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Montgomery County Archives

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Montgomery County Archives

Created in 1995, The Montgomery County Archives is the primary repository and preserver of non-current and historical records of Montgomery County, TN.

Our facility consists of a Research/Genealogy room, Accessions/Volunteer room, the Records Center, and the Archive Collections room. We serve the public in many ways by helping with Genealogy Research, Records Requests, Preserving Public Records, and Storing non-current County Departmental Records. Our building is climate controlled and designed to provide the best possible storage conditions for records.

09/01/2026

Archives Month is just around the corner!! Make sure to follow us to stay up to date on this year's theme and the events! More info coming soon!

08/28/2026

~ Sinclair Company ~
The Sinclair Company opened one of its first service stations in Clarksville in January of 1936, on the corner of Madison and Tenth Streets, not far from the Clarksville Train Station. The structure was made of white stucco with a tile roof, showcasing the Sinclair sign front and center. The building was equipped with three fuel holding tanks that had the capacity to hold up to 15,000 gallons of fuel in each tank. The Sinclair service station was operated by Mr. Bill Winters at the time of its opening.
During the early 1930s, the concept of the “service station” begins to develop. Paying customers began not just stopping in to fill up on fuel but took vehicles in for complete maintenance services. The new service station on Madison Street featured modern electric gas pumps and a greasing room. The greasing room was essentially an indoor garage area that was used for changing motor oil and “greasing” vehicles. Cars of the 1930s needed more in-depth manual maintenance on a regular basis compared to modern vehicles. Items like chassis joints and suspension parts of historic automobiles had to be manually lubricated every 500 to 1000 miles to keep the vehicle functional. The Sinclair service station offered a multitude of vehicle maintenance services that addressed these concerns. Mechanics could safely work on vehicles inside the building in the greasing room and out of the elements. This photo of the business was taken in the summer of 1950 according to a notation on the back of the picture. The Sinclair service station on Madison Street was open in Clarksville for over 20 years before closing shop in the early 1960s.

(Photograph from the Margaret Proctor Collection)

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08/25/2026

~ Riley Hardware Company ~
The Riley Hardware Company was established in 1945 by Mr. J. Frank Riley as a wholesale hardware distributor that offered its merchandise to general store owners and local merchants throughout the smaller communities of Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky. According to a 1961 press release, Mr. Riley began his career in the hardware industry in 1911 as a very young man, working for the Elder-Conroy Hardware Company that was located in downtown Clarksville. He started in the shipping department of that firm, eventually moving into sales by 1919. Mr. Riley worked as a traveling salesman for the Elder-Conroy Hardware Company for 22 years before becoming a manager in 1941. By 1945, Mr. Riley had decided to go into business for himself, opening the Riley Hardware Company on College Street.
Riley Hardware Company sold traditional hardware supplies, gas and electric appliances, supplies for plumbing work and power tools. They operated in Clarksville for 55 years before eventually closing in November of 2000. At the time of their closing, both the company president, John W. Edwards, and vice-president, Edwin Smith, had been with the company since its founding in 1945. Both men worked under the leadership of Mr. J. Frank Riley up until the year of his passing in 1970. Afterward, both Mr. Edwards and Mr. Smith continued the business legacy of Mr. Riley up until the day Riley Hardware Co. closed its doors for good. The warehouse still stands on College Street today, currently housing The Vintage Warehouse antique market. The Riley Hardware Co. painted sign is still visible on the building.

(Photograph from the Real Estate Tax Cards)

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08/21/2026

Exciting news! After passing the Academy of Certified Archivists examination, Montgomery County Archives Technician Brendan is now a Certified Archivist! He is eager to put his certification to work to better serve the public and care for the history of Montgomery County. Congratulations on your achievement, Brendan!

08/18/2026

~ Purity Ice Cream Shop and Candy Kitchen ~
Purity Ice Cream and Candy Kitchen originally opened its doors in 1912 on Franklin Street. It was founded by George (pictured above to the left) and Sam Sardis, who were Greek immigrants that came to the United States in their teens. The shop’s first location was a small building next to the Lillian Theater, which is where the Roxy Theater is now. In 1918, the business had experienced such tremendous growth that it moved to a larger location on Franklin St. Purity Ice Cream proudly proclaimed that their Ice Cream was manufactured each day to ensure fresh and delicious ice cream. Their ice cream was made with milk and cream from Montgomery County dairymen. By 1924, Purity Ice cream announced that they had purchased 15,000 gallons of dairy products from the local community each year alone. Visitors from other communities, such as Guthrie, Dickson, Hopkinsville, and Charlotte, contributed to Purity Ice Cream’s success, and the business responded by purchasing a refrigerator truck to deliver ice cream from Montgomery County to these surrounding communities. Oftentimes, Purity Ice Cream advertised and made important announcement in the Leaf-Chronicle. When World War II started, Purity Ice Cream announced that they were experiencing an ice cream shortage. Although they could remain in business, they chose to cooperate with wartime rations proudly and enthusiastically, which limited the quantity of ice cream they could produce. Instead, they often encouraged citizens to buy government war bonds. The Sardis Brothers retired in the early 1950s, and Purity Ice Cream and Candy Kitchen closed shortly after.
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(Image from the Millennium Commission Collection)

