A Step Back in Time
By Bobbie Sue Shelton

William Thomas Lowe

The Eagleville Community was very fortunate to have been home to three businessmen whose combined years of employment added up to approximately 201 years. All three men entered into Eagleville businesses and continued to work until they were in their 90’s. Articles on Mr. Green Hay and Dr. Leslie Williams have been featured in previous editions of the Eagleville Times.

Mr. William Thomas “Bill” Lowe our third remarkable Eagleville businessman was born October 10, 1874. His parents were Leonard Keeling Lowe, a native of Wilson County, Tennessee and Sophie Parlee Williams Lowe, daughter of Chesley and Sally Allison Williams of Eagleville. Mr. Bill was one of 10 children who grew up approximately three miles north of Eagleville. He and his brother, George, married sisters and were the only children of Leonard K. and Sophie Lowe that spent their lifetime in Eagleville.

On November 7, 1892 Mr. Bill went to work for his uncle, James Chesley Williams in the Williams Dry Goods Store. During this time he was also a registered pharmacist. It is believed that Mr. Bill graduated from the University of Nashville Medical School in 1905. Tennessee did not formally license doctors until 1914. Many physicians/pharmacist interned with experienced doctors, attended a course or two at the university and then practiced medicine without a diploma, maybe completing their degree years later.


Bill, Clara, Bob & Helen Lowe

On December 25, 1900 he married Clara Jackson, daughter of Robert N. “Boat” and Emma Lee Dawson Jackson. She was the schoolteacher at Concord at the time of their marriage. Their home, which they purchased in 1900 from his uncle, Robert Edward Williams, was on the south end of Eagleville, first house past Eagleville Florist. Mr. Bill and his wife Clara had 3 children, William Robert “Bob”, Helen and Clarence J. who was born May 18, 1907. Seven days after the birth of Clarence, Clara Lowe died at the age of 31. She is buried in the Jackson Cemetery. After her death, Mr. Tip and Laura McCord helped Mr. Bill by taking the baby, Clarence to live with them but unfortunately he died in November 1909 and is buried near his mother. Other family members helped with the care of the other children.


Clara Jackson Lowe

William Robert “Bob” born in 1901 and died in 1996 married Nan McRae, daughter of Samuel Pleasant and Eugenia McRae and had 4 children: Clara, William Robert Jr. “Spot”, Mildred and Clarence J. “Buddy”. Nan died in 1954 and is buried in the Evergreen Cemetery in Murfreesboro. Bob married 2nd to Della Bergh who died in 1968.

Helen was born in 1904 and died 1975. She married Leonard Akins and had 2 daughters, Helen Claire and Anna.

Mr. Bill Lowe married November 12, 1912 to Martha Wilford “Mattie” Coleman, daughter of Emily Jane and Wilford E. Coleman of Bedford County. She was born in 1872 and died in 1958 and is buried in the Jenkins Chapel Church Cemetery in Bedford County. No children born to this union. Mrs. Mattie Lowe was a cousin to William Prentice Cooper Jr. who was Governor of Tennessee 1939-1945. Mr. Bill was a deacon in the Eagleville Baptist Church and Mrs. Mattie was a member of the Eagleville Methodist Church.

In 1907 Mr. Bill’s banking profession started as an assistant cashier in the Bank of Eagleville. He soon became a cashier, and later president of the bank. In about 1957 he was named chairman of the board and held that position at the time of his death in 1967. Mr. Bill Lowe was a good friend as well as a banker to many people in the Eagleville area. It was well known he made personal loans to those who didn’t qualify for a loan through the bank. He was a very punctual employee. It was often said, “you could set your watch by Mr. Lowe going to and from work each day”. He continued going to the bank each day until a few weeks before his death.

Long before armor trucks delivered bank money, the Bank of Eagleville money was often delivered by a livestock truck. Dalton Pope, a local livestock dealer often made trips to Nashville transporting livestock to the stockyards. On his way back to Eagleville, he would pick up the bank money, throw the money sack in the back of his truck, where the cows had been and bring it to the bank If the bank had already closed, he would take the money to Mr. Bill’s house.


