Lucy lies in Shelby County, Tennessee, several miles north of the city of Memphis, 2
miles north of the Loosahatchie River, 7.5 miles east of the Mississippi River, 532 miles
south of Chicago and 700 miles west of the Atlantic, at 32 degrees latitude and 90
degrees longitude.
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The actual date of its settlement is unknown, but records indicate that farms existed in
the area before 1830. A railroad map of 1869 shows five stores, eight streets and one
road with a wagon bridge, a depot,cotton platform, cotton house, a stock pen, a coal
shed, ten residences, two cabins, and one shack. The track that eventually became
part of the Chicago and Memphis line of the Illinois-Central Railroad of western
Tennnessee, increased the population of Lucy. Farmers had a faster means to take
their cotton to market, families could visit other places, and the mail could be delivered
to the new post office. It was the rail road and the post office that connected Lucy to the
world. The early families that occupied the area were the Duncans, Goldsbys, Hills,
Owens, Williams, Worthams, and Wynnes.
Just as there are confliciting reports as to the exact date of its founding, there is also
question as to how it got its name. Some report that Lucy got its name from Lucy
Duncan, while others mention Lucy Sewell and Lucy Rowling. It is believed that Lucy
Sewell was the daughter of a railroad offical who often travelled through the town, and
relatives of Lucy Rowling owned land in the area.
Some of the houses still occupied today date back to pre-Civil War. Most were
clapboard , wood framed homes painted white. By 1910, Lucy had added a school, two
more stores, two blacksmith shops, and a cotton gin.
Indeed, it was the post office that garnered the most attention. It was a small frame
building on Dower road and in the early years, mail was delivered to outer residents by
carriers traveling in enclosed, horse drawn buggies. Local residents would walk to the
Post Office to pick up their mail in the building that remains today as a local residence.
Postal service continued in Lucy until 1953.
Equally as important was Lucy School. At some time in the late 1800's a frame, one
room building, serving as an elementary school, was constructed. Transportation to
school for area children was in a wagonette. In 1910, a brick structure, on land donated
by Lewis Williams, served as a high school. The school was a gathering place for
various picnics and socal events. Some residents recall the "stretcher" dances where
canvas was stretched ovar a wooden frame, creating a dance floor and music was
provided by invited guests. The entertainer for several dances was a musician from
Memphis, W. C. Handy. By the 1920's, enrollment decreased at the School, and
students in grades 9 -12 attended Millington Central High School. The original brick
structure remains today as part of the current school building.
Stores were also gathering places. By 1909 there were seven stores within the Lucy
area, increasing commerce and making the town larger at the time than nearby
Millington . What ever a person needed for living was available for purchase at a store
in town, and most stores accommodated their owners with living quarters or offered
rooms for special meetings. One such store, Mr Minor Gillespie's, provided the town hall
in its upstairs quarters.
While many historical buildings remain, most of the stores, the post office and the depot
are long gone. The school and churches thrive, and the people, many descendents of
original families still call Lucy home.
miles north of the Loosahatchie River, 7.5 miles east of the Mississippi River, 532 miles
south of Chicago and 700 miles west of the Atlantic, at 32 degrees latitude and 90
degrees longitude.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The actual date of its settlement is unknown, but records indicate that farms existed in
the area before 1830. A railroad map of 1869 shows five stores, eight streets and one
road with a wagon bridge, a depot,cotton platform, cotton house, a stock pen, a coal
shed, ten residences, two cabins, and one shack. The track that eventually became
part of the Chicago and Memphis line of the Illinois-Central Railroad of western
Tennnessee, increased the population of Lucy. Farmers had a faster means to take
their cotton to market, families could visit other places, and the mail could be delivered
to the new post office. It was the rail road and the post office that connected Lucy to the
world. The early families that occupied the area were the Duncans, Goldsbys, Hills,
Owens, Williams, Worthams, and Wynnes.
Just as there are confliciting reports as to the exact date of its founding, there is also
question as to how it got its name. Some report that Lucy got its name from Lucy
Duncan, while others mention Lucy Sewell and Lucy Rowling. It is believed that Lucy
Sewell was the daughter of a railroad offical who often travelled through the town, and
relatives of Lucy Rowling owned land in the area.
Some of the houses still occupied today date back to pre-Civil War. Most were
clapboard , wood framed homes painted white. By 1910, Lucy had added a school, two
more stores, two blacksmith shops, and a cotton gin.
Indeed, it was the post office that garnered the most attention. It was a small frame
building on Dower road and in the early years, mail was delivered to outer residents by
carriers traveling in enclosed, horse drawn buggies. Local residents would walk to the
Post Office to pick up their mail in the building that remains today as a local residence.
Postal service continued in Lucy until 1953.
Equally as important was Lucy School. At some time in the late 1800's a frame, one
room building, serving as an elementary school, was constructed. Transportation to
school for area children was in a wagonette. In 1910, a brick structure, on land donated
by Lewis Williams, served as a high school. The school was a gathering place for
various picnics and socal events. Some residents recall the "stretcher" dances where
canvas was stretched ovar a wooden frame, creating a dance floor and music was
provided by invited guests. The entertainer for several dances was a musician from
Memphis, W. C. Handy. By the 1920's, enrollment decreased at the School, and
students in grades 9 -12 attended Millington Central High School. The original brick
structure remains today as part of the current school building.
Stores were also gathering places. By 1909 there were seven stores within the Lucy
area, increasing commerce and making the town larger at the time than nearby
Millington . What ever a person needed for living was available for purchase at a store
in town, and most stores accommodated their owners with living quarters or offered
rooms for special meetings. One such store, Mr Minor Gillespie's, provided the town hall
in its upstairs quarters.
While many historical buildings remain, most of the stores, the post office and the depot
are long gone. The school and churches thrive, and the people, many descendents of
original families still call Lucy home.
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