Home Care In Bon Aqua, TN

Johnny Cash’s Tennessee ranch and a local general store which also served as a music venue for Cash opened to the public last week as the Storytellers Museum and Hideaway Farm, in honor of the late singer’s love of the ranch and the local area.

The farm has been lovingly restored by its owners Brian and Sally Oxley. Brian Oxley discovered the music of Johnny Cash three years ago and became an ardent fan to the extent that he bought the 107-acre Bon Aqua ranch in 2015, for $895,000. The farm still contained Cash’s last car, and an arbor he had built for his family.

Recommended Reading

Willie Nelson’s Braids Fetch $37,000 at Auction

By Cait Munro, Oct 7, 2014

On moving in, Oxley discovered an old VHS tape with a recording of a performance held at a local convenience store, owned by Cash, celebrating 20 years of making music in 1975. Oxley was so moved that he bought the then decrepit building with a view of restoring it and the small stage in the back to what they were, and staging musical events for the local community.

“We used to sing here on Saturday nights,” Cindy Cash told the Tennessean in May. “Us girls would get up on stage and sing whatever we wanted … we’d sell lemonade and cookies that we made. We would take turns singing, or sing together, and Dad would get up there, too. It was so neat because it was just the locals. We didn’t advertise: If you saw a piece of paper on the door, you knew there’d be singing that night.”

The Cash’s set up the venue for fun and as most people in their local neighborhood couldn’t afford to travel to bigger venues to see live music. The local “Saturday Night in Hickman County” gigs performed by the Cash family were advertised with a small poster on the door and were free of charge.

Recommended Reading

Elvis Presley’s Gibson Guitar Fetches $334,000 at Auction

By Brian Boucher, May 23, 2016

“We want to make this more of an experience than a museum,” Brian Oxley told the Tennessean.

Cash acquired Bon Aqua in the early 1970s after he found out his accountant had been embezzling funds to invest in real estate. He sold off everything his accountant had illegally bought with his money but kept Bon Aqua after falling in love with the place.

“For me in ’72, it was love at first sight … a place that moved into my heart immediately, a place I knew I could belong,” Cash wrote in his autobiography.

Recommended Reading

Prince’s ‘Yellow Cloud’ Guitar Heads to Auction

By Brian Boucher, May 16, 2016

The Storyteller’s Museum and Farm are open to the public with live music played at the museum every day. The museum houses memorabilia such as guitars, letters, and photographs while the farm and lands have been restored for viewing.

Plenty of songs have been inspired by cars: Wilson Pickett’s “Mustang Sally,” War’s “Low Rider,” and Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,” to name a few. There’s likely only one car, however, that’s been inspired by a song: Johnny Cash’s “One Piece at a Time” Cadillac, located in Bon Aqua, Tennessee.

His 1976 song of the same name, written by Wayne Kemp, was Cash’s last song to make the Billboard Hot 100. It’s a bouncy number about a Detroit auto worker who, assembling Cadillacs day after day, dreams of owning one himself. He hatches a plan to fashion himself a car out of parts he patiently steals off the assembly line—one piece at a time. After 25 years, he assembles the stolen parts only to realize they’re freakishly mismatched. The 1949–1973 patchwork car is the laughing stock of the town, but the narrator ultimately gets the free Cadillac he’d been dreaming of, which is of course, completely one-of-a-kind:

I got it one piece at a time and it didn’t cost me a dime,

You’ll know it’s me when I come through your town.

I’m gonna ride around in style, I’m gonna drive everybody wild,

‘Cause I’ll have the only one there is around.

In 1976, Cash’s team hired a Nashville auto shop to construct a frankensteined Cadillac Coupe DeVille to promote the song, but it was ultimately destroyed the following year. In 1977, an Oklahoma car collector named Bill Patch constructed his own “One Piece at a Time” DeVille from salvaged parts, but this time as a gift to Johnny Cash himself.

The meticulously constructed car features not just mismatched headlights (“now the headlight was another sight / we had two on the left and one on the right”) and asymmetrical rear-end (“the backend looked kinda funny too / but we put it together and when we got through / that’s when we noticed that we only had one tail-fin”), but incongruous seating and headrests in the interior as well.

After Patch presented it to Cash free of charge, no strings attached, the two became lifelong friends. When Cash found out Patch’s hometown of Welch, Oklahoma, needed funding to construct an auditorium for their local community center, Cash and his wife June played a series of benefit concerts there, also free of charge. In fact, they drove Patch’s “One Piece at a Time” Cadillac to get there.

Today, the Cadillac rests at Johnny Cash’s one-time private country-home getaway, Hideaway Farms, where he would often unwind after long tours. The car is part of the Storytellers Museum, which features Cash’s personal memorabilia, several small performance stages, and the home that Cash once called “the center of my universe”—a uniquely personal window into the private life of the Man in Black.

cars music museums

Community Contributors

HICKMAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) – Campers saw total devastation at the Piney River Resort in Bon Aqua Saturday following severe flooding.

