Rogersville, Tennessee: Memory Lane - Private 1950s Town
Only open to the public one day a year, it's a time-warp recreated town that sits in the middle of private farmland.Eldridge Auto Sales
- Address:
- 459 Caney Creek Rd, Rogersville, TN
- Directions:
- US Hwy 11W north of town. Turn west onto Hwy 70, then after a half-mile turn left onto Caney Creek Rd. The entrance to Eldridge Auto Sales will be 1.5 miles on the right; the entrance to Memory Lane is at the back of its parking lot.
- Hours:
- Sa of Mem. Day weekend, 10 am - 11 pm. (Call to verify)
- Phone:
- 423-272-2938
- Admission:
- Free.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
Visitor Tips and News About Memory Lane - Private 1950s Town
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I heard a rumor that there was a "retro town" close by, and finally found out some info. A man [Otis Eldridge] built his own 1950s-styled town on his personal property. The proprietor only opens the "town", built on over 200 acres of land, to the public one day a year, the saturday of memorial day weekend, and hosts a classic car show. In the middle of nowhere, mountain farmland basically, we drove up to a crowd of well over 1,000 people. The property lies at the bottom of a valley -- it was like stepping back in time. The attention to detail was amazing! The 'town" has its own streets and gutter systems, a 1950's diner, a barber shop, a 40's era car dealership, an ice cream parlour, a 3-lane bowling alley, a scaled down drive-in movie theater, a church, a police department, a covered bridge, a swimming hole, and a garage/service station.
His personal collection of no less than 100 cars includes an authentic "General Lee," a 1959 big fin Cadillac, taxi cabs, police cruisers, ice-cream trucks, and an authentic, coca-cola delivery truck, stocked with vintage bottled Cokes in their delivery crates).
When it got dark, we were treated to a showing of a cheesy 1970's film set in the 50's at the drive in.
[Josh Krause, 06/02/2005]Nearby Offbeat Places
- Archie Campbell Museum and Homeplace, Bulls Gap, TN - 12 mi.
- Stone Face Rock with Nonoffensive Name, Pennington Gap, VA - 24 mi.
- Cannonball in a Church Wall, Greeneville, TN - 21 mi.
- In the region: Rambo's Knife: National Knife Museum, Sevierville, TN - 46 mi.
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Memory Lane appears to only open to the public on Memorial Day weekend and other special events. More info at www.randomrods.com.