Thursday, October 07, 2004
Local tea room steeped in lore, history
From the Ashland City (TN) Times
Situated across the street from city hall in Ashland City is a little white house steeped in rich Tennessee history.
The house, which is now Three Sisters Tea Room and Gifts, once belonged to the family of Obed and Leila Pickard, said Stacey Merriman, daughter of Tina Young, one of the owners of the Tea Room. Merriman is also an employee of the Tea Room and has done extensive research on the history of the house.
The Pickards had five children and played a key role in creating country music along with George Hay of Nashville, Tenn., in the late 1920s. The Pickards and Hay started “The National Barn Dance,” which soon became the Grand Ole Opry. The Pickards were also nationally recognized as radio and recording stars of hillbilly music. The Pickards, according to Merriman, were the first people in the history of television to broadcast a live musical show. Obed Pickard was the only one in his family to perform on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, Merriman said.
“Back then it was considered very rowdy for family people. Backstage, the parties got a little wild with moonshine and things like that,” she said.
Cheatham County soon became too small for the Pickards. In the 1930s, they packed up and headed for Hollywood. The couple’s music was heard in the early Western films.
Read the article
Ashland City Times
Situated across the street from city hall in Ashland City is a little white house steeped in rich Tennessee history.
The house, which is now Three Sisters Tea Room and Gifts, once belonged to the family of Obed and Leila Pickard, said Stacey Merriman, daughter of Tina Young, one of the owners of the Tea Room. Merriman is also an employee of the Tea Room and has done extensive research on the history of the house.
The Pickards had five children and played a key role in creating country music along with George Hay of Nashville, Tenn., in the late 1920s. The Pickards and Hay started “The National Barn Dance,” which soon became the Grand Ole Opry. The Pickards were also nationally recognized as radio and recording stars of hillbilly music. The Pickards, according to Merriman, were the first people in the history of television to broadcast a live musical show. Obed Pickard was the only one in his family to perform on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, Merriman said.
“Back then it was considered very rowdy for family people. Backstage, the parties got a little wild with moonshine and things like that,” she said.
Cheatham County soon became too small for the Pickards. In the 1930s, they packed up and headed for Hollywood. The couple’s music was heard in the early Western films.
Read the article
Ashland City Times
# posted by Dave Sichak @ 9:58 AM 
