Kingston Springs, Tennessee

Kingston Springs is one of many quiet, small towns in Middle Tennessee. The community of nearly 3,000 residents sits along a bend in the Harpeth River between US Highway 70 and Interstate 40 west of Nashville.

The Fillin' Station is a very popular venue for live music and good eats.

It, like many of the exurban communities surrounding Nashville, has a small yet charming downtown. Home to a mix of small cafes, specialty shops, and, of course, live music, Kingston Springs is classic Middle Tennessee.

Because of its proximity to the Harpeth River, there are many outdoor pursuits available in Kingston Springs. One of the more popular locations in Kingston Springs is L.L. Burns Park. The park has numerous walking trails, a splash pad, and even a disc golf course. Harpeth River State Park and Mound Bottom State Archaeological Area are minutes from town.

This friendly fellow - a wood carving by a local artist - has become an ambassador of Downtown Kingston Springs.

Near L.L. Burns Park is the former Pinnacle Hill Road Bridge. The abandoned bridge over the Harpeth River first served as a railroad bridge before becoming a narrow automobile bridge in the 1920s.

The historic bridge consists of two separate pieces. First, the Nashville, Chattanooga, and St. Louis Railroad built a two-span pin-connected Pratt through truss bridge in 1898. In 1911, an additional span was constructed - a plate girder bridge by the Virginia Bridge and Iron Company.

The former Pinnacle Hill Road Bridge in Kingston Springs

In 1922, the railroad built a more modern deck girder bridge to the immediate south. Cheatham County then converted the old rail NC&STL bridge to accommodate vehicular traffic. The bridge could only allow one lane of traffic to and from Kingston Springs over the Harpeth River and up Pinnacle Hill to US 70.

In the mid-1980s, the old bridge was replaced by a newer span to the south, allowing two lanes of traffic to cross the Harpeth. The old bridge still stands as of March 2024.

Every Saturday Morning during the Summer, Kingston Springs runs their Farmers & Artisans Market. The community is home to numerous artists - whether in music, crafts, or cooking. Their talents are on display here.

In October, L.L. Burns Park hosts the Art in the Park Festival. A free all-day event - the festival attracts hundreds of visitors to the park and Kingston Springs.

All photos taken by post author - December 2010.

Sources & Links:

How To Get There:

Comments

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog