A Sunday Drive along Clinton Highway
A Day Away by Mike Steely
Most of us are familiar with Clinton Highway, or Highway 25W, but there are probably some things along that familiar route that might surprise you. Not too long ago, I enjoyed a Sunday drive along the route and turned back toward town once I hit the Claxton area.
Starting at the Powell Community sign going north on Clinton Highway you’ll pass the large Walmart Shopping Center on your left. Many of us older folks remember that being the site of the former Twin Aire Drive-In Theater. As you top the hill you’ll come to the iconic Airplane Filling Station.
I remember that from my childhood when we drove each fall from Williamsburg, Kentucky, to shop for back-to-school clothes and shoes in downtown Knoxville
The Airplane Filling Station is on the National Register of Historic Places and was built by two brothers who wanted something eye catching and different. It certainly was that. The station has been totally restored on the outside and still attracts people who want a photo or a memory.
Justin Bailey bought the historic station and has turned it into an Airbnb.
“It stays rented a little over half the month and going well. We’ve had people rent it for overnight stays mostly but even for a few birthday parties. All rentals go through the Airbnb website as we use a property management company called Haven,” Bailey told The Focus.
If you stand in the parking lot of the filling station and look south, you can see the Walmart Shopping Center and imagine where the drive-in theater once was.
Further up Clinton Highway you can turn and take a side trip to Powell’s little downtown area along the railroad tracks.
But back on Highway 25W you’ll soon come to the Ciderville Music Store, another historic place full of memories, Cas Walker items and gifts, and a wide variety of musical instruments. Built in 1958 the complex has become a landmark between Knoxville and Clinton.
You can stop by sometime and chat with Ciderville owner David West about all the famous musicians who have played there, the history of the place, and Cas Walker stories. You can find Ciderville Music online or call them at 865-945-3595. Ask about live music on the weekends.
Continuing north on the highway I followed it to Raccoon Valley Road in Claxton and turned east, following that two lane through the countryside to the intersection of Heiskell Road where I turned south toward Knoxville. The difference in that part of our county with its rural rolling hills and country homes to my neighborhood is striking.
The name “Claxton” apparently comes from Marvin Claxton, an early settler, and “Heiskell” comes from the family of Christopher or Samuel Heiskell.
Heiskell Road becomes Central Avenue Pike at the intersection of Emory Road and there I remembered when the large shopping center near that intersection was a large private air field. Just beyond the intersection, further south, is the Glenwood Baptist Church Cemetery which holds the hard-to-find grave of country musician and comedian Archie Campbell. I remembered interviewing him many years ago while he was dedicating his childhood home in Bulls Gap.
Just beyond the I-75 underpass and around the curve you may notice a small house on the left with unusual yard displays. I’ve called it the “Flying Saucer House” and it’s aptly called that for one of the objects in the yard.
From there I followed Central south, passing Tower Road and never really knowing why that street is named that, to Merchant Drive, named for the Merchant family and not the many merchants who have stores there, and back to my home.
So, an afternoon or early Sunday drive within a few miles of your home can be refreshing and a good way to clear your head. With family or alone, it’s good to get out and see our area and even better to do a little research and find out about place names when you return.
