Henderson, Tennessee Drawing

One of Tommy Thompson's daughters, Michelle Rideout, created the pencil drawing of the town of Henderson, Tennessee. Rideout is known for her meticulous attention to detail in drawing and this one is a good example.

Henderson, Tennessee, was founded in the 1850s as a railroad stop on the Mobile Railroad. Most of the town was built around the railroad, but a college caused growth as well. Freed-Hardeman University was founded in Henderson in 1907.

Henderson has had several interesting natives who made an impression upon our nation. Sue Shelton White became one of the great leaders of the Woman's Right to Vote Movement of the early 1900s. She later helped design the U.S. Social Security System under the Roosevelt Administration.

Henderson's most famous son is country music singer and songwriter, Eddy Arnold, who was born in Henderson in 1918. Arnold was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1966.

To purchase one of the limited-edition prints of Henderson, Tennessee, please check out http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/tennessee/henderson-tn.

Cleveland, Tennessee Drawing

Cleveland was established in 1837 as a county seat for Bradley County, which had been created the previous year. The town was named after Colonel Benjamin Cleveland, a commander at the Battle of Kings Mountain during the American Revolution. Cleveland, TN, is the fifth largest industrial city in the state with 12 Fortune 500 manufacturers. A few of the products that are manufactured in Cleveland include Coca Cola, Dasani Water, M&M Mars, Coppertone, Dr. Scholl products, Whirlpool, Kenmore, Tappan appliance, Catnapper recliners, and Duracell batteries. Cleveland is home to Lee University and Cleveland State College. Lee is the second largest privately owned university in the state, second only to Vanderbilt. To order a print of Cleveland, TN, click here: http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/tennessee/cleveland-tn. 

Homesick for the South

Are you a transplanted Southerner? Are you homesick for your Southern roots? The hometown drawings of 12 Southern states available through Village Prints offer transplanted Southerners the chance to soothe their homesickness by having composite prints of their hometowns hanging on their walls. We received a call recently from a lady originally from Tennessee, who is now living in Florida. She told us how homesick she was for the South, and memorabilia like our prints of Southern towns would be so welcome in her home. Although she already owns our print of her hometown of Columbia, TN, she immediately ordered prints of three other towns around Columbia, TN.

Last October we met M. L. Rose, the author of The Road to Eden's Ridge, at the Factory in Franklin, TN. Ms. Rose is an exuberant writer and interesting conversationalist. When she learned about the 350+ pencil drawings that the artists of Village Prints have done, she became very enthusiastic about the prospect of promoting these prints because during today's economic downturn so many Americans are now wanting to return to basics--to return to their roots. Be sure to check out the website at http://www.villageprints.com to see if we have drawn your hometown. You will find drawings of towns in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Hope, Arkansas, Birthplace of Mike Huckabee

The artistic team of Tommy Thompson and his two daughters, Michelle and Melanie, has produced composite drawings of more than 300 towns across 12 Southern states. These drawings can be viewed on the web site, Village Prints. One of the prints is Hope, Arkansas, the birthplace of former Governor Mike Huckabee.  The drawing of Hope was done by Thompson's daughter, Michelle Rideout, who is the one of the South’s most prolific artists in capturing small town Americana.

Struck by the pride of older Americans in the heritage of their towns, Thompson transformed glimpses of the past found in old, faded photographs and memories into composite drawings, which were then printed as limited editions. Collectors of Thompson's prints sometimes find it difficult to locate someone who is willing to part with their prints once all the prints of a particular town have been sold. The artistic team preserved the memories of bygone days for more than 300 towns in twelve states across the South.

Iron City, Tennessee, Origin of Village Prints

In 1984 artist Tommy Thompson was traveling through a small town called Iron City, Tennessee. When he stopped by one of the stores for a soft drink, he was amazed at the town pride that he heard in the voices of the old men sitting around a pot-bellied stove in the store. After listening some more, he learned that a community group needed a fundraiser to help refurbish a park along a creek that ran through the town. The people in the general store, through their descriptions and recollections, helped the artist capture in a pencil drawing the essence of the buildings that had long ago been torn down. The project was quite successful, selling all prints in a month or so, to benefit the small town. From that spark, the artistic team preserved the memories of bygone days for more than 300 towns in twelve states across the South.

For more than 20 years, Thompson and his two daughters, Michelle and Melanie, preserved small-town Americana for posterity in their drawings. Check out the newly redesigned web site to see if you can find the place of your roots. For example, you will see a composite drawing of Hope, Arkansas, the birthplace of two famous men, Governor Mike Huckabee and former President Bill Clinton.

In their travels as painter, photographer, and writer, Tommy and Marie Thompson have met some very interesting people. In Franklin, TN, they met M. L. Rose, the author of the new book, The Road to Eden's Ridge. In a conversation with Tommy Thompson, Rose learned of his original career as an illustrator. She was fascinated with the artist's concept for the unique business that has preserved memories of the past for many Americans who grew up in small towns across the South. Rose advised Thompson to promote vigorously his unusual web site because, she said, in an economic downturn Americans want to reminisce about their roots--the place where they grew up.

Return to Basics--Find a Drawing of the Hometown of Your Roots

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/texas/marshall-tx

Whenever we experience an economic downturn, we usually want to return to the basics--to a simpler way of life.

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/arkansas/hope-ar

If you long to return to your roots, why not search for your hometown on http://www.villageprints.com/.

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/georgia/camilla-ga

Tommy Thompson or his two daughters may have captured the essence of your hometown in a composite drawing.

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/alabama/springville-alabama

These artists have preserved the memories of hundreds of towns in 12 states across the South.

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/north-carolina/concord-nc

These limited-edition prints are signed and numbered and printed on parchtone paper.

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/kentucky/bowling-green-ky

The prints make wonderful gifts for any occasion--Valentines, birthdays, retirements, etc.

http://www.villageprints.com/drawings/tennessee/henderson-tn

Log onto http://www.villageprints.com/ and try to find the town where you grew up or once lived.

Collierville, TN

Located only a few miles from Memphis, Collierville, TN, is the ideal destination for a weekend getaway, family vacation, group tour, or meeting. You can take a stroll through the historic Town Square that prides itself on its excellent service, quality of merchandise and hometown atmosphere. With its beautifully renovated historic buildings, the square offers a mix of antique stores, for which Collierville is famous; restaurants; gift and specialty stores; clothiers; and an array of professional services.

For those people who either live in Collierville or grew up there, an excellent gift idea for any occasion is a limited-edition print of Collierville. This 16" x 20" print sells for $45.00, plus $7.00 for shipping and handling. For details see Collierville TN Art Print.