Campbellsville Area Association members (from left): Vice Chairperson- David Dunavant, Historian-Mark Dunavant, Secretary-Jackie Dunavant,   Treasurer-Edward G. Corlew, and Chairperson-Maurice Woodard invite anyone iterested in Campbellsville's past, present or future to attend CAA meetings on the first Sunday of each month, beginning at 2:30 p.m. at Inman's Stop and Chat in Campbellsville.

From the Pulaski Citizen,
March 2, 2010, pg. B3
by Sheila Holden
 
    He’s the unofficial historian of the northwestern most part of Giles County, and if you want to know something about the Campbellsville community, just ask Mark Dunavant.
    Dunavant knows a lot of stories about the community, its people and its surrounding area.  About a year ago, a group of residents decided it was a good idea to get some of Dunavant’s stories recorded.
    “We wanted to write down his stories and what he knows that maybe others don’t know,” said Maurice Woodard, a member of the newly-organized Campbellsville Area Association (CAA).
    Dunavant was videoed answering questions and sharing stories.
    That video is on the agenda for the 2:30 p.m., Sunday, March 7, meeting of the Campbellsville Area Association to be held in the Meeting Room at Inman’s Stop and Chat in Campbellsville.
    “Everyone with an interest in Campbellsville’s past, present or future is encouraged to attend,” Woodard said.
    The CAA’s purpose is to promote and support the community, strengthen bonds of cooperation and neighborly friendship among residents and former residents of the area and with other communities and organizations within Giles County and the state of Tennessee.
    The group was officially organized on Feb. 7.
    “We want to instill or help create a greater sense of pride in our community through historical research and preservation along with community projects and activities.
    The annual membership fee is $5, and the meetings are held on the first Sunday of each month, beginning at 2:30 p.m., at Inman’s Stop and Chat.  The CAA membership is open to any person who has an interest in the past, present and future of the Campbellsville area.
    In addition to Woodard, who is chairperson, organizing members of the CAA include Vice Chairperson David Dunavant, Treasurer Edward G. Corlew and Secretary Jackie Dunavant.
    One of the activities extending from the group getting together last year was the community-wide festival, which focused on the community’s early years—when it was settled, the first settlers, schools, business owners, homes and so forth.
    Woodard said that somewhere along the line, he believes that communities lost their identities