History

This page is dedicated to the citizens of Lakewood, who with their help and resources will provide the Beautification Group historical photos of Lakewood (Dupontonia) for everyone to enjoy. Many great cities are built by the hard work and efforts of those before them and this city is no exception. Many of our past commissioners and mayors along with hundreds of volunteers through the years have paved the way for the city to maintain it’s charm and character. Please take a look back in time at some of these wonderful photos and articles donated from lifelong residents of Lakewood. In addition, we are asking and hoping that this will encourage you to dig through your chest of drawers, hope chests and old shoe boxes and find us some great photos to share. I, April Consulo, will come to your home, learn the story and place it on this unique website. Enjoy a look back in time!

A special thanks to Ms. Rosalie Hunt for donating these photos to our beautiful website.

Old fashioned fun and festivities are planned for the enjoyment of all ages Saturday, May 18 in the City of Lakewood when young and old; families and neighbors; friends and relatives get together at Sunbonnet Day sponsored by the Lakewood Community Club and City Beautiful.

Roll back pages of time and eat country sausage and biscuits, sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, homemade cakes, pies, hot popcorn and snow cones. Ladies will be wearing long dresses and sunbonnets, selling handmade articles, artwork, patchwork and a great variety of green plants.

Browse through the Antique Shops having their grand openings including: Country Pedlar, Needle Art Shop and A B Plating. Visit the flea market and take home something from the bake sale including breads, cookies and pies.

Molly Darling and her band; The Randy York Group; Jennings Trio and Indian Dancers will be there for good listening and looking.

A special thanks to Bryan & Una Jakes for donating these photos and articles to our beautiful website.

By JULIA SHEPHERD | The Community News And The Madison Shopper | Wednesday, March 13, 1974

A city, our city was born a timid, shaky infant. She did not come in to being without labor pangs or anxiety, although joyful anticipation welcomed her. A sister had made her advent some years earlier with screams and bluster which had lasted during the First World War. She bore the name of Jacksonville and was the site of the world’s largest powder mill.

In the year 1918 the Armistice was signed ending the war and ending the use of gun powder. The world rejoiced, but the bustling little Boom-town sickened. Its citizenry moved elsewhere seeking employment. Only a few families stayed. They lived along the main street, Hadley, or on the streets near the river.

An artificial silk producing plant was built in the sister village by the DuPont company. They purchased that entire village from the Nashville Industrial Corporation and erected a town in record-breaking time. It has been said that it was not an unusual thing to pass a wooded area in the morning and find in the afternoon that it held a block or two of tenant houses. All the houses boarded up since the powder plant days were tenanted again.

On December 1, 1923, the Sister Village was renamed from Jacksonville to Old Hickory. In 1924 the town which had almost died after a short childhood became miraculously cured and she faced life again with vigor and determination.

Only those families employed by the DuPont Company could rent the company owned houses and as employment grew more houses were needed. Many families preferred owning their own homes who could have rented; then came about the development of the land just Northeast of Old Hickory. Around the year 1925 the Elliott and Dabbs Construction Company acquired the land on the Northeast side of the main Highway (By local people, at that time, called the concrete road). They laid out and paved the first streets in what we would now call subdivision.

The streets were numbered 22^nd, 24^th, 26^th and 28^th. They ran perpendicular to Hadley. Dabbs Avenue and Elliott Drive ran across these parallel to Hadley. The first business place was a service station, built on the corner of 22^nd Street and Hadley. It was owned by Thomas Cassety.

In the year 1926 a Mr. Alford built the business section along Hadley with an extension up 22^nd St. Other early businesses were Morris Furniture, Cohen Furniture, and Puckett’s Dry Cleaners.

Live and Casualty Insurance bought the land on the north side and the south side of Hadley. It was the Medford Brothers, operating under the name of Cumberland Development Company, who laid out the streets after their purchase of the property from the Insurance Company. They laid out Park Circle. It circled from Hadley at 25^th Street back to Hadley at 20^th Street with Hamblin and Becker Avenues bisecting the circle.

Now the infant city could stand alone. Her limbs had grown strong. Some fifty businesses were her milk and meat. Her sister to the north could boast no such nourishment and as the Canaanites in Biblical days traveled to Egypt, in some comparison, the Old Hickoryites made their way to the neighboring business section to do their trading. The services of a bus were obtained by the businesses for a nominal fee from each business. The bus ran one trip each hour to and from Old Hickory.

A toddler now, the city had reached an age at which most children have long been named, but so far it had only been called numerous nicknames. In 1926, Barnes Elliott conducted a contest, offering as first price a new Dodge automobile, for the most suitable name for the town. Miss Lenna Cowgill, a teacher, won the car. The name she submitted, Dupontonia, became the town’s name.

The Depression years came. Throughout the country failure reigned. Stocks dropped, banks closed. Soup lines kept starvation from many families in many places. Suicidal death numbered many thousands. Little Dupontonia became the town’s most.

In 1934, she boasted a theatre where the best movies were shown to capacity crowds. It could be said that she was nurtured in self sustenance in her childhood. The theatre, a skating rink and other recreational facilities were her toys.

What child can reach maturity without some accident, trivial or severe altering his or her life for a while? Tragedy befell the town in 1939. A fire left the entire block between the High School and 22^nd St in ashes.

