Courthouse.
The present courthouse is Warren County's fourth, constructed in 1897. The builder was B. M. Nelson, and the architect was R. H. Hunt. The design is one of modified Norman architecture. The new structure was built to straddle College Street and incorporates parts of Lots 23 and 34. The then existing ante-bellum courthouse on Lot 23 was regarded as dilapidated, and was razed.

The county's third courthouse was a two story ante-bellum structure built on Lot 23 in 1857, because the second courthouse was outgrown. The plans were drawn by John E. Goodney and it was much larger than needed for county events at the time. The cost of the building was $12,000.

The second courthouse was constructed in 1811 in the center of the park by Captain William White of Jackson County. It was a two story brick structure with a Federal design, including a cupola.

The first courthouse was built in 1808 with logs and stood at Tanyard Spring near Mt. Leo, east of downtown, near the home of a Mr. Westmoreland. This building was very small. A log jail was built nearby.

William H. and Edgar Magness Community House & Library; (118 W. Main St.)
Mr. W. H. Magness, Jr. (1865-1936) was a co-founder and the first president of the National Bank of McMinnville in 1874, which became First National Bank in 1905. He was the city's foremost philanthropist, and donated the land and construction cost for this classic and dignified cut-stone building. It was built in 1931 at a cost of $40,000, and is named in honor of the father and brother of Mr. Magness. His other charitable gifts included the construction of the carillon tower of Magness Memorial Baptist Church at 403 North Spring Street. That building burned after his death, and was rebuilt as First Baptist Church. Mr. Magness is buried in Riverside Cemetery.

Mrs. J. M. Cunningham was the local champion of reading and headed the library from 1913 until her death in 1954.

First Methodist Church; (200 W. Main St.)
Dating from 1886, the First Methodist Church was built from bricks fired to construct the Great Falls Cotton Mill at Rock Island. Stained glass windows and original oak pews have been retained even though several additions to the rear of the church have been made over the years, including the Willis and Gribble annexes.

First Presbyterian Church; (205 W. Main St.)
Replacing an earlier structure that burned in 1866, the current First Presbyterian Church structure dates to 1871 when the cornerstone was set. Now on the National Register, outstanding features include stained glass windows, original woodwork and church bell.

Dr. Thomas Black House; (301 W. Main St.)
Built on acreage that was originally outside the city limits of McMinnville, this house is a good example of the Federal style that once lined our city's streets. Jesse Coffee built the home in 1825, but removed himself and his family to Viola the next year. This restored structure was subsequently home to a Revolutionary War solider, Lt. James Sheppard, and to Samuel Laughlin (a close friend of President James K. Polk) and to Judith Harrison. Mrs. Harrison planted the large magnolias in the front yard and helped introduce horticulture to McMinnville, leading to the city's number of renowned gardens in the 1800's. A Confederate surgeon, Thomas Black (1837-1904), purchased the home in the days after the War Between the States and maintained his clinic and office there. His granddaughter, Jean Leonard, deeded the house and contents to the Eagle Fund for restoration in the mid-1980s.

Broomfield Ridley House; (317 W. Colville St.)
Broombield Ridley (1804-1869), a lawyer and judge, acquired the land to build this federal-style home in 1830. Originally a private drive, Colville Street led to this comfortable home overlooking the river. For years the Charles Colville family made this their home, giving the street its name. The Frank Henegar family purchased the home later and remodeled it. Much of the original window glass, shutters, and interior woodwork remain even though several additions to the rear of the house have been made. A muscadine arbor has stood in the front yard for generations.

Historic Falcon Manor; (2645 Faulkner Springs Rd.)
Originally known as Faulkner Mansion, this Queen Anne Victorian mansion was constructed in 1896 by Clay Faulkner, manufacturer of Gorilla Jeans -- so strong, he claimed, even a gorilla couldn't tear them apart. Clay had promised his wife Mary that he would build her the finest house in Warren County if she would move next to their textile mill 2½ miles north of McMinnville. Faulkner had already left his mark on Warren County construction, having served as chairman of the building committee for the First Methodist Church's downtown sanctuary and as principal partner in the Great Falls Cotton Mill at Rock Island. His completed 10,000-square-foot residence was built of solid brick with a huge "gingerbread" veranda. It boasted "all the conveniences of a modern city dwelling," including indoor plumbing, electric lights, central steam heat, and an underground spring water system for refrigeration and cooling.

In 1946, the house was converted into a hospital and nursing home. An early advertisement boasted a quiet location and an ideal climate, at rates of $5.00 to 8.00 per day, according to care required. In the early 1950s, Dr. J.P. Dietrich added onto the building and opened the Faulkner Springs Hospital and Sanitarium, the first full-scale hospital in Warren County.

A 1990s restoration, which returned the mansion to its 1890s splendor, earned the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 1997 Great American Home Award. Falcon Manor is open daily for interpreted history tours.

Cumberland Caverns; (Southeast on Highway 8, then follow the signs, 10 miles from Downtown McMinnville)
Cumberland Caverns is located inside Cardwell Mountain, which was once part of the Cumberland Plateau. The cave was discovered in 1810 by Aaron Higginbotham, and opened for commercial purposes in 1956 by Roy Davis and S. R. "Tank" Gorin. The cave was the site of saltpeter mining for making gunpowder during the War of 1812 and the War Between the States. Bones of a 20,000 year-old lynx were found in the cave.

Over 32 miles of passages are included in the cave, making it one of the nation's longest. It is noted for its very rare gypsum flower formations, and for the extraordinary column formation called Monument Pillar. It also includes a huge underground cave room where 500 can dine and where a massive chandelier from the Loew's Metropolitan Theater (1926) in New York now hangs.

Roy Davis was a college student when he first visited the cave in 1952, and he has since devoted his life to this cave and others. He is the only commercial cave consultant in the country.

Rock Island; (North on Sparta Highway, 15 miles)
This area on the Caney Fork River at the edge of Warren County was the county's first settlement, and the site of a decisive battle in 1793 between white settlers and the Native Americans then occupying Middle Tennessee. Andrew Jackson is believed to have conducted court there while he was a judge in the territory. Tennessee became the 16th state of the Union in 1796.

Ferries operated at Rock Island for many years, and conveyed some of General Jackson's troops on their way to New Orleans in 1812.

A succession of mills built on the river were washed away by floods. The Great Falls Cotton Mill building was completed in 1892 and is an impressive structure. It produced heavy sheeting, but ceased operations in March 1902 when the Great Flood swept away the wheel house that powered the mill. That flood wrought havoc throughout the county.

Several attempts to build a dam on the river were also washed away, but a dam started in 1915 was completed to 75 feet in 1925, and generated electricity for Nashville, Chattanooga and other Middle Tennessee towns.

Rock Island Lake has a shoreline of 125 miles, and has been called "America's greatest fishing hole."

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