Tucked away among the forests and foothills of Middle Tennessee, if you’re headed south towards the outskirts of Clarksville, there sits the eerily beautiful pioneer settlement known as Historic Collinsville. Over 17 antique cabins sit quietly among the rolling green hills. Meticulously reconstructed and filled with period antiques and furniture, Historic Collinsville is a history buff’s dream. Perfect for taking the kids on a day trip to have a picnic and explore, Historic Collinsville is a wonderfully isolated place to get the family out and about while avoiding big crowds. The serene hikes and gorgeous scenery alone are worth the trip.
Hauntingly quiet and filled with the whispers of a century gone by, Historic Collinsville gives visitors a first-hand view of what life in a rural community was like over a hundred years ago.
The Weakley Visitor Center
The first stop on this journey into yesteryear begins at the Weakley Visitor Center. The original cabin was built some time in the late 1830s, and was owned by Newton and Savannah Weakley. Their grandson, Glenn Harris Weakley, along with his wife JoAnn, are the founders of Historic Collinsville as it stands today. This house serves as the visitor center and gift shop.
The Batson-Dogtrot House
One of the biggest structures on the Collinsville property is the Batson-Dogtrot House. This cabin gives the most complete visual of what family life during the mid-1800s might have looked like. With multiple sitting rooms on the first floor, you can just picture a young family sitting around the dinner table, getting ready for a meal. The bedrooms are located on the second floor.
This home was built for the Batson family’s daughter, Kitty, in1855. Kitty lived in the log cabin all of her married life and would raise her family here. Family rooms are situated on either side of a large breezeway on the first floor of this spacious cabin.
Adkins Family Home/Teacher’s House
I loved seeing the Teacher’s House at Historic Collinsville. This cabin is a great reminder that if a woman wanted to have any semblance of independence during the early 1800’s, being a teacher was one of the few choices of work available.
Teachers have always had one of the hardest jobs there is, enriching the minds of our youth. And way back in the day, a female teacher had an absurdly strict set of rules that had to be adhered to in order to keep her job. This list of rules is actually posted on the Teacher’s House at Historic Collinsville, with gems like, “You may not loiter downtown in ice cream parlors”, and “You may not dress in bright colors”. Obviously a teacher’s life was not an easy one. And she was paid as half as much as male teachers of the day.
A Great Place To Visit
Historic Collinsville is a beautiful place to take in the past and history of Tennessee. These are just a few of the amazing cabins that you’ll find on the Collinsville property. If you’re ever in the area and want to see something different, this is the ideal place to visit, picnic and explore. Historic Collinsville is located at 4711 Weakley Road, Southside, TN.
