Born And Raised In The South...,: Milan, TN

Welcome to Milan (Hwy 45 south city limit)
Milan (pronounced "MY-lunn") is a city in Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,664 at the 2000 census. The zip code assigned by the U.S. Postal Service is 38358. Residents of Milan are usually referred to as Milanites.

The name of the city supposedly comes from an incident where, upon being asked "Whose land is this?" by a railroad surveyor, an early settler said "It's my land."[citation needed] Although this legend is often repeated, it is likely not true. It is believed the city was named after Milan, Italy.[citation needed] Milan is often referred to as "Bullet Town", due to the Milan Arsenal being located there, despite the fact that the Arsenal manufactures mortar shells and grenades, not bullets.

History

In a 1944 article, the Saturday Evening Post, in discussing the boom created by the Milan Arsenal during World War II, predicted Milan would become a "ghost town" when the war was over.

In the 1940s, Milan became the first city in the south to play Little League baseball.

Led by Dr. Robert P. Denney, a long-time dentist in Milan, Milan became the first city in Tennessee to fluoridate its drinking water, and for years its school children were regularly examined in a study of the effects of fluoridation by the University of Tennessee dental school.

Local Facilities
Milan is at the junction of U.S. Highway 45E and U.S. Highway 79 (also known as U.S. Highway 70A). State Route 104 also runs through the city. Unlike many cities in West Tennessee, there are no highway bypasses around the city. Milan is served by two railroads: CSX (formerly Louisville and Nashville) and West Tennessee (formerly Illinois Central, then Norfolk Southern). The Gibson County Airport (general aviation) is located between Milan and Trenton, Tennessee. Airline service is nearby at McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in Jackson, Tennessee and Milan is within a few hours of large airports at Memphis and Nashville.

Milan is home to the West Tennessee Agricultural Museum (a part of the University of Tennessee, which has an agricultural experiment station located at Milan). The museum contains more than 2,700 artifacts and farm tools from the local agrarian culture. The University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station conducts crop research, crop management and erosion control experiments. The no-till method of farming originated at the Milan facility. The experiment station is host for the Milan No Till-Field Day, an agricultural demonstration event held the fourth Thursday of July in even-numbered years. This event draws attendees from many states. The Buford Ellington 4-H Club Training Center is located at the experiment station.

Milan has a large, modern city park located on State Route 104. Milan is the home of Johnnie Hale Stadium (a football facility which bears the name of a female schoolteacher) located just off the U.S. 45E-U.S. 79 intersection. For many years, Johnnie Hale Stadium hosted a high school football bowl game, the West Tennessee Jaycee Bowl. The 1971 TSSAA Class AA championship game was also held there. The Milan Golf and Country Club, a private club, has an 18-hole course. The public library, the Mildred G. Fields Library, contains 35,000 volumes and is housed in a building on Van Hook Street. The B.D. Bryant Memorial Library, located on First Street, houses a collection of rare religious books. This library, privately owned, is open to the public. The U.S. Post Office Building in Milan is on the National Register of Historic Places.

West Tennessee Agri. Museum
Milan is home to the West Tennessee Agricultural Museum (a part of the University of Tennessee, which has an agricultural experiment station located at Milan). The museum contains more than 2,700 artifacts and farm tools from the local agrarian culture. The University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station conducts crop research, crop management and erosion control experiments. The no-till method of farming originated at the Milan facility. The experiment station is host for the Milan No Till-Field Day, an agricultural demonstration event held the fourth Thursday of July in even-numbered years. This event draws attendees from many states. The Buford Ellington 4-H Club Training Center is located at the experiment station.

Precision Agriculture
Precision Farming
The benefits of site specific management of soil fertility have proven difficult to measure. Common sense tells one that the potential for profit should increase as the proportion of the field that varies from low soil test nutrient levels to high soil test nutrient levels increases. There is no foolproof way of predicting the extent of this variability before a decision for intensive soil sampling. Profit is expected to be gleaned from saving on fertility input costs in "high" testing areas and "increased production" in areas of low fertility once that situation is corrected by appropriate amendments. Little benefit can be realized when intensively sampled areas do not vary in soil test value from the whole field average.