New campers, Jennifer and Jason Johnston, spoke with News 2 about their experience. The couple came up from Texas and are heading to South Carolina.

“We just picked up our camper on Thursday. We never had been camping in an RV or pulled an RV ever. This seemed like a nice area, Piney River Resort,” explained Jennifer.

Jennifer said they were originally in the lower part of the campsite but they couldn’t get the camper unhooked. The campground staff then moved them up to higher ground, shortly before the rain started.

“Five minutes after you got the warning, that’s when the flooding hit. The lower section of the campground, it just started washing all the vehicles and campgrounds away. The cool thing about the RV community and this site, everyone pulled together to help everyone out. Everyone was accounted for who is supposed to be here which is awesome,” said Jason.

The Johnston’s told News 2 they even took in a family themselves.

“This family who was closest to the river here at the campsite, they luckily got out, there was six kids, two adults and three dogs. Their camper got washed away, and they were sitting with flooded vehicles and didn’t have anywhere to go. Jason and I looked at each other and said there’s no question, come in our camper, our house is your house,” explained Jennifer.

Jennifer told News 2 they had no electricity and ran out of water. She made the kids some food and once there was a bit of leeway when the water receded, the family was able to head back home.

“It was crazy for a while, we didn’t know if we were going to get a break or not,” said Jennifer.

Jason told News 2 the couple was able to leave briefly to drop his daughters off at home and gather supplies. He said most people left the campground.

“Everybody pretty much remained calm. There was no panicking everyone just did what they had to do to keep everyone safe,” Jason explained.

Jennifer said they never expected to experience this during their first RV trip.

“We definitely got quick lessons on how to be campers in less than 24 hours,” Jennifer said.

They told News 2 the campground staff did an excellent job in helping people.

? Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

“They have come through this poor man that is the campground host he was running ragged. He was one of the ones when we first got here. He stopped what he was doing and helped us for two hours. He said you know, let’s move you to higher ground. It’s amazing how people come together its nice to see that right now in the world,” said Jennifer.

The couple encourages everyone who is able, to help those in need right now. Three people were helicoptered out from the scene.

HICKMAN COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Bon Aqua couple is working to recover from a devastating fire that claimed their home of 15 years, as well as four pets inside, on Valentine’s Day.

Lisa Trotter told News 2 that she and her husband, Joe, received a call from a neighbor around 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 14, letting them know about smoke coming from their property. By the time they arrived, fire crews were hard at work, but their home was a total loss.

The Trotters said they believe the fire started due to an electrical shortage in their dryer, which Joe had been working on the day before.

“You stand here and watch your home burn knowing you can’t do anything about it, and knowing you had animals in there that you couldn’t save, it’s a gut wrenching feeling,” Lisa said.

This fire hits the couple at an especially hard time, as Joe is battling Stage 4 lung cancer.

In addition, the Trotters are raising their grandchildren after losing their daughter, Whitney, in a motorcycle crash several years ago. Whitney’s ashes were inside the home in an urn at the time of the fire. Thankfully, Lisa said, Whitney’s ashes were unharmed.

“It just amazes me that those fell the way they did, to where they didn’t just blow away,” Lisa said. “I think that was her way of telling me everything’s going to be okay.”

A family friend in McEwen has offered to give couple a mobile home that was set to be torn down, but now the Trotters need funds to help transport the home to their property. They also lost nearly all their belongings and furnishings, which will now need to be replaced.

One of the couple’s other children, Kimberly Yates, has stepped up to help her parents raise funds following the fire.

“It’s heartbreaking because for about four-and-a-half, five years, this was my home too,” Yates said as she teared up. “Well, mine and my son’s. They gave us a roof over our head when we had nowhere to go, so it’s heartbreaking,” Yates said.

If you would like to help the Trotters, you can make a donation through GoFundMe, Venmo @Lisa-Trotter-8, or their daughter’s CashApp at $kimyates81.

The Daily Herald

A Spring Hill family brought the King Mule ribbon back to Maury County at this year’s Skillington Draft Mule Show Saturday in the Old Arena at Maury County Park.

Last year, Ruby the mare from Gallatin, Tenn., took the top honor.

After more than three hours of competition, Cale Reed’s mare mule “Mary” was crowned Grand Champion of the show, earning the title “King Mule.”

Reed said he has visited Mule Day every year since he was born.

“I have been trying to win this one a long time,” Reed said. “I have won shows all over the country and none of them mean more than this one right here, I promise you.”

Reed was at a loss for words after the show. He said he was “overwhelmed” about winning the top honor.

“It’s all about the show and feeling good,” Reed said. “In my house, Mule Day is the biggest thing that goes on every year. It’s just like waiting on Christmas.”

This year’s judge was Bruce Lewis, of Smithville, Tenn. He said Columbia has one of the best crowds he has seen compared to the many events he attends.

Lewis said he picked “Mary” because she had a nice build with a great head and ear structure.

“A lot of these classes today have been, probably, the best classes that I have seen in several years here,” Lewis said. “The quality of mules was excellent.”

