Shortly after the shooting at the house, Lt. Davis — the only Confederate wounded and not killed outright — was taken into the yard, tied to a cedar gatepost, and his body riddled with bullets. His last words were "You ought not to do this, I have never done anything but my sworn duty.

Old Fire Truck in front of Train Depot Museum 

Stone Standing Monument 

Standing Stone Monument
The Standing Stone was a 13-foot (4.0 m) tall rock that once stood upright on a sandstone ledge in the area. It was the legendary boundary between Cherokee and Shawnee territory, marking the Cherokee Tallonteeskee Trail. The 8-foot (2.4 m) remnant of this stone is preserved in Monterey, where a Standing Stone Celebration of Native American Heritage is held each October

We wanted to see the Standing Stone that everyone was talking about, which was located several blocks away from the festival.
There was a concrete path that twisted and turned near the train tracks, which led to Standing Stone.
Standing Stone was in front of the public library.
After taking a few pictures, we visited the library. I needed to charge my cell phone and use the restroom.
In the library, I noticed an article that was near the information desk

The article said that Thomas Jefferson Whittaker. 
Dec 18, 1818-Nov 30, 1900 "Murdered by Grandson just 150 ft Yards from here."
This piqued my interest, so I read the article. 
One of the earliest pioneers of Standing Stone, now known as Monterey, T.J. Whittaker, stood 6 feet 2 inches in his stockings. The son of Capt.  John Whitaker was a War of 1812 Veteran who fought in Gen. Andrew Jackson's Army. Whittaker was born about two miles from the present town. 
He married Nancy Dillard Clark in 1841 and raised a large family. In 1853, he bought the old homestead from his father. The home is situated on what is now the corner of N. Elmore Street and Old Walton Road. 
An Avid hunter, Whittaker killed deer, bears, wildcats, wolves, panthers, and more. 
Whittaker Park was donated to the town by him.
On his last day on earth, Whittaker arose early. About noon, he took his mules along with some horseshoes to the blacksmith. Returning home about 4:30 P.M. on that Friday afternoon, he came across his grandson, Jackie Whittaker, and a Cooper man arguing in front of the Standing Stone monument. He tried to get his grandson to go home, but it seemed to make the situation worse, so he pulled the mule and headed home.
After traveling about 150 yards, Whittaker's grandson came up from behind him and demanded his mule, taking it away from him. Whittaker picked up a stick to defend himself, but his grandson stuck a knife into his grandfather's neck, killing him. 
Jackie Whittaker ran home and got his pistol, daring any of the womenfolk who had gone to help TJ Whittaker. Police Chief Alec Weeks (Later Putman Sheriff) came to the scene. The young Whittaker fired at him, but missed. Weeks returned fire, hitting him twice. The grandson recovered to spend time in prison. Thomas Jefferson Whittaker is buried in the Whittaker Cemetery, just north of here on Elmore St., not far from where he lived and not far from where he died. 

The Story Teller 

We walked to the Train Depot Museum, where there were many people from the train Excursion inside.
We walked through the museum, viewing the many items on display, and heard locals share stories about Monterey.
When he finished talking, I said we have stories about our town that are similar, especially those related to the war.
I told him a story about an ex-Civil War Soldier named Tom Clark and his gang of bushwhackers, how they came into our town and ravaged it.
He and his gang were captured and hanged. Tom Clark said (so they say) that no one would ever ride over him.  He was buried in the middle of Tennessee Street and is rode over every day.
The man laughed!
He said, My last name is Clark, and I have a distant relative named Tom Clark. How ironic is that?

1909 Imperial Hotel 

We walked back to the vendors to buy some meat skins and water.
We bought the water from the group of women selling beans and cornbread.
One of the women asked how much it cost to ride the train.
We walked past the 1909 Imperial Hotel, stopping to take a couple of pictures.

We heard the train whistle.
People shouted THE TRAIN IS COMING!
People were taking pictures and videos as the train made its way toward us.

When the train came to a complete stop, the conductor called OUT ALL ABOARD!

While we were visiting the town, the train had arrived at the switchyard.
Switching the Engines from the front of the train to the back of the train.
Now the gift shop, dining cars, and women's restrooms were in front of us.
The conductor had turned our seats in that direction.
After everyone had loaded into the train, the conductor checked his list to ensure that he had not left anyone behind. He had told us earlier that the train would leave at 2:00 P.M. and anyone left behind would have to take a taxi home.

As we descended the mountain, the train moved slowly, stopping periodically to prevent it from becoming a runaway train.
Sitting in front of us was a man from Connecticut who was telling the conductor a funny story.
I told the story of my daughter's plane experience. A doctor or nurse was needed, and she and a dentist were the only two medical professionals on the plane.
A woman was in the restroom, sweating profusely; she had taken two Ex-Lax Laxatives before boarding the plane.
When my daughter bent down to take the woman's blood pressure, her pants caught on the edge of something and made an enormous rip down the back of her pants.

My daughter lived in Newington, Connecticut, Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island.
I told the man from Connecticut about all the places that we visited when I came to see her.

The sun was setting, and I wanted to get a picture, so I walked to where the train cars connected.
I stuck my head out the window and started taking pictures. I even got one of the full moons.

We arrived at the Tennessee Central Railway Museum depot in Nashville at 7:57 p.m.

Full Moon 

Panda Express

Cream  Cheese Rangoon

Honey Walnut Shrimp 

We stopped at 7:50 P.M. at Panda Express in Spring Hill, TN.
My Hubby ordered a plate with chow mein, orange chicken, broccoli, beef, and one chicken egg roll.
I ordered a small plate of Honey Walnut Shrimp and three Cream Cheese rangoons.
We were home by 10:00 P.M., Hubby's bedtime.