Let us travel back in time to the late 1920s. The rise in tourism brought increased travel through the Concord/Farragut community with motorists on their destination to either Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, or perhaps one of the area lakes. They often found themselves looking for a place to spend the night.
With any luck, they could stop an old-timer along the road and ask for directions. Those directions might sound like “well … go up yonder to that store with the old Coke sign and a big star a-hanging out front. If ya need minners or a bologna sandwich, then there’s the place to git it. I ‘spect there are two places you could stop for the night, both of them are a stone’s throw from there and they are on the left a-heading that-a-way towards Knoxville.”
For today’s travelers that are sans a GPS locator, those directions would not be much help because those places are now vanishing vestiges of Kingston Pike from yesteryear.
Lone Star Service Station circa 1960
The store with the big star was known to locals as the Lone Star which was owned by Oscar and Vic Atchley Woody. The story goes that while on vacation in Texas, Mr. Woody found a neon sign in the shape of a huge star, brought it home with him, and hung it outside his store which was founded in 1925. For 24 years, the Woodys operated the Lone Star as a filling station and a general store that included fishing supplies and bait. In his later years, the Lone Star was operated by his nephew, James Harold Stooksbury. Finally, the landmark was demolished and the office complex for Glenleigh Court was built on that location in the vicinity of 10806 Kingston Pike. The neon star is now on exhibit at the Farragut Museum.
Further east on Kingston Pike one could find the 11-70 Motor Lodge/Court which was an active stop over for tourists. Built in 1900, it is advertised as late as 1957 in old newspapers. Early owners were Jack and Sarah Mason Ward. The most recent owner was Vera Mae Hardin Rhea who was quite the entrepreneur. According to sources, Rhea maintained the cabins in their original décor, complete with their original numbers and a large black and white sign that resembled an 11-70 highway marker. She used the Motor Lodge for her personal residence and an occasional visiting guest. Before passing away in 2010, she was the proprietor for the West Side Dinner Theatre and Deep Cove Lodge. The property at 10613 now belongs to family member(s).
Aud’s Camp with its windmill.
Another unique landmark was known as Aud’s Camp. It was originally built in 1927 by A.R. Cardwell and offered a small office, country store with gas pumps and several tourist cabins behind it. Mr. Cardwell named the place “Cardonia” after his daughter, Louise Cardwell Wallace, but he sold it in 1935 to Audie Sowder who renamed it Aud’s Camp and added a windmill. Perhaps Sowder envisioned the windmill to draw attraction to his establishment.
Local people often used it as a convenient place to meet along “the Pike.” Old newspapers advertised livestock such as sheep, pigs, and lambs being held there for speculative buyers. One advertisement offered a reward for a “strayed sour-faced bulldog!”
In later years C.E. Keck ran it as an Esso Station while still offering the cabins for tourists. After it had been vacant for several years, Dr. Hollis Duncan and Dr. Steve Ritchie purchased it and built Concord Medical Center at 10215 Kingston Pike.
One would encourage the reader to slow down and take a long nostalgic look for the last remaining landmark for the 11-70 Motor Court. Blink and someday it, too, will be gone along with the old-timer’s directions. Quite simply, he would say “you just can’t get there from here anymore!”
Mona Isbell Smith is a retired computer systems analyst who enjoys freelancing.
