Sweet Lips (or "Sweetlips") is an unincorporated community in Chester County, Tennessee, United States.[2]
Sweet Lips, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Sweet Lips | |
  Sweet Lips, Tennessee  Sweet Lips, Tennessee | |
| Coordinates: 35°24′30″N 88°31′20″W / 35.40833°N 88.52222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| County | Chester |
| Elevation | 584 ft (178 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-6 (Central (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-5 (CDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1303968[1] |
History
editThe first settlers arrived in the 1820s.[3] Residents have claimed that the name comes from "settlers (or wandering hobos or thirsty Civil War soldiers, depending on whom you ask) who declared water from a creek to be 'sweet to the lips.'"[3][4][5] Alternatively, It may be named after Sweet Lips, the gun that a Tennessean soldier used to kill Patrick Ferguson who was leading an army of Loyalists to invade Tennessee on October 7, 1780.[6] It may also be named after George Washington's dog with the same name.[7] Sweet Lips has frequently been noted on lists of unusual place names.[3][8][9]
A 1986 profile on the community reported a population of 85, no stop signs or street lights, no post office, and that the former two-room school house was now the "Sweet Lips Grocery" store.[10][11] The school closed in 1960.[12]
Some scenes from the 1973 movie Walking Tall were filmed in Sweet Lips.[13]
References
edit- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sweet Lips, Tennessee
- ^ Boothby, Karen J. (February 18, 2009). Sweet Lips with a sense of humor, The Jackson Sun (article on this "Chester County community" notes that "when your community's named Sweet Lips, you learn to have a sense of humor.")
- ^ a b c (July 14, 1991). Toad Suck, 10 miles, Stop laughing - that's the town's name, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ("The village, settled about 170 years ago, once bustled. Now the community's lone business is Sweet Lips Store.")
- ^ Boyd, L.M. (July 20, 1995). Greater Singers, Daily Record (Washington)
- ^ "From Panic to Tranquility". Reading Eagle. April 7, 2003. pp. B7. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
- ^ "The American Revolution". Tennessee4me. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
- ^ "George Washington: Founding Father—And Passionate Dog Breeder". HISTORY. December 3, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ Rose, Allen (June 12, 1993). LIZARD LICK IS ODD NAME FOR TOWN, BUT MAP IS FULL OF OFF-BEAT NAMES, Orlando Sentinel
- ^ (August 28, 1886). A Nation of Humorists, The Atlanta Constitution (1886 article notes name -- "In Tennessee we find Sweet Lips, Defeated, Regret, Peanut, Quiz and Tut.")
- ^ (June 25, 1986). A Sweet Lips, Tennessee Homecoming, Tri-City Herald (reprint from the Los Angeles Times
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Sweet Lips TN post office
- ^ Chester Co. Historical Society. Chester Co, TN - Vol II - Pictorial, p. 135 (2001)
- ^ Pusser, Dwana. Walking on: A Daughter's Journey With Legendary Sheriff Buford Pusser, p. 159 (2009)
External links
edit
Media related to Sweet Lips, Tennessee at Wikimedia Commons
