A Look Around Williston, Tennessee

Today, let’s take a look around my home town of Williston, Tennessee, population 341. Actually, that doesn’t technically include us, because we live just outside of the town limits. But we still claim it as our home, even if it doesn’t claim us. Their loss, I’m sure.

As you may guess, Williston isn’t a big town at all. And the main part of it only has a few buildings. Here is a look at some of them. Click each photo to get a larger view.

First up is the Williston Auction Barn. Yes, seriously. It may not look like much from the outside. And actually, it may not look like much from the inside, either. The Auction Barn isn’t used for much these days, but up until about five years ago, there was an auction there every Saturday night. I think it was actually more of a social affair than anything, although they did auction off stuff every week. We never did make it to an auction, but we have been inside the barn before, and it is decorated with all kinds of photos and knick-knacks of just about anything imaginable. I really like the character that this building has, even if it looks like it has seen its better days.

Next to the Auction Barn is the Bank of Williston building. And yes, it was a bank for quite a while, although that was long before we moved to the area. In fact, the bank opened in 1911 and closed in 1937, so it hasn’t been there for longer than it was there. But the building still stands. When we moved here, the Post Office was located in the Bank of Williston building. Unfortunately, the Postal Service eventually decided that a post office in Williston wasn’t necessary, and the bank building has been vacant ever since then.

Perhaps the most recognized building in Williston, if there is such a thing, is the W.C. Crawford General Store. The store was originally built in 1869, and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Instead of a general store, it is now more of an antique store, and it is usually open on the weekends. Lots of cool stuff to see inside.

Here is a look at the front porch of the Crawford Store. I’m sure the porch was a popular gathering place for the local residents back in the day. And because the building hasn’t changed much since then, it is easy to imagine how those days were.

There are a couple of other buildings that are close to the town square, even if they aren’t right on the square, and one of them is the Williston Methodist Church. The church was formed back in the 1800s, although this particular building isn’t quite that old. Still, it is a great example of old church architecture. I never have been inside it, although I would imagine it looks just as interesting on the inside as on the outside.

The Williston Town Hall is also just a few steps away from the town square. As you can see, the town hall was formerly an old house, and it was built around 1900. It has been restored and given to the city for official use. For many years, the Williston Town Hall was our voting location, until the district lines were changed. It was always a treat to get to go inside this old house to vote, just to see the inside of it.

So that is the grand tour of Williston, Tennessee. Just a small southern town that I am glad to live in. Or near. Sometimes, it seems like things haven’t changed all that much from long ago. And sometimes, you don’t have to work very hard to imagine that you have gone back in time to the days of yesteryear.