This marker on the walkway at the New Madrid County Courthouse commemorates the judge, senator and…read morePresident of the United States. I had visited the Truman Library in Independence a few weeks ago so this was especially interesting. The marker reads, "Harry S. Truman delivered campaign speeches at the Court House during his senate campaigns in 1934 and 1940. The 1934 campaign was open in southeast Missouri and New Madrid was one of the early campaign stops. In his 1934 speech Truman developed the themes that would later position him as a leader of the Democratic Party, championing the farmers, workers and the "New Deal" policies of the Roosevelt Administration. The 1940 campaign speech declared that national defense would be his top priority. Truman's second senate nomination was supported by New Madrid County Prosecuting Attorney J.V. Conran, who proved to be a strong ally in that very close Senate primary race. "I am deeply affected that the good people of a part of Missouri most remote from my home town did me such a singular honor," Truman said." The marker does not have a number. It was erected in 2015 by New Madrid County. There is plenty of parking nearby. [Review 1105 of 2026 - 588 in Missouri - 26284 overall]

The Weakley County Courthouse in Dresden is a mid-20th-century building with a surprisingly formal…read morepresence for a small county seat. Completed in 1951, it's a three-story Neo-Classical structure designed by Nashville architects Joseph Holman and Thomas Marr, a duo responsible for several Tennessee courthouses of the era. The limestone exterior, recessed vertical windows, and flat roofline give it a restrained, institutional look that fits the period. Weakley County was formed in 1823 and named for Robert Weakley, a Tennessee legislator and US Representative. Dresden became the county seat in 1825 and took its name from the city in Germany. It's not any more complicated than the era's fondness for reusing European place names. As with most Tennessee courthouses, you'll find the expected memorials on the grounds, including one honoring the county's Civil War dead. The site also features a statue of Ned Ray McWherter, a native of Weakley County who served as Tennessee's governor and remains one of the region's most prominent political figures. [Review 1113 of 2026 - 620 in Tennessee - 26292 overall]

The Weakley County Confederate Memorial on the southwest corner of the courthouse lawn is one of…read morethose early-20th-century soldier monuments that tells you a lot before you ever read a word on it. Dedicated in 1915, it features a full-length Confederate infantryman carved in Italian marble, standing at parade rest with his rifle grounded in front of him. It's a post that I've seen before and is the standard vocabulary of the Lost Cause memorial art. The base, made of Georgia marble, gives the statue a bright, almost polished presence even after a century outdoors. The placement at the courthouse fits the era's habit of tying civic authority to Confederate remembrance, and it was installed after local UDC efforts to commemorate the county's soldiers. The design is conventional for its time, but that's part of its story. It reflects the period when Tennessee counties were asserting a particular narrative of the war through uniform, idealized imagery rather than battlefield specificity. [Review 1114 of 2026 - 621 in Tennessee - 26293 overall]

Southeast of downtown Union City, this Tennessee Historical Commission marker sits in a quiet…read morestretch of town where the traffic thins out and the neighborhood takes over. It's one of those markers that rewards the stop because it hints at how much Civil War activity once moved through what's now an unassuming corner of the state. The setting is rather ordinary which makes the history it points toward feel even more grounded in the everyday lives and landscapes of the era. The marker reads "Located five blocks north, the monument was dedicated on October 21, 1869. Some of the twenty-nine buried here died in training at Camp Brown in Union City, an important rail junction and staging area for the invasion of Kentucky. Others fell in raids such as Forrest's Seventh Tennessee Cavalry's defeat of the Seventh Tennessee Cavalry (Federal) in March 1864." It is marker number 4B-26 and it was erected by the Tennessee Historical Commission. [Review 1112 of 2026 - 619 in Tennessee - 26291 overall]

The brick 1911 schoolhouse and old trees make for a really nice event location! Check their…read morefacebook for upcoming events.