Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
Saint Bethlehem or St. Bethlehem, also called "St. B" by locals, is a community in Montgomery County, Tennessee
, located just northeast of downtown Clarksville
. St. Bethlehem has been incorporated into Clarksville city limits and is no longer a separate community, although locals still refer to that portion of Clarksville as "St. B". The main U.S. post office for Clarksville is in the St. Bethlehem community on US 79 (Guthrie Road).
Originally named Cherry Station, the community was renamed by a former postmaster. It is home to most of Clarksville's restaurants, retail businesses, and industries, with U.S. Highway 79 (named "Wilma Rudolph
Boulevard" in this area for the city's noted Olympic
sprinter), running directly through the center of it. Beachaven Winery, Governor's Square Mall, the Main Branch of the Clarksville Post Office, and the county's main industrial park
are also located in the area. The industrial park is currently being expanded to become one of the largest in Tennessee.
St. Bethlehem is one of the most visited areas in Montgomery County, TN. Off of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard reside many shopping centers and chain as well as private owned restaurants. The Governor's Square Mall (not to be confused with the Governor's Square Mall of Tallahassee, Florida), which is the epicenter of shopping activity in St. Bethlehem, one of two K-Marts, Sam's Club (located further north), and one of three Wal-Marts in the county are located off of this street.
During the American Civil War
, the Confederate States of America
established Camp Boone
at St. Bethlehem in 1861 along the Guthrie-Russellville road (today SR 79) as a camp for the recruitment of Kentucky
soldiers into the Confederate
Army. A Tennessee
state historical marker marks the location.
When the Trane Company
moved its factory into the area in the 1960s, the area exploded in growth, both residentially and commercially. During the 1980s, St. Bethlehem faced possible annexation
to Clarksville, but not without a heated battle. The vote on the annexation barely passed. In recent years, the St. Bethlehem post office
has become a branch of the Clarksville post office and St. Bethlehem has ceased to exist as an address. November 2004 saw the opening of the Gateway-Vanderbilt Cancer Treatment Center just off U.S. Highway 79 and June 2008 the new Gateway Medical Center opened south of U.S. 79, next to the newly constructed Governor's Square Loop (Ted A. Crozier Parkway named for a former Mayor of Clarksville and retired U.S.Army Colonel).
St. Bethlehem is a very rapidly developing residential and commercial section of Clarksville seeing annualized real estate price increases surpassing 8.5% with a steady increase of single-family homes costing more than $120,000.
St. Bethlehem can be easily accessed via Interstate 24
Exits 1, 4, and 8 in Tennessee, and by TN 374
from West and South Clarksville.
Colleges:
Montgomery County, Tennessee
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The county seat is Clarksville. The population was 172,331 at the 2010 census. It is one of the four counties included in the Clarksville, TN–KY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, located just northeast of downtown Clarksville
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
. St. Bethlehem has been incorporated into Clarksville city limits and is no longer a separate community, although locals still refer to that portion of Clarksville as "St. B". The main U.S. post office for Clarksville is in the St. Bethlehem community on US 79 (Guthrie Road).
Originally named Cherry Station, the community was renamed by a former postmaster. It is home to most of Clarksville's restaurants, retail businesses, and industries, with U.S. Highway 79 (named "Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Rudolph
Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American athlete. Rudolph was considered the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and competed in two Olympic Games, in 1956 and in 1960....
Boulevard" in this area for the city's noted Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
sprinter), running directly through the center of it. Beachaven Winery, Governor's Square Mall, the Main Branch of the Clarksville Post Office, and the county's main industrial park
Industrial park
An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
are also located in the area. The industrial park is currently being expanded to become one of the largest in Tennessee.
St. Bethlehem is one of the most visited areas in Montgomery County, TN. Off of Wilma Rudolph Boulevard reside many shopping centers and chain as well as private owned restaurants. The Governor's Square Mall (not to be confused with the Governor's Square Mall of Tallahassee, Florida), which is the epicenter of shopping activity in St. Bethlehem, one of two K-Marts, Sam's Club (located further north), and one of three Wal-Marts in the county are located off of this street.
During the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
established Camp Boone
Camp Boone
Camp Boone, Tennessee was located on Guthrie Road/ U.S. Route 79 near the Kentucky - Tennessee border at Clarksville, Montgomery County, Tennessee .Camp Boone was laid out in early 1861 by three men who had been authorized to raise a Kentucky Regiment for...
at St. Bethlehem in 1861 along the Guthrie-Russellville road (today SR 79) as a camp for the recruitment of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
soldiers into the Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
Army. A Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
state historical marker marks the location.
When the Trane Company
Trane
Trane Inc. is a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand and is the successor company to the American Standard Companies. It is a global provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls under the Trane and American Standard brand names...
moved its factory into the area in the 1960s, the area exploded in growth, both residentially and commercially. During the 1980s, St. Bethlehem faced possible annexation
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
to Clarksville, but not without a heated battle. The vote on the annexation barely passed. In recent years, the St. Bethlehem post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
has become a branch of the Clarksville post office and St. Bethlehem has ceased to exist as an address. November 2004 saw the opening of the Gateway-Vanderbilt Cancer Treatment Center just off U.S. Highway 79 and June 2008 the new Gateway Medical Center opened south of U.S. 79, next to the newly constructed Governor's Square Loop (Ted A. Crozier Parkway named for a former Mayor of Clarksville and retired U.S.Army Colonel).
St. Bethlehem is a very rapidly developing residential and commercial section of Clarksville seeing annualized real estate price increases surpassing 8.5% with a steady increase of single-family homes costing more than $120,000.
St. Bethlehem can be easily accessed via Interstate 24
Interstate 24
Interstate 24 is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It runs diagonally from Interstate 57 to Chattanooga, Tennessee, at Interstate 75....
Exits 1, 4, and 8 in Tennessee, and by TN 374
Tennessee State Route 374
State Route 374 is a west–east state highway in Montgomery County, Tennessee that acts as a cross-town arterial road for travelers in Clarksville, Tennessee. It starts at one end in southeast Clarksville at U.S...
from West and South Clarksville.
Colleges:
- Austin Peay State UniversityAustin Peay State UniversityAustin Peay State University is a four-year public university located in Clarksville, Tennessee, and operated by the Tennessee Board of Regents. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools .-History:...
- Bethel CollegeBethel College (Tennessee)Bethel University is a Cumberland Presbyterian college in McKenzie, Tennessee.-Biography:It was founded in 1842 in McLemoresville, Tennessee as Bethel Seminary, becoming Bethel College in 1850, and given a state charter in 1847, making it one of the oldest colleges to use the name "Bethel...
Satellite Campus - Draughons Junior CollegeDraughons Junior CollegeDaymar Institute, formerly Draughons Junior College, is a career college owned by Daymar Colleges Group of Owensboro, Kentucky, which is owned by brothers Mark and Damien Gabis...
Satellite Campus - Miller-Motte Community College