CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Carolyn Stier Ferrell has just released her latest book entitled Clarksville’s Historic Dog Hill Neighborhood and Beyond.
The book will be offered for sale at the Clarksville-Montgomery County Public Library on Sunday, December 17 from 1:30-4 p.m. in the library’s second floor board room. The cost of the book is $45 including tax. Ferrell’s other books will available for purchase as well.
This is her eighth book to date and the journey to capture the essence and history of Dog Hill was a personal one.
“Researching a neighborhood so dear to my heart was a visit back to my best childhood memories,” Ferrell said. “Twice in my life, I lived on South First Street at the home of my grandparents. Those memories still swirl around in my head and materialize as a time that was altogether warm, welcoming, safe, and sweet. Dog Hill could well be described as Clarksville’s first neighborhood. Those who understand, know that a neighborhood is much more than a collection of houses and streets. At its heart are the people, the simple and yet complex interactions between them, their individual histories, triumphs, and tragedies. All these congeal to make a neighborhood with an identity of its own.
In Dog Hill, neighbors cared about one another, were present for births, deaths, weddings, wakes, and met the trains carrying a former inhabitant back home. They were in the same clubs, benevolent societies, and musical groups. And yet there were people from foreign countries and various religious backgrounds that all melded together, devoid of prejudices, and became unified.”
Included in the book is the author’s own personal remembrances of the home that belonged to her family as well as descriptions of the house itself and the wonderful memories forged through the years of her grandparents’ ownership of 424 South First Street. She weaves the past, present, and possible future together into a story that should interest those who love Clarksville history.
“Admittedly, this was not a neighborhood of the affluent, but middle class, hardworking, honest, and salt of the earth people who had an impact on the city. The names here are easily recognized when examining the early businesses in town,” Ferrell said.
A general history of the neighborhood, its historic designation in 1980, the individual design components, and architectural details about the houses are included. The book can also be used as a study in architectural styles exhibited in the homes such as Eastlake, Folk Victorian, Craftsman, etc. The reader can learn basic architectural terminology as well as historic preservation/restoration/maintenance guidelines.
Though many of the houses are no more and facts about their design and occupants have faded, those that remain enliven the downtown area.
Ferrell is a frequent guest speaker at civic clubs and organizations and a re-enactor, volunteer, and tour guide for the Fort Defiance Interpretive Center. She has served as a tour guide for both the Riverview and Greenwood Cemeteries and the downtown historic district. She is an officer and active member of the Montgomery County Historical Society. Additionally, the author is a member of the Women of Fort Defiance, the Friends of Fort Defiance, the Friends of the Felix G. Woodward Library at Austin Peay State University, and the Clarksville/Montgomery County Arts & Heritage Council. In 2017, she was a co-recipient of the council’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Heritage.
Ferrell travels extensively to research material for her books and recently acted as an intermediary to return an important piece of Clarksville history to the Public Square. She has been a guest for multiple “History and Heritage” TV shows hosted by former Tennessee senator, Rosalind Kurita, and is currently working on several projects for the city.