Many consider yield information to be the most important part of a site-specific crop management system. In a relatively short period of time, grain yield monitors have become integral tools for many grain producers. Some estimates indicate 17,000 of these units are being used in the United States today. A routine question that producers are asked when purchasing a new combine is whether they want to add a yield monitor and GPS receiver. A yield monitor equipped with GPS is necessary for making spatially varying yield maps. Today an increasing number of cotton producers are asking that question, thanks to a yield monitoring technology developed at the station which has ushered in important precision agriculture tools to cotton production.

No-Till Question & Answer

What is no-till?

No-till is a method of farming where the soil is left undisturbed from the harvest of one crop to the planting of another. Planting is accomplished in a narrow seedbed, or slot, created by a coulter or disk opener.

Is this a new practice?

No. A few farmers started using no-till in the '60s and '70s, however since 1989 no-till has become an increasingly popular farming practice.

Why does it look so messy?

People who are accustomed to seeing freshly plowed fields may think of no-till as messy or ugly. This is because the new crop is planted directly into the remains of the last crop. It isn't plowed or disked under with conventional methods.

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits of no-till. First and foremost, are the environmental benefits. No-till reduces soil erosion from wind and water runoff. Wildlife benefits from crop residues that provide food and shelter.

Farmers benefit from reduced labor requirements, time savings, fuel savings, reduced machinery wear and higher soil moisture.

And everyone reaps the benefits with cleaner water, reduced air pollution and less ditch maintenance.

Are the yields the same?

Research findings indicate that in Tennessee, on average and under the same growing conditions, no-till will produce the same or better yields than a plowed field, or conventional tillage.

What has UT's role been in no-till?

The University of Tennessee has been a leader in no-till research. The Milan Experiment Station has been a leader in this effort since 1981. The research conducted by the UT Agricultural Experiment Station at Milan is known worldwide.

Do many Tennessee farmers use no-till?

YES! A recent survey shows Tennessee farmers are third in the nation in the percentage of cropland planted in no-till. In 2006, Tennessee farmers planted 67% of their land in no-till. And Tennessee is the leader in no-till cotton. Farmers planted more than 420,000 acres in no-till in 2006.

Where can you see no-till?

Every county in Tennessee has no-till fields; however, the best day to see no-till and hear no-till discussed is at the Milan No-Till Field Day, held bi-annually on the fourth Thursday of July at the Research and Education Center at Milan.

Cotton Yield Monitor

Cotton Picker
We invite you to explore some information reprinted with permission of Tennessee Farmer about Ag Leader's new Cotton Yield Monitor, an important advance in precision agriculture that was developed at the Research and Education Center at Milan by John Wilkerson, an agriculture and biosystems engineer with the University of Tennessee Agricultural Experiment Station.

Milan has a large, modern city park located on State Route 104. Milan is the home of Johnnie Hale Stadium (a football facility which bears the name of a female schoolteacher) located just off the U.S. 45E-U.S. 79 intersection. For many years, Johnnie Hale Stadium hosted a high school football bowl game, the West Tennessee Jaycee Bowl. The 1971 TSSAA Class AA championship game was also held there. The Milan Golf and Country Club, a private club, has an 18-hole course. The public library, the Mildred G. Fields Library, contains 35,000 volumes and is housed in a building on Van Hook Street. The B.D. Bryant Memorial Library, located on First Street, houses a collection of rare religious books. This library, privately owned, is open to the public. The U.S. Post Office Building in Milan is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Ellington 4-H Center
Welcome to the Buford Ellington 4H Center!

Every year more than 2,000 adults and youth make use of our 16 acres of cabins, recreational facilities, and food services. Located in West Tennessee, our staff is dedicated to making your event a memorable one. The Buford Ellington 4-H Center is accredited by the American Camping Association.

The Buford Ellington 4-H Center offers canoeing, a large in-ground swimming pool, with lifeguards on duty. A climbing wall, putt putt golf, tennis, basketball, volleyball and much more. Our facility can handle groups as large as 375 people. Whether your event is a football camp, church camp, company picnic, or meeting, we can plan something that will be just right for you.

Milan General Hospital, a member of the American Hospital Association and the Tennessee Hospital Association, is licensed by the State of Tennessee and has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Services for participation in Medicare and TennCare programs. Milan General has its own advisory board composed of citizens of City of Milan.

Milan General Hospital has been operating a 73-bed acute care facility since 1941 when it began as Clemmer Clinic. The hospital became a wholly-owned affiliate of West Tennessee Healthcare on January 1, 1998. The hospital is located at 4039 Highland Street, Milan, Tennessee. The service area spans West Tennessee, with the primary counties being Gibson and Carroll.