Two years later, Pearl Harbor felt the bombs of Japan. Then our country again at war. Oh Dupontonia! How sad was she. Like the rest of the country her young men donned uniform and bade goodbye to loved ones and businesses. Like donning dark glasses to screen the sunlight, managers of businesses closed their doors and boarded their windows. Young ailing Dupontonia took her bed.

Poor suffering Maiden, again fire struck adding to her pain. This time tearing her very heart out. In the middle of the night, the block from 22^nd to 24^th and up 22^nd Street to the theatre burned to the ground.

As youth has ever had a way of rebounding, the young town was no exception. Many of those who had served in the armed services returned and took up residence in Dupontonia. Convalescence, though gradual, gave encouragement to a few who opened new businesses.

In 1951, the ladies of the town formed a club which they called the Dupontonia Civic Club Auxiliary. The club was formed mainly to work for the location of a school in the community. The club has gone through numerous changes of names and member and has only a few charter members who are active now. At the present time it is known as Lakewood Ladies’ Club and can boast of having the same 12 members for more than 8 years.

In 1959, after many meetings of Citizen’s group, an election was held to decide if Dupontonia should make her debut as a city. When the votes were counted it was discovered that the majority had voted in the affirmative. In June of that year she became a city.

There Commissioners were elected to run the city’s government. They were C.L. Ferrell, E.R. Corley and Bryan Jakes. Mr. Jakes resigned in 1960 and Charley Brown was elected to finish unexpired term. Mr. Brown was elected and served another term. Others who have served as Commissioners are Homer Byram, Guy Smith, Charles Gann and Theo Baker. Mr. Ferrell has served as Mayor since organization, except for terms served by E.R. Corley and Charles Brown.

When the Old Hickory Dam was completed in the fifties, the lake became a beautiful border for the east side of the town. Boat docks and bait shops were added to places of business.

With the approval of the legislature in 1961 the name of the city was changed from Dupontonia to Lakewood. In the opinion of most residents a much more suited name. Once citizen said he desired the name changed because he had lived in the town four years and still could not correctly speel it’s name.

In 1967, a lovely new City Hall was completed on land given to the city by Mr. Ferrell. Now the wailing infant of a few back had reached the blossom of womanhood. She had spots of national interest located conveniently near. Her potentialities were stupendous.

The maiden city was not courted by new businesses and her vacated buildings hid themselves behind old signs, weeds, bushes and cardboard boxes. Owners lined dirty windows with brown paper which seemed to emphasize the apathy and unawareness of some 2500 citizens.

The long wait ended July 23, 1973. The Mayor and Commissioners had commissioned a group to meet and form an organization for improving and beautifying the city. On that date Daisye Ramsay was chosen chair person of Lakewood City Beautiful Commission with Julie Shepherd secretary. Eve McClung, Hilda Armstrong and Bryan Jakes were to serve on the commission along with Charles Gann, Commissioner.

Just recently, Louise Wooden has been elected to serve as Administrative Assistant to City Manager, Mr. Nat Hammers.

An appeal was made to all citizens to get interested in a move to clean up and fix up their properties. The second week in October was designated as Lakewood week. During that week local businesses offered services and merchandise at reduced prices to the people of Lakewood. One hundred fifty dogwood trees were purchased and planted. They were offered as specials of Pardue Landscaping Company that week. Some of the old parked chars have been removed from the streets. Some of the windows have shed their brown paper and behind cleaned windows is an antique mall with 16 dealers offering their variable articles. A unique gift and flower shop, featuring dish gardens and novelties and an art and needlework shop to open soon.

A community park has been in operation for about two years. The park is open during the summer months with Metropolitan Government providing playground supervisors and instructors in arts and crafts. Playground equipment is available, picnic area and a large lighted field for Little League games.

A tree lighting ceremony and Christmas celebration was well attended on December 3. A beautiful tree posed atop City Hall and streamers decorated the street in front of the business section for the first time. The DuPont Senior High School band furnished music for the occasion and the chorus of the DuPont Junior High School presented a number of Christmas selections.

Vairous business establishments have hosted the monthly Business Men’s Coffees, which have been sponsored by the City Beautiful Commission.

Speakers, whom citizens have been privileged to hear in recent months, are Geddes Douglas, well known landscape artist, Mr. John DeMol, Executive Director of Tennessee Beautiful and Garth Alexander, Agricultural Extension Service.

There exists a special need for the people of Lakewood to reach unity and fellowship together. For this purpose a Community Club is being organized. All adults in the city are invited to join the club.

Plans are being made for a County Fair to be hold at the city park in August. Fruits, vegetables, flowers, canned goods, needlework, baked goods, etc. will be displayed and judged.

Signs are to mark the entrance to the city. They are of a design which will enhance the beauty of the entrances.

The City Beautiful Commission has a dream for her future. They think she can blossom into a center of antique, gift and novelty shops, which will attract wide range attraction and patronage.

Whatever happens to her business district, it is a certainty that spring time will find her clothed in pale pink and white when the dogwoods blossom.

A special thanks to Bryan & Una Jakes for donating these photos and articles to our beautiful website.

These beautiful homes, lovingly cared for by their owners, are just many reasons why we love to live in Lakewood. If you would like to have your home featured on this site, please call April at 615-847-9256.