In the early 1800s settlers pushing their way into Tennessee came to a deep ford. One man riding a bull plunged into the creek. Carried down stream as the water depth had been miscalculated he began to yell, “turn, bull, turn.” From then on, the creek was known as “Turnbull Creek,” so the legend goes.
White Bluff is actually sitting on underground water. To the northeast, west and south are springs and creeks, yet the town rests on higher plateaus. The area has Trace Creek, Joslin Branch, Gum Springs, Leatherwood, Pack Branch, Beaver Dam, Sugar Brand, Goslin Branch and several other branches that are water sources.
The town got its name from the White Bluff Iron Forge located on Turnbull Creek. Built by Richard C. Napier as a part of his Piney Furnace, it closed in the 1850s. The Iron Forge workers apparently settled on the highland and worked at the Forge located alongside Turnbull Creek.
Following the end of the War Between the States, the resulting railroad provided a nucleus for White Bluff, which was platted in 1867 by A. Myatt and incorporated in 1869. The town was located on the Nashville & Northwestern Railroad. Alexander Carr built the first home in the newly platted town soon after the last Union soldiers moved out after the War. The first store was built in 1865 by Morton and Wright.
Perhaps White Bluff’s most influential early citizen was Colonel William James. Although he was born on the Court Square in Charlotte on October 2, 1849, he died in White Bluff on February 20, 1933 at age 83. Educated at Tracy Academy in the Charlotte, he was graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point in the 1870s and served in the Indian Wars, the Philippines and the Spanish-American War. James retired to the White Bluff area in the early 1900s and acquired much land and many business interests. He donated the land for a high school to be built in White Bluff. Their athletic teams are nicknamed “The Colonels”. William James is buried in the lobby of the school which bears his name.
Several private schools were operated in White Bluff. The first public school was destroyed by fire in 1879. When Jeannie Woodworth arrived in 1905, she was appalled at the rate of illiteracy found in the community and persuaded Colonel William James to build a school in 1910 to be operated by the Episcopal Church. The school was named Elizabeth House in honor of Colonel James’s mother. Elizabeth House served the community until the mid-1900s.
Since its founding, White Bluff has been a center for the timber trade and sawmills have been a dominant influence on the local economy. Spann Brothers Lumber was organized in 1968. Ebbtide Boats opened in the 1960s to manufacture leisure boats and in September 1969 Interstate Packaging opened to process plastic packaging products.
Communities comprising the White Bluff area are Claylick, Taylor Town, Pleasant View, Bakers Work and Acorn Hill. In the 1980 census, White Bluff had a population of 2,055 which dropped to 1,988 in the 1990 census and rose to 2,142 in the 2000 census.
Contact Information
City of White Bluff, P.O. Box 300, White Bluff, TN 37187, (615) 797-3131
Mayor and Council
Linda Hayes, Mayor
Connie Reed
Eric Tidwell
Oscar Martin
Dale Whitfield
Jeff Martin, Vice Mayor
Population 2000 Census
2,142
Website
www.TownofWhiteBluff.com