Newspaper:

Milan has a weekly newspaper, the Milan Mirror-Exchange. The paper was formed by the merger of the Milan Exchange, which was founded in the nineteenth century, and the Milan Mirror, which dates from the 1960s.

The Milan Army Ammunition Plant (also known as the Milan Arsenal) is located outside Milan.

Notable natives

Turner Barber, major league baseball player (deceased)

Tyrus Turner Barber (July 9, 1893 in Lavinia, Tennessee - October 20, 1968 in Milan, Tennessee), was a professional baseball player who played outfielder in the Major Leagues from 1915-1923. He played for the Washington Senators, Chicago Cubs and Brooklyn Robins.

Gordon Browning, Governor of Tennessee, 1937-1939 and 1949-1953 (deceased)

Gordon Weaver Browning (November 22, 1895–May 23, 1976) was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States Congress and was later Governor of Tennessee from 1937 to 1939 and again from 1949 to 1953.

Browning was a native of Atwood, Carroll County, Tennessee and attended public schools, graduating from Milan, Tennessee High School. He graduated from Valparaiso University in Indiana in 1913. In 1915 he graduated from the Cumberland School of Law in Lebanon, Tennessee, passed the bar examination and began practice as an attorney in Huntingdon. Upon U.S. entry into World War I, he enlisted in the Tennessee National Guard, later being sent to Europe, where he was eventually promoted to the rank of captain.

After World War I, Browning returned to the practice of law and ran for the Democratic nomination for the United States House of Representatives in 1920, but lost. Running again for that position in 1922 he was successful, serving six terms in that body. In his final term he was selected to be one of the "managers" (prosecutors) in the Senate impeachment trial of Harold Louderback, judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. However, his race for the 1934 Democratic nomination for United States Senate was not successful and he returned to the practice of law in Huntingdon. When Memphis political "boss" E. H. Crump had a falling out with Governor Hill McAlister, McAlister decided not to run for a third term, and Browning became Crump's chosen candidate to succeed him. Browning received the Democratic nomination for governor in August, 1936, then tantamount to electoral success when campaigning for statewide office in Tennessee. He coasted to election in November of that year.

However, Browning and Crump came to a parting of the ways shortly after Browning's inauguration as governor. Crump threw his support to newly-elected state senator Prentice Cooper, who defeated Browning for renomination in August, 1938. Browning never removed himself very far from politics, however. Returning to his hometown of Huntingdon, Browning bided his time through three terms by Cooper and two by his successor, Jim Nance McCord. During this time he served from 1942 on as a chancery court judge, this service being interrupted by a return to active military duty in World War II from February, 1943 until January, 1946, again serving in Europe. During this period he was promoted to lieutenant colonel.

In 1948 Browning saw his opportunity, bolstered by the support of Estes Kefauver, then a popular five-term Congressman making his initial race for the Senate. McCord had pushed through the legislature the first sales tax (2%) in Tennessee history, and had been an advocate of right-to-work legislation, both of which were very unpopular with much of his base of support. In August, 1948 Browning defeated McCord for the Democratic nomination for governor. With an opponent of his winning statewide nomination, the influence of E. H. Crump over politics at the statewide level was largely over, although he still wielded considerable influence within Memphis itself until his death half a decade later.

However, for the first time over a quarter of a century, the Democratic nominee for governor faced a very well-known and reasonably well-funded Republican opponent in the November general election. Country music entertainer Roy Acuff was the 1948 Republican nominee for governor. Acuff's position in the race was largely unexpected, even to himself. His entry into the Republican primary had been encouraged by state Republican officials as a publicity stunt to foster interest in the Republican primary. The idea was that the presence of Acuff on the ballot would serve as a drawing card to Republican events; the crowds thus assembled would learn about serious Republican candidates, bolstering the party. This tactic backfired when Acuff's popularity, especially in East Tennessee where he was originally from and where the vast bulk of Republican voters in Tennessee were in that era, resulted in Acuff's receiving the nomination, much to chagrin of party officials, and even Acuff himself.