Bill & Mattie Lowe

A memory I have of Mr. Bill is about him driving his car to and from work. He would never change gears traveling between his home and the bank. Needless to say, everyone knew when Mr. Bill was coming through Eagleville.

Mr. Bill also established the W. T. Lowe Auto Parts Co., in Eagleville. The business burned and it was later re-opened in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Many long-time Eagleville citizens remember William Thomas “Bill” Lowe. Those who knew him automatically connect his name with the Bank of Eagleville. He was a very well known and respected citizen of the Eagleville community. He is buried in the Jordan-Williams Cemetery near Eagleville.

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1903 Bank of Eagleville Advertisement

The Bank of Eagleville opened in 1901 and was located in the building north of Dr. Les William’s store and in front of Crosslin Supply. Keith Carey and Rick Thurman own the building and major remodeling is presently in progress. According to a 1976 newspaper article, the Bank of Eagleville was the oldest financial institution in Rutherford County. In 1970 the bank was moved to a new building and on September 25th, 1976 the bank celebrated it’s 75th anniversary along with an open house for the new expansion of a new conference room, bookkeeping department, additional storage area, expanded perimeter paving, kitchen and decorative retainer wall. In 1976 the officers of the bank were: Marvin Hayes, president and chief executive officer; L. R. Taylor, chairman of the board; Russell Puckett, vice-chairman, Richard Hendrix, vice-president; Edna Ivey, cashier; Hazel Rigsby, assistant cashier and Margie Ghee, assistant cashier. Directors were: Charles Ivey Burns, Davis Carr, H. B. Grader, Marvin Hayes, Edna Ivey, C. W. Puckett, Russell Puckett, W. J. “Justin” Crosslin, Jr. Sam Farris and L. R. Taylor.


Mr. Lowe's Pharmacy Certificate

In 1983 the Bank of Eagleville was sold to Union Planters Bank of Nashville and this year, 2005, it’s ownership was changed to Regions Bank.

The Bank of Eagleville had several robberies and attempted robberies over the years. The following story of an attempted robbery was published in a Nashville newspaper in the 1950’s.


WOMAN STOMPS, BURGLARS SCRAM

Eagleville, Tenn – A little gray haired woman, stomped through her apartment and frightened away burglars working below on the vault of the Bank of Eagleville early yesterday. After her march, calm Miss Pearl Tucker pulled up a chair, sat down and leveled a pistol at her apartment door and waited for the intruders to come get her, if they chose. The unsuccessful burglars went the other way. Police said they left so fast they tore down a door and tossed their tools away. Miss Tucker, who wouldn’t give her age, said she was awakened about 2 a.m. by a banging and pounding noise below that actually jarred the building. She first went down the outside stairs to call a neighbor but when she couldn’t arouse her, returned upstairs to her apartment and tried her scheme – put on her shoes and walk up and down like mad, and sound like as many men as possible. “I turned on the hall light and then walked hard throughout my apartment”, she said. “I hoped they would think I was a man and leave.” She was careful not to scream or call out, so as to carry out the illusion she was a man. “Then I got my pistol – I think it is a .38 (caliber) – sat down in a chair, pulled the hammer back and pointed it at the door. I was ready for them if they came.” Miss Tucker wasn’t able to tell police how many persons might have been downstairs. Sheriff W. Wilson, an agent of the federal investigation would not say if they had any leads. Miss Tucker could tell they were in a hurry. “They really made a noise when they went through the back door, nearly tore the door down,” she said. Sheriff Wilson said the burglars entered the building after prying loose a screen outside an unbarred window behind a teller’s cage. They attempted to break through the vault door by knocking off a hinge and the combination off the lock, Wilson said. Then they entered a storage room behind the vault and dug through four layers of brick but failed to break through the wall. John G. Wade, cashier said they had to go through two more rows of brick to get inside. There they would have found a large safe next to the wall where they were digging. W. T. Lowe, chairman of the board, said the vault contained $14,295.61 and explained that most of the bank’s money was on deposit with a Nashville bank. He said a similar break-in occurred about 40 years ago and the burglars then also failed to get any money. Wilson said he found a sledgehammer near the debris in the storage room at the rear of the vault and a steel punch outside the back door. A burglar’s wrecking bar was found two doors up the street between two buildings.