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McMinnville City Hall could house Civil War artifact
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Lisa Hobbs photo A sword once owned by John Houston Savage will be on display at McMinnville City Hall as soon as officials determine the best way to protect the item from any individual who might want to help themselves to a piece of Civil War history. Pictured is Mike Corley, who currently owns the artifact that was in the possession of Frank Farrar.

A Civil War artifact could make its temporary home at McMinnville City Hall. 

The artifact, a Confederate Civil War sword owned by John Houston Savage, has been offered for display.

“Mike Corley contacted the mayor and also me about loaning the city this saber to put on display,” said Alderman Steve Harvey to members of the city Building and Grounds Committee. “This would be loaned to us, I guess indefinitely, to be placed along with all the other artifacts and memorabilia we have on the second floor.”

Savage was born in McMinnville on Oct. 9, 1815.

He was appointed colonel on June 10, 1861, resigned on Feb. 20, 1863, and died in early April 1904. Funeral services were held at Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and he was buried in Riverside Cemetery.

Corley mounted the sword and its sheath in a plaque that can be securely mounted on the wall.

“Accepting it on loan will create some duty on the city to take reasonable steps to protect it,” said city attorney Tim Pirtle. “I think you should consider, if you are going to accept it and display it, that some consideration be given to protecting it from theft. I don’t know if that would happen, but it should be considered.”

Committee members voted unanimously to accept the offer. No determination was made on how best to protect the item when it is displayed. The area under consideration does have security cameras.

Among Savage’s numerous accomplishments:

• In 1836, enlisted in a Company commanded by John B. Rogers of Rock Island, called “The Mountain Blues” to help in the war raging in Texas as it fought for its independence.
• Studying law in 1837, he was admitted to the bar in 1839 and commenced practice in Smithville.
• In 1841, he was made Attorney General of the 4th Tennessee District taking up the post until 1847 when he resigned and enlisted in the Army to join in the war with Mexico.
• Appointed Major in the 14th Infantry he was severely wounded by a shell in the assault on Molino-del-Rey.
• Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel he was assigned to the 11th Infantry. After the death of Col. William M. Graham he commanded this Regiment until the close of the war. On returning home he again took up law.
• Elected as a Democrat to the House of Representatives from 1849-53 and from 1855-59.
• Answering the call to arms at the start of the Civil War, he was appointed Colonel on June 10, 1861 of the 16th Tennessee.
• Wounded twice, and having his horse shot from under him, at the Battle of Perryville (Chaplin Hills), Oct. 8, 1862, he continued in command until the battle was over.
• He was again wounded at the Battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River), Dec. 30, 1862 to Jan. 3, 1863.
• After the war he moved his practice to McMinnville, and in 1872, he moved to Hot Springs, AR, to rest.
• Elected member of the State House of Representatives 1877-79 and 1887-91 and the State Senate 1879-81.
• In 1903 he published his memoirs, “The Life of John H. Savage.”
• On the March 26, 1904 he petitioned that a monument to the 16th Tennessee be raised in McMinnville. It was unveiled May 10, 1904.

Local law enforcement on the lookout for distracted driving
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April is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Distracted Driving Awareness Month and McMinnville Police Department (MPD) is on the roads to educate motorists about appropriate hands-free driving.

The amplified focus of cracking down on distracted driving is a nationwide initiative, with many states taking part. MPD Officer Mark Mara indicated the local department is increasing patrols, funded by overtime grants, to enforce and educate about Tennessee’s Hands Free Law.

“We’re trying to get people to change their habits,” Mara said. “There’s a lot of people that are distracted while driving, whether its their cell phones or not. When driving, there are already so many distractions, so having electronics in your hands while you’re driving down the road is dangerous. We need to focus on getting where we need to go and getting there safely.”

According to its records, NHTSA estimates 3,308 lives were lost in crashes involving distracted drivers in 2022 and 8% of all fatal crashes could be attributed to the same. To illustrate the point on a larger scale, it approximates over 32,000 people have died and nearly 290,000 were left injured from crashes attributed to distracted motorists between 2013 and 2022.

Violation of the Tennessee Hands Free Law is a Class C misdemeanor and traffic citations based on the violation are considered moving traffic violations. A first-time offense is typically $50 with third-time offenses and violations resulting in a crash rising to $100; citations received in a work zone while workers or present or in a marked school zone while flashes are in operation carry a penalty of $200. Three points are also added to a motorist’s driving record for each violation with 12 points leading to license suspension.

While the law specifically mentions hands in its name, it is similarly illegal to prop the phone up with any other part of their body.

“We’re going to be stopping vehicles whose operators are distracted by using their cell phones or other electronic devices,” Mara said. “It is against the law for a motorist to be holding their electronic device or having it on their body, so if you’re holding it to your ear or with your shoulder, it’s against the law all the same.”

When using GPS technology, Mara recommends investing in windshield-, vent- or dash-mounted mobile device holder to support the phone while using it for those purposes so your hands can remain on the wheel without compromising your ability to navigate to a destination.

“I understand that your cell phones are a lifeline and we get that — we use them ourselves for GPS. If you have an important phone call that’s coming in and you really need to focus on talking to that person, just pull over to the side of the road and turn on your emergency lights,” Mara said. “When you’re on a phone call, you’re not paying attention to all of the things you need to. You’re going to be concentrating on that conversation and you’re going to find yourself drifting in your lane, going through a stop sign or not stopping properly before a red light.”

Mara additionally recommended drivers sync their phones to their vehicles in models with Bluetooth capabilities and to use phone mounts that do not obstruct vision of the roadways through the windshield.

“The greatest danger of distracted driving is ending up in a crash that was absolutely avoidable, which might hurt yourself or someone else,” Mara said. “You’ve got a lot in front of you when you’re driving and a vehicle is a piece of machinery. We want all motorists to be driving safely on the roads and getting to their destinations without misadventure.”

Warnings and citations will be rendered at officers’ discretion during the increased patrols.