Clifton Tennessee - City Hall
PO Box 192
142 Main Street
Clifton, Tennessee 38425

Phone (931) 676-3370
Fax (931) 676-5390

Clifton was a very busy steamboat

landing in the early 1900's.

Clifton river front and

Steamboat / Ferry landing.

Clifton river front and wharf boat.

Frank Hughes College, 1907

Clifton's Main Street in the

early 1900's.

The Russ Hotel

Home of T.S. & Betty Hughes.

Home of J. J. & Birdie Montague.

Still standing largely intact,

Walter Davis.

"Delta Queen" docked at

Clifton in 2001.

Clifton would not exist without the Tennessee River. In fact, our town is named Clifton because it sits on a "cliff" high above this great stream. There has always been a special link between the river and the town. Clifton's Main Street ends where the town began- on the riverbank. Today the end of Main Street is a very appealing site, ornamented with trees, shrubs, flowers, a rock wall and a stately iron gate. Off to one side there is a memorial to veterans killed in action, a low stone wall with the American flag towering above. This is the place you should go to understand the true importance of the river to Clifton. Walk up to the overlook and spend a few moments absorbing the spectacular scene. Below you the Tennessee River flows by, past our town and through our history. For many generations the old road stretching down the slope provided access to the historic ferry landing. Much of Clifton's history is tied to the river's bank along this area.

The ferry landing and the surrounding riverbank are usually quiet these days. The big boats once so essential to the commerce of our town quit docking there decades ago. The gunboats and transports teeming with Yankee soldiers are long gone. The old mail boat is now a fading memory. Even the ferry service that had existed in or near Clifton since 1818 came to an end in January 1998, shortly after a new bridge opened a few miles upstream. But this town is not dead, and the river is still crucial to Clifton. In recent times our riverside location has become a tremendous asset once more. People are drawn to the river. Our town lives on with a new vitality, more vibrant and alive than it has been in many years.

 Settlers first came to the Clifton area in the early 1800's. Many current residents can still trace their ancestry back to King Prater, who legend says was the first non-Indian child born in Wayne County after it was organized in 1818. Clifton was called Ninevah in the early 1800's, but the name was changed in 1840 when work began on the Clifton Turnpike. Clifton wasn't really much of town before the turnpike, and Cliftonians have traditionally regarded 1840 as the date of our town's founding. The historic Clifton  Turnpike provided parts of Southern Middle Tennessee with access to the river at Clifton. In the early days it was used to transport crops from the rich farms around Maury County and pig iron from the furnaces that once prospered throughout Wayne County.

The Civil War was the most traumatic event in Clifton's history. While most surrounding communities remained loyal to the Union, Cliftonians enthusiastically allied themselves with the Confederacy. This led to many unhappy consequences. In the second year of the war, the Tennessee River became a vital invasion route for Union forces. Clifton, to its great misfortune, was located in a strategic position on that river. Early in 1862 Union forces occupied Clifton, and they stayed here for most of the remainder of the war. The Union stronghold in Clifton was Stockade Hill, and the officers' headquarters were located in what is now the front yard of Frank Hughes School. Several skirmishes were fought around Clifton, and Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest conducted an important raid here in December 1862. Legend has it that only four homes in Clifton survived the Civil War. The Presbyterian Church is the only public building still standing from that unhappy era. At various times during the war it was used as a hospital and misused as a horse stable by the occupying Union forces. The front of the church still bears the scars of where Union soldiers pulled out part of the brick wall to make a wider opening.

The decades following the Civil War saw happier times. Clifton entered its first golden age in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Those were the days when the steamboat was king, and Clifton was an important river port. During that era railroads were being built all across America, and the countless crossties cut from the vast timber resources of this area were shipped from Clifton.

Money poured into Clifton as it never had before. Many of the old homes and buildings in town date from that prosperous era. During those years Clifton developed a rowdy reputation that remained with the town for decades to come. On Saturday nights Clifton was apparently a lively place. Old stories linger that Main Street once was lined with several drinking establishments. Fights were common, and murders were not uncommon. These days Cliftonians tend to be a peaceful group, and the crime rate is very low.

 One of the most interesting things that happened in the early 1900's occurred in 1918. That was the year that the Tennessee River froze over solidly. It seems almost impossible to imagine now, but old photographs still exist showing Cliftonians strolling around on and playing on the wide frozen river.

 The "Roaring Twenties" were not so good for Clifton. As America became more prosperous and cars and trucks became more common, the river landing at Clifton became less important to the world at large. The major roads and highways were all built elsewhere, and Clifton entered a long period of gradual decline. In the 1930's Clifton, like the rest of the world, struggled to survive the Great Depression.  Yet it was during those dark years that our most celebrated resident achieved his greatest triumph. In 1933 Clifton's own T.S. Stribling won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature with The Store. Today Mr. Stribling's home on Water Street serves as a library and museum. It was also in the 1930's that another famous man reportedly came to Clifton. German General Erwin Rommel, Hitler's legendary "Desert Fox," supposedly spent a night in Clifton's Russ Hotel while studying the Civil War tactics of Nathan Bedford Forrest.

During the 50's, 60's, and 70's the slow decline continued. Most of the businesses on Main Street eventually ceased operations and many of the old buildings remained empty for a long time. Increasing numbers of young people began leaving town for better opportunities elsewhere. It was during this sad era that too much of our heritage was lost. Several of our greatest old homes and public buildings disappeared. Almost every longtime resident of Clifton still mourns the demise of the Russ Hotel and the original Frank Hughes School building.

 The 1980's saw the beginning of Clifton's rebirth. In the early 1980's the State of Tennessee built a new prison facility at the edge of town. Although some much needed jobs were provided, it took a few more years for Clifton to get back on track. The state built a second and much larger facility with more jobs in the early 1990's. In the following years the state built new highways running in several directions and a bridge crossing the river a few miles above the town. The outside world finally gained good access to Clifton!

Clifton has been transformed over the last decade. Citizens and guests alike have a new appreciation for our town. The natural beauty of our riverside location provides a powerful draw for visitors and new residents. A number of new businesses providing fresh job opportunities have moved into Clifton or to nearby areas. Commercial establishments have come back to the central part of town, moving back into the old buildings or building attractive new facilities. Most of the historic and the new buildings along Main Street look great these days. Attractive lighting now lines the sidewalks that have been rebuilt to look better than they ever did in the past. The city streets are generally in good condition, and most of the town is attractive and well maintained. Frank Hughes School has been enlarged with new classrooms and a spacious new gym. The city has developed new ball fields for our young people. Columbia State Community College now has a nice campus in Clifton, and the widely praised new Ross Creek Landing Golf Course is located just outside of town. Plans are already in the works to improve recreational facilities along the river. With the dawn of the new millennium, Clifton has apparently entered a new "golden age."

The city would like to recognize John Templeton for providing this account of the history of our city. Thank you, Mr. Templeton