A few months ago an accident at the Clarkrange Post Office rendered the building unusable until very recently. Now, I’ve talked here before about the post offices in Tennessee and especially Fentress County. Our dear mail carriers and the local postal staff relocated to Grimsley and hardly missed a beat in serving their customers. It was only a distance of 8 ½ miles, but we sure missed our post office!

As I prepared last week’s article about our disappearing local communities, I began to wonder what factors define a community, and the local post office seems like one of the biggest factors.

Historically, rural post offices were usually a part of other establishments. I would love to hear from all of you as you remember where the local post office was housed. (And wouldn’t it be fun if any of you have pictures of the stores where they were housed?)

For many years, the Clarkrange Post Office was part of the store on the corner of what are now named Highways 127 and 62. First that was Peters’ Store. Interesting fact, despite the store pre-existing state roads, the Peters’ store was too close to the road and the state made them tear it down. I remember it being in the rear of Freddy Stults’ store at the same location.

Our local postmaster was recently telling me that the postal system opted to move the post offices out into independent buildings because the stores were such popular gathering place for the community and sometimes their discussions were becoming too heated.

I know that losing having the post office consolidated with another community is always hurtful – both to the people and to the identity of the community. Those of us served by the Clarkrange Post Office certainly felt that and have a new appreciation for our local mail facility.

This week, I had the distinct pleasure to speak to the Fentress County Historical Society. We talked about losing community identity and I thought I would share my thoughts with you good blog readers.

In researching and writing Tennessee Mountain Stories, I have realized how different the focus on local community was in years past.

I love getting book reviews and feedback on stories. My favorite reviews indicate that the reader “felt like I was there”. Some readers have spent time on the Plateau and I love it when you tell me you remember the places I’ve written about. Sometimes I get letters thanking me for remembering your communities. You see, I find myself chronicling communities that are being erased.

Plans for Emma is set in Roslin – that’s one of our disappearing communities today and a reader appreciated that I got the location right.

Roslin was a thriving community with its own post office and schools. Roslin post office closed in 1961, changing residents’ mailing address to Clarkrange, Tennessee.

Roslin School absorbed other schools including Howe and Long Branch schools. The county school system rolled Banner Springs and Roslin schools together into Banner Roslin elementary in 1965. Then, in the early 1990’s, Banner-Roslin Elementary was closed and the students bussed to Clarkrange Elementary. Now, even Clarkrange Elementary School is gone and all the students attend South Fentress Elementary School.

Gracie’s Babies and Lottie’s Legacy highlight two communities. Sisters Gracie and Lottie both marry boys from Martha Washington and move there from Elmore.

Elmore is a forgotten community in north Cumberland County which had its own school and thriving neighborhood. Now, it’s just a short side road.

As highway 127 is re-built, I keep thinking about the trip from Elmore, across Clear Creek and into Clarkrange. I hear the bridge across Clear Creek will be the highest in the state when it is completed. Can you imagine the early road that forded Clear Creek or at best had a low, wooden bridge? You would have to drive all the way down below that high bridge!

I imagined that in Gracie’s Babies and I’d like to share the passage here.

In years past, folks were much more confined to a small geographical area. A lot of travel was done on foot, so you weren’t likely to venture out further than you could make it back before dark unless you were planning to stay for a while.

Over the past 70 or 80 years, our mobility has greatly increased There’s certainly a great blessing in that, however, I do think it has robbed us of our focus on the local community. Today, I can travel the 20 miles to town in half an hour – and I can drive it at any hour of the day and in most road conditions with the same ease. Based on the amount of traffic I see, we are all taking full advantage of this convenient transportation. I wonder, do we still know our next door neighbors? Do you know the history of your local community? Do you even know the name of the place you are living (and I don’t mean the postal address!)?

I challenge you to learn your community. Please come back to the comments below and tell me about it. And if you already know all about the neighborhood – make a friend down the road an tell her all about it.