Moore County

The Jack Daniels Distillery visitors center

 

Moore County only has about 6,000 inhabitants. But it also has one of the most famous companies in Tennessee.

The Jack Daniels distillery makes whiskey, and has done so profitably since 1866 (although they had to stop making whiskey during America’s prohibition period). Today it is the best selling whiskey in countries as far away as India.

Meanwhile, in the Moore County seat of Lynchburg, the distillery and its owners have done a great job of maintaining a historic feel to the place. If you visit the distillery you may have a hard time telling old buildings from buildings that are actually new but look old.

Speaking of things that look old: The Moore County Courthouse was built in 1885 and was very nearly torn down in 1967, when the county decided it needed a larger, more modern courthouse.

The Moore County Courthouse

A Nashville architect named Tom Woodard didn’t want to tear the old courthouse down. He wanted to find a way to expand the existing building in a way that you wouldn’t be able to tell that it had been altered. Fortunately, a Lynchburg general contractor found bricks that perfectly matched the Moore County Courthouse, so two identical wings were added to each side, and the Jack Daniel’s distillery contributed to the renovation as well.

Today when you look at the courthouse you would never know that half of the building is old and half of it is new.