Thus thrust into the fray, Acuff decided to take his position seriously; however the entertainer versus the experienced former governor proved to be the mismatch that could have been anticipated, and Browning won in a landslide. Acuff sent along his congratulations, admitting that the outcome was probably the best one possible for all concerned. (When a Republican was elected governor of Tennessee over two decades later, one of the first controversial decisions Winfield Dunn made as governor was to purchase Dunbar Cave, a large cave located near Clarksville, Tennessee which had previously been used as a summertime entertainment venue prior to the advent of air conditioning and which was owned by Acuff, for a state park. This was widely regarded as a payback to Acuff for his role as a political "sacrificial lamb" over twenty years earlier.)

Browning resigned his chancery court judgeship just before his second term as governor began. A staunch advocate of education, he found that he could not push his educational agenda adequately if the sales tax were to be repealed. In many ways Browning was progressive for a Southern governor of his era, supporting first Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal and then Harry S. Truman's Fair Deal. He did not get the right-to-work legislation repealed, however; Tennessee is still an "open shop" state. Browning was renominated, turning back the challenge of Nashville attorney Clifford Allen, and was re-elected in 1950. However, he faced a new challenge in 1952 in addition to another one from Allen, that from fellow attorney Frank G. Clement of Dickson. A brilliant orator and World War II veteran, who was only 32 at the time, Clement saw Browning's ties to the railroad interests as a weakness and exploited it by garnering the backing of roadbuilders. Also, although Browning had been himself something of an insurgent and was still only in his mid-50s, he now came across as part of the Old Guard, the last gasp of the World War I generation desperately staving off the young bulls who had served in World War II (even though he also had done so himself), and he lost the 1952 nomination to Clement.

In retirement back in his hometown of Huntingdon, he continued to show an active interest in Democratic politics until very shortly before his death in 1976, apparently being used as an unofficial advisor to younger Democratic political figures on several occasions. He also engaged in farming and headed an insurance concern. He died in Huntingdon and was interred in that community's Oak Hill Cemetery.

Ben Cantwell, major league baseball player (deceased)

Benjamin Caldwell Cantwell (born April 13, 1902, in Milan, Tennessee; died December 4, 1962 in Salem, Missouri) was an American major league baseball pitcher from 1927-1937. He was a graduate of the University of Tennessee.

Kellye Cash, 1987 Miss America (not a Milan native, but entered the pageant through the local pageant in Milan, and is now a Milan resident)

Kellye Cash from Memphis, Tennessee, was Miss America 1987.

Since her year as Miss America, Kellye has appeared nationally on The David Letterman Show, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, the Trinity Broadcasting Network and more.

She has performed with numerous musical artists including Vince Gill, Lee Greenwood, and Billy Joel, and has performed in many regional theatrical productions; she was recently chosen for the lead part of country music legend Patsy Cline, in Always...Patsy Cline.

In addition to making approximately 100 appearances each year at charitable, community and political events, Kellye is actively pursuing her Christian music career, having recently released her 3rd CD entitled Real Life.

An advocate for conservative political candidates and issues, Kellye has twice been publicly elected to the State Executive Committee of the Tennessee Republican Party.

Kellye currently resides in Milan, a small Tennessee town, with her husband Todd and 3 children.

What She's Doing Now

Kellye has performed with numerous musical artists, including Vince Gill, Lee Greenwood and Billy Joel. She is currently playing the role of country music legend Patsy Cline in Always…Patsy Cline and recently released her third CD, Real Life.

Cash is also the great-niece of Johnny Cash. She has a husband named Todd Sheppard, and three children. The oldest child is her son, Brady. She also has two daughters; the oldest is Cassidy and the youngest is Tatum. Kellye recently played the role of Patsy Cline in a production called "Always Patsy Cline". She currently has produced three CDs: Living by the word, Real Life, Cash and Cline. She is very involved in her local church by directing teaching a college and career class with her husband and also singing and playing for the church.

The Miss Tennessee competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Tennessee in the Miss America pageant.

History

The Miss Tennessee pageant was first held in 1938, although the winner, Isobel Carter, was unable to compete at Miss America due to illness and so the first runner-up became Miss Tennessee. The following year, two winners were chosen to compete for the Miss America title. In 1940 the pageant suffered a repeat of 1938, with the winner resigning through illness and the first runner-up representing the state at the national competition. The routine pageant was held in 1941, but from 1942-1946 representatives were appointed without a pageant being held, due to World War II. In 1947 twins Jean and Jane Cunningham were both awarded the Miss Tennessee title, with one representing Tennessee and one Chattanooga at the Miss America pageant. The modern era of the pageant can be dated to 1953, when a regular routine of state pageants was instituted.

