Shelbyville in Bedford County, TN

Shelbyville Tennessee is the county seat for Bedford County in Middle Tennessee. Residents are proud of their small city known as “Pencil City” because of its historical importance as a center of wood-cased pencil manufacturing. Today, Sanford, Musgrave, and National Pen all reside in Shelbyville and manufacture writing instruments for most of the world's population.  The estimated population of Shelbyville (according to the National Census in 2000) is 17,538 and Bedford County has 37,586 residents. Residents have the opportunity to enjoy many activities in Shelbyville which include the Greenway, The Fly Cultural Arts Center, The Capri Movie Theater, Duck River, Griffin Park and Recreation Center and several annual festivities.

Shelbyville has several interesting festivities that have endured throughout the years: The Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration is the Walking Horse Capital of the World that comes to the city every year for eleven days in August. Horse lovers come to this event from all over the world to see the winner of the breed’s World Grand Champion. Also, every summer, visitors can be titillated by the Bedford County Fair with events and fun for all age groups and bringing a touch of old-world charm to this farm community.  The Main Street in Shelbyville culminates at the Courthouse where parades, fairs and other events are held throughout the year.

Several famous natives hail from Shelbyville:

• Sondra Locke, actress, her career began when she won a nationwide talent search for the 1968 film The Heart is a Lonely Hunter;
• Cameron Watson, writer, actor, and director of the movie Our Very Own, (2005) was filmed and set in Shelbyville using many local residents as extras. The film stars Allison Janney, Keith Carradine, Jason Ritter, Cheryl Hines, Hilarie Burton and Mary Badham (Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird) in her first screen role in 40 years. The film is set in Shelbyville, Tennessee, which Watson considers to be his home town. The film had its world premiere at the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival and was nominated for a 2006 Independent Spirit Award;
• Lauren Blair Grissom , a beauty queen held the Miss Tennessee USA title and represented Tennessee in 2005;
• Henry B. Davidson, Confederate cavalry general from the American War Between the States;
• Jim Mitchell, Atlanta Falcon football player (October 19, 1947-October 20, 2007);
• Ann Louise Nixon Cooper, age 107, Cooper was born in Shelbyville, Tennessee, on January 9, 1902, and raised in Nashville. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia, in her early twenties with her late husband, Albert Berry Cooper, a dentist, and they had four children together. During that time, she served more than fifty years in public work on the board of Gate City Nursery Association and also helped found the Girls Club for African American Youth. Still living in Atlanta, Cooper voted early for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.  She came to international attention when Obama mentioned her in his acceptance speech.

Lovely hotels, restaurants, and interesting stores and boutiques can be found in Shelbyville. One might also be surprised to learn that there is also a small airport, the Shelbyville Municipal Airport, available for those wishing to land and take advantage of small town America, manager Hank Williamson is always ready to talk to those wanting information about the airport.  

Whether thinking of visiting or living in Bedford County, the small town atmosphere is friendly and inviting. Small shops, restaurants, festivals and the horse shows along with our beautiful natural parks entice and encourage people to come back year after year. Bedford County boasts three high schools four middle schools and six elementary schools as well as the new magnet school to encourage students to reach for the stars. A new hospital Heritage Medical was recently built to care for residents in Bedford County. The Shelbyville Times-Gazette is the local newspaper recently winning several awards from the Tennessee Press Association for its coverage of local events.

For those people who live in the big city and wanting to escape the crowds and congestion, Shelbyville offers an interesting change of pace. The Recreation Center located in Griffin Park is a wonderful place to take the kids. Picnics, pools, tennis and miniature golf are available to the visitor for a small fee. The Greenway is a work in progress that links many areas throughout Shelbyville and is a beautiful nature trail for people of all ages.  So even though Shelbyville has small town flavor, it reminds us of a simpler time.