Charlie Reed, Cale’s father, said he also has a rich history with mules. He has shown the animals for all of his life and introduced his son into the culture at a young age.

Charlie Reed said he has attended Mule Day since 1974.

“I love everything about it. It’s the Daytona 500 of Mules,” he said.

L.C. Tabor, of Scottsville, Ky., said he has only missed one Mule Day since 1974. He has been showing mules since 1946 when he was discharged from the U.S. Army.

Tabor said he is 29 “three times.” He turned 87 on Feb. 19.

“We’ve won some big shows, and we’ve lost some little shows,” Tabor said. “We’ve got every little type of ribbon they have put out — you could make a rainbow.”

Draft Mule Show winners:

Best Jack 2 years &younger:

1st place: Tim Marlin from Franklin, Tenn.

2nd place: Harry Whitlow from Scottsville, Ky.

3rd place: Tim Marlin from Franklin, Tenn.

4th place: James Bradford from Bon Aqua, Tenn.

Best Jack 3 years &older:

1st place: Tim Marlin from Franklin, Tenn.

2nd place: Arnold Williams from Lynnville, Tenn.

3rd place: Linda Boydston from Dearborn, Mo.

4th place: James Bradford from Bon Aqua, Tenn.

Best Jennet 2 years &younger:

1st place: Tim Marlin from Franklin, Tenn.

Best Jennet — 3 years &older:

1st place: Tim Marlin from Franklin, Tenn.

Best Draft Horse — 2 years &younger:

1st place: Bob Keenen from Franklin, Tenn.

2nd place: Frank &Matt Goff from Baxter, Tenn.

3rd place: Arnold Williams from Lynnville, Tenn.

4th place: Justin McPeak from Watertown, Tenn.

5th place: Justin McPeak from Watertown, Tenn.

Best Draft Horse — 3 years &older:

1st place: Emory Combs from Waverly, Ala.

2nd place: Emory Combs

3rd place: Emory Combs

4th place: Todd Jolin from Moss, Tenn.

5th place: Cam Maclin from Hampshire, Tenn.

Best Mare Mule — 1 year old:

1st place: Emory Combs from Waverly, Ala.

Best Pair Horses — Open — No Stallions:

1st place: Reese &Allen from Gallatin, Tenn.

2nd place: Linda Boydston from Dearborn, Mo.

3rd place: Randy Davis from Scottsville, Ala.

4th place: Frank &Matt Goff from Baxter, Tenn.

5th place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

Best Pair Mare Mules — 1 year old:

1st place: Reese &Allen from Gallatin, Tenn.

2nd place: Frank &Matt Goff from Baxter, Tenn.

3rd place: Linda Boydston from Dearborn, Mo.

4th place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

Best Horse Mule — 1 year old:

1st place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

2nd place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.

3rd place: Cale Reed “ “

4th place: Rick Davis from Scottsville, Ala.

Best Pair Horse Mules — 1 year old:

1st place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.

Best Mare Mule — 2 years old:

1st place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

2nd place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

3rd place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

4th place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

5th place: Frank &Matt Goff from Baxter, Tenn.

Best Pair Mare Mules — 2 years old:

1st place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

2nd place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

3rd place: Frank &Matt Goff from Baxter, Tenn.

4th place: Jeff Odle from Moss, Tenn.

5th place: Linda Boydston from Dearborn, Mo.

Best Horse Mule — 2 years old:

1st place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

2nd place: Justin McPeak from Watertown, Tenn.

3rd place: Jeff Odle from Moss, Tenn.

4th place: Jeff Odle “ “

Best Pair Horse Mules — 2 years old:

1st place: Jeff Odle from Moss, Tenn.

Best Mare Mule — 3 years old:

1st place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.

2nd place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

3rd place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

4th place: Steve Eller “ “

5th place: Linda Boydston from Dearborn, Mo.

Best Pair Mare Mules — 3 years old:

1st place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

2nd place: Linda Boydston from Dearborn, Mo.

Best Horse Mule — 3 years old:

1st place: Jeff Odle from Moss, Tenn.

2nd place: Jeff Odle “ “

3rd place: Kenneth Reed from Culleoka, Tenn.

4th place: Kenneth Reed “ “

5th place: Kenneth Reed “ “

Best Pair Horse Mules — 3 years old:

1st place: Jeff Odle from Moss, Tenn.

2nd place: Kenneth Reed from Culleoka, Tenn.

Best Mare Mule — 4 years &older:

1st place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

2nd place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

3rd place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

4th place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.

5th place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

Best Pair Mare Mules — 4 years &older:

1st place: Steve Eller from Lafayette, Tenn.

2nd place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

3rd place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.

4th place: Reese &Allen from Gallatin, Tenn.

5th place: Nathan Hammon from Primm Springs, Texas

Champion Mare Mule of Show:

1st place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.

Champion Horse Mule of Show:

1st place: L.C. &Greg Tabor from Scottsville, Ky.

Grand Champion of Show to be Crowned “King Mule”:

1st place: Cale Reed from Spring Hill, Tenn.