[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 23, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING OLD HICKORY, TENNESSEE'S CENTENNIAL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JIM COOPER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 23, 2018

  Mr. COOPER. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to honor the wonderful small 
town of Old Hickory, Tennessee, on its Centennial Celebration.
  Old Hickory's history is unique. When the United States entered World 
War I, our soldiers needed gunpowder, and lots of it. The U.S. 
government asked a giant American company, E.I. duPont de Nemours & 
Co., to build and operate a gunpowder plant on federal land near 
Nashville on the Cumberland River. Within months, 5,600 acres of land 
near Hadley's Bend were transformed into a self-sufficient village 
housing 56,000 workers and the largest factory the state had ever seen.
  After the War, DuPont's chemical production continued for decades. If 
you came across someone on the street, chances are they worked for 
DuPont. Old Hickory was a ``company town'' with homes of similar 
designs, each one well-maintained. It was and is a model community with 
incredibly talented, hard-working, patriotic residents.
  Although the factories and their owners have changed over the years, 
their footprints remain. Old Hickory remains one of the most storied 
towns in the South. Come visit and you will see the original mill town 
homes, friendly stores, and markets. It is a place where people know 
their neighbors, and where newcomers are welcomed with open arms. The 
hallmarks of hard work, faith, family, friends, and patriotism are just 
as important today as they were a century ago.
  Old Hickory is truly one of Nashville's and the nation's ``best kept 
secrets,'' and I know it will remain a treasure in Middle Tennessee for 
the next 100 years.

                          ____________________