08/14/2026

~ Orlo R. Eager ~
Orlo Eager was born on January 15, 1915 in Iowa. He obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree from Peabody College and went on to create a career for himself in the education field. He began to work in the Clarksville-Montgomery County school system in 1938 when he received a position at the Howell Elementary School. He took time away from the school system to serve during World War II with the United State Marine Corps. However, he did not miss a beat in his career as he was quickly promoted to assistant principal and later principal of Howell upon his return home. His career continued to grow when he was offered the position of principal at Greenwood Junior High and then the Clarksville High School around 1957.
Eager married Mary Elizabeth Bates and the couple went on to have three sons – William Robert, Donald Bates, and Stephen Blake. Eager passed away in Tucson, Arizona on April 18, 1993. He is warmly remembered by his past students as well as the parents and faculty members who had the pleasure to interact with him.
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(Image from the Clarksville High School Yearbook Collection, 1959)

08/11/2026

Pictured here is a copy of a topographic map of Clarksville from 1864. This map shows the elevation levels of what is now downtown Clarksville. The closer the contour lines are, the steeper the incline is. Topographic maps are very useful in trying to visualize what geographic landforms look like. What do you see on the map below?

We have this map and many more here at the Archives. If you want to see more, click the link to see what maps we have in our collections! https://mcarchives.libraryhost.com/

08/07/2026

~ Dr. Lewis Tatham ~
Lewis C. Tatham was born in Trenton, New Jersey, but spent most of his early life in Rockport, Maine. He eventually received a master’s degree and a Doctorate from the University of Florida, where he later taught English. Tatham also taught at Virginia Tech before receiving a teaching job at Austin Peay State University. While at Austin Peay, he served as the chairman of the Department of Languages and Literature. In total, Tatham dedicated 40 years to teaching at the collegiate level.

Tatham was also very active in Clarksville’ theater community. He was included in many different productions at the Roxy Regional Theater and won the best actor Monte Award for his leading role in the production of “Our Town.” Tatham had a particular interest in Shakespeare, having performed in several productions of Shakespeare.

After almost thirty years in Clarksville, Tatham and his wife, Gerry, moved to Edgewater, Florida. However, he did briefly return a few years later for a final performance at the Roxy in “King Lear”. He passed away on January 20, 2012.

(Photograph from the Leaf-Chronicle Photograph Collection)

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08/04/2026

~ Teague’s Shop Rite Foods ~
Teague’s Shop Rite Foods was opened in May of 1959 by brothers Charles and William Teague. The brothers owned several small businesses in Madisonville, Kentucky, before opening their first supermarket there in the early 1950s. Eventually they opened a second grocery store in Clarksville, with Charles Teague managing the Clarksville store while William Teague ran the Madisonville location. Located at 420 Madison Street, in what was locally known as the C.G. Carney building, Clarksville’s newest grocery store was opened in a central location to cater to the needs of regional shoppers. At the time of its opening, Teague’s Shop Rite Foods was considered to be the largest and most modern supermarket in the city.
A notable aspect of supermarkets in the early 1960s was a focus on convenience for shoppers. The idea of the “one stop shop” flourished during this era, with grocery store owners of the time catering to consumer convenience by offering groceries and household items all in one place. Being aware of the ever-changing needs of local shoppers, Charles Teague invested in a store remodel after being open for several years, adding more amenities to his store, including check-out counters at both the front and back entrances of the Shop Rite Foods and even adding a hardware department.
Teague’s Shop Rite Foods on Madison Street would be open for almost exactly 10 years before Charles Teague sold his store to Houchen’s Food Market grocery chain in June of 1969. The original structure still stands in Clarksville today, with its iconic wall of windows facing Madison Street and distinct architectural style of the late 1940s.

(Photograph from the Real Estate Tax Cards)

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07/31/2026

~ The Biggers Building~
The Biggers Building, originally known as the Gracey Warehouse, was built by Captain Frank P. Gracey around 1873, according to news reports of the time. The expansive structure, measuring 129 feet across the front and going 200 feet back, was located on the corner of Second and Commerce streets, across from the Montgomery County courthouse. The original warehouse was built to store up to 2,500 barrels of packed to***co leaves, known as hogsheads, with barrels weighing well over 1000 pounds each.
During the early 1900s, the Gracey Warehouse was converted into a “loose floor” operation in Clarksville’s evolving to***co industry. A “loose floor” was where to***co buyers and sellers would congregate, usually in warehouses, to engage in public to***co auctions of loose-leaf to***co. The Gracey Warehouse would remain in use as a to***co loose floor over a span of 35 years, primarily under the ownership of the Gracey family, until 1940. In 1946 the warehouse was purchased by a local to***conist named James T. Biggers, who had run a loose floor out of the warehouse for several years prior. He would then change the building name to the Biggers Building.
Mr. Biggers redeveloped the space in 1950, adding two storefronts in the front part of the building and 14 office spaces for rent above the storefronts. His loose floor was still in operation in the back of the building, but with a firewall separating the front and back parts of the structure. The Biggers Building would remain open for local merchants and office tenants until it was torn down in 1966.

(Photograph from the Real Estate Appraisal Cards)

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Address

350 Pageant Lane, Ste 101-D
Clarksville, TN
37041

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8am - 4:30pm
Friday	8am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+19315535159

Website

https://montgomerytn.gov/archives

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