My family has been in Tennessee since before Tennessee was even a state, and for all practical purposes, they’ve pretty much stayed in Robertson County. A few have ventured out over the years, myself included, chasing work or adventure, only to find their way back to good old Robertson County. There’s just something about this place that calls you home.
Change and growth have always been on the horizon. No matter where you’re from, time changes everything. Robertson County has seen its fair share of booms and busts. Whiskey and tobacco brought notoriety and wealth to the area, shaping its history in ways that often go untold. People love to talk about our past dignitaries, but the stories that truly define this place are the ones soaked in spirits—both the kind you drink and the kind that haunt the land.
It’s hard to tell if Robertson County is heading for another boom or bust. Either way, it’s pretty clear that growth is inevitable—time waits for no one. The fields that once grew world-famous tobacco are now sprouting subdivisions, and the old barns are giving way to storefronts. But no matter how much things change, the stories of this place remain, woven into the land like the roots of the crops that once defined it.
I love telling stories about Robertson County—about home. I’ve always believed that the best way to preserve something is to write it on the heart of another. Memories last, and they matter. They’re what keep a place alive long after the landscape has shifted and the names on the storefronts have changed.
On May 16, I’m sponsoring a square dance at the Kilgore Station Bluegrass Festival, a celebration of music, history, and community. The festival and the park where it’s held are named after my fifth great-grandfather—on both sides of my family tree. But that’s a story for another day.
Since it’s a city park, there won’t be any tobacco or whiskey, but I have no doubt there will still be spirits—just the kind that linger in the music, the laughter, and the echoes of old stories passed down through generations.
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