Kellye Cash, Miss America 1987, is the only Miss Tennessee to win the national title. Six titleholders have placed as runners-up to Miss America. Tennessee native Barbara Jo Walker, Miss America 1947, represented the city of Memphis when she won the title.

In a rare occurrence, all three Miss Tennessees 1999-2001 later won the similar Miss Tennessee USA pageant, whose delegates represent Tennessee at Miss USA. More remarkable was that the three won the Miss Tennessee USA title in the order which they held their Miss Tennessee titles. Allison Alderson, one of the three, is a Triple Crown winner, having competed for Tennessee at Miss Teen USA 1994 as well.

Three other Miss Tennessees have won the Miss Tennessee USA title, Jean Harper, Desiree Daniels and Leah Hulan

Buddy Leach, saxophonist with George Thorogood & The Destroyers

The Destroyers

Jeff Simon (Drums) 1974-Present
Billy Blough (Bass Guitar) 1977-Present
Hank "Hurricane" Carter (Saxophone) 1980-2003
Ron Smith (Rhythm Guitar) 1973-1980
Steve Chrismar (Rhythm Guitar) 1985-1993
Jim Suhler (Rhythm Guitar) 1999-Present
Buddy Leach (Saxophone) 2003-Present

Jack Parnell, radio personality and widely-heard voice-over announcer (and father of former Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Parnell)

Joe Staton, illustrator and writer of comic books

Joe Staton was born in North Carolina. He grew up in Tennessee, attending Milan High School there and Murray State University in Kentucky, graduating from the latter in 1970. After DC Comics published some of his letters in their titles, Staton began to connect with science fiction fandom and began to expand upon the amateur comics art he practiced as a child. He started his work with Charlton Comics in 1971 and gained notability as the artist of the super-hero book E-Man. Staton produced art for various comics published by Charlton, Marvel and Warren during the 1970s.

Mainstream comics work

Hired initially by Roy Thomas to work for Marvel, Staton was then brought by Paul Levitz to work on DC Comics' revival of the Justice Society of America in All Star Comics (and later Adventure Comics). In these titles he illustrated stories including the origin of the JSA and the death of the Earth-2 Batman, among other stories. Staton also illustrated the solo adventures of two female JSA members created during the JSA revival - drawing Power Girl in Showcase and the Huntress. During that time, Staton also found time to work on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, the 1970s revival of the Doom Patrol in Showcase, and the Metal Men. In 1979, Staton began a two and a half year run on Green Lantern, during which he co-created the Omega Men with writer Marv Wolfman.

Staton served as art director for First Comics for three years in the 1980s, returning to DC Comics afterwards for a second run on Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps. He also illustrated Guy Gardner, the Millennium mini-series, The Huntress and The New Guardians.

He currently draws DC's Scooby Doo title for younger readers, as well as the more mature-themed Femme Noir for Ape Entertainment.

Wild Bill Wright, Negro League baseball player (deceased)

Schools:

Milan High School 1936-1976

The Milan High School Band
The Milan High School Band, 1948,49. Drum Majorette was Jo Ann Pillow Pickard.
Mrs. Pickard was to become Milan Alderwoman Pickard and a Mayorial Candidate in later years.

Milan Football Field
Milan Football field and Game,1954
Remember when infield parking was allowed. Remember the scoreboard at the wrong end.
Were you there at this game?

Milan High, 1912
This building, constructed in 1907, was the second of three schools built on the same site.

Milan College
Milan College was built there in 1868, and after the building pictured here,
a new high school was constructed in 1937 and torn down in 1980.

Do You Remember...,

Snow on Main Street, 1950.
View is looking south from Williamson Street intersection.
Milan High School can be seen at the end of the street.
Businesses include,
Right: Ritz Movie Theatre, Drake Law Office, Polk Shoe Store, Carter's Drug Store, Denney Caldwell Chevrolet.
Left: Sandra Jean Dress Shop, Harris Jewelers, Burke Photography Studio, Combs Jewelers, Milan Theatre and The Grill.
"The Blue Lagoon," showing at the Ritz, came out in 1948.

Milan Main Street, 1912
This view, showing several horse-drawn wagons, is from near Church Street looking north.
Milan's downtown sidewalks were completed in April, 1910. This photo was probably made in 1912.
This view is standing in front of the present day Post Office and looking towards the Railroad Tracks.