Bartlett, TN

Bartlett, TN

Bartlett is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, and a suburb of the Memphis metropolitan area. The population was 40,543 at the 2000 census.

Bartlett Seal

The community from which the City of Bartlett grew was first called Union Depot and Green Bottom. It was the last major way station in Tennessee along the stagecoach route from Nashville westward and came into being about 1830. When the Memphis & Ohio Railroad took the place of the stages, Bartlett continued as a depot. This was a farming community, with major plantations along Stage Road.

In 1866, with a population of less than 100, the city was officially incorporated and the name changed to Bartlett. It was named for Major Gabriel M. Bartlett, a planter, whose homeplace was located on the old Raleigh-Somerville Road (Stage Road) at the present location of Bartlett Station Plaza.

Bartlett is located at 35°13′23″N, 89°50′28″W (35.222990, -89.841170)[3].

According to the City of Bartlett, the city limits encompass a total area of 23.42 square miles (60.7 km²). The annexation reserves of the city extend another 20.54 square miles (53.2 km²).

Bartlett was a Stage Coach Route

In existence since about 1829, Bartlett was incorporated in 1866 and remained a small town for another 100 years. From the "old" town of only 508 people at Stage Road and the CSX Railroad in 1960, Bartlett grew rapidly in the 1970s and 1980s both through new residents and through annexation, primarily to the east and north, to over 43,000 people today.

In 2007 Money Magazine listed it as one of the best 100 places to live. It ranked 95th out of 100.


Recreation & Fitness Center:

The Bartlett Recreation Center is 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2). facility that was completed in August 2000. The recreation center is located at 7700 Flaherty Place directly behind the Bartlett Police Station. The recreation center is a popular place amongst the people of Bartlett with its swimming pool, racquetball courts, basketball courts, running track, and work out rooms. Since its building the recreation center has done remarkably well and required no help from the city to remain open.


Performing Arts & Conference Center:

The Bartlett Performing Arts & Conference Center, also known as BPACC, was finished sometime in 1999 where it held it's first show by Art Garfunkel. BPACC is located at 3663 Appling Rd. directly across the street from the Bartlett Police Station and Appling Middle School. The facility is not limited to only performances but can be rented out for other events such as seminars or business meetings

History of Bartlett

Union Depot

The community from which the City of Bartlett grew was first called Union Depot. It was the last major way station in Tennessee along the stagecoach route from Nashville westward and came into being about 1829. When the Memphis & Ohio Railroad took the place of the stages, Bartlett continued as a depot.

This was a farming community, with major plantations along Stage Road.

Cedar Hall

In 1846, the oldest building remaining in Bartlett, Cedar Hall, was built. It is located at 3712 Broadway Road and is still a private residence. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Incorporation

In 1866, with a population of less than 100, the City was officially incorporated and the name changed to Bartlett. It was named for Major Gabriel M. Bartlett, a planter, whose homeplace was located on the old Raleigh-Somerville Road (Stage) at the present location of Bartlett Station Plaza.

Reconstruction
Gotten House

In the reconstruction era after the Civil War, Bartlett escaped much of the post-war turbulence and revolt. In 1871, the Nicholas Gotten House (2969 Court Street), a white frame house in the New England saltbox style, was built by Nicholas Gotten, a Civil War veteran. The house later was purchased by the City and was dedicated as a museum in 1990. The house was entered on the National Register of Historic Places on March 20, 2002.

Late 1800's

1873

Bartlett now boasted a hotel, a manufacturer of wagons, plows and coffins, a Methodist church of 60 members, a Baptist church of 50 members, a Cumberland Presbyterian church of 30 members, and the Old-School Presbyterian church of 20 members.

1870-1880's

During the years 1870-1885, Circuit Court is held in a two-story building located on property belonging to Dr. Nicholas Blackwell. When the Circuit Court moved its functions to Memphis, Dr. Blackwell gave the school board permission to use the building for a school. The school was chartered in 1885 and called Courthouse School. It drew pupils from neighboring counties and had an enrollment of +100 by 1887, when the population of the town was only 300. Bartlett was also the site of Masonic Collegiate Institute, one of the first institutions of higher learning in the area.

Early 1900's

1917

A new school is erected on a seven-acre tract of land donated by Mrs. B. R. Miller in memory of her father, Dr. Nicholas Blackwell, for whom the school was named.

1917

As an indication of the autonomy and community spirit of Bartlett, all male citizens ages 18-45 are required to spend eight days a year building and repairing roads.

1924

The business district of Bartlett suffered three disastrous fires, the last in 1924.

1950's

The first women is elected to serve on the town board are Mrs. Leona Gotten, Miss Louise Miller, and Miss Dora Gholson. A community library opens and is later incorporated into the Shelby County Library system.

1951

The City begins supplying town residents water from three 100-foot wells.

1952

The Fire Department is established by ordinance. The first large supermarket, A & P, opens on Stage at Elmore Park Road.

1967

The first public park (now Freeman Park) and first public library in the city were dedicated.

Bartlett Historical Society

In 1982, the Bartlett Historical Society was chartered. The Society obtained permission from the City to refurbish the Gotten House as the home of the Society and a museum, and it was leased to the Society for fifty years. On October 17, 1990, the museum was formally dedicated to the City.

On October 26, 1999, Bartlett adopted a historic preservation ordinance (Ord. 99-12). On January 22, 2002, Bartlett's historic district was adopted.


Bartlett Parks

The mission of the Bartlett Parks and Recreation Department is to enhance the quality of life for all residents of Bartlett by providing diverse and quality leisure programs, services and facilities that encourage health, fitness, relaxation, enjoyment and learning, as well as providing opportunities for community involvement. This mission statement is the key to the department achieving our goals, which are to provide our community with the highest quality staff, services, facilities, parks and programs possible.


The Bartlett Public Library

The Bartlett Public Library is part of the Memphis Public Library and Information Center. Fully funded
by the City of Bartlett, the Bartlett Public Library offers access to approximately 100,000 items within its own collection and over 14 million items in other Memphis library locations which can be delivered to the Bartlett location overnight in most instances. Library cards are free to citizens of Bartlett and offer access to a wide variety of books, audio books, and DVDs. The library has twenty public computers which access the Internet and offer the use of Microsoft Office products such as Word and Excel. The library’s catalog and informational databases can be accessed 24 hours a day through the Memphis Public Library’s.

web site, www.memphislibrary.org.

The Bartlett Public Library’s new facility at 5884 Stage Road opened in April 2008. Almost doubling the size of the old library, the new building offers two study rooms, a quiet reading area, and a program room for children’s storytimes.

Storytimes for ages 2 through 5 are on Wednesday mornings at 10:15 and 11:15, and on Thursday mornings at 10:15. Advance registration is required for storytimes. A monthly family storytime is held on the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm. This program is designed for the entire family and also requires advance registration. To register for storytimes, stop by the Information Desk at the Bartlett Public Library or call 386-8968.

Summer Reading Clubs for all ages take place in June and July. Individuals can sign up to win prizes for reading books or listening to audio books. Special weekly programs are offered for ages 6 through 11 and ages 12 through 17 during the Summer Reading Club. For more information on Summer Reading Clubs, visit the Memphis Public Library’s website at www.memphislibrary.org or the City of Bartlett’s web site at www.cityofbartlett.org.
Municipal Center

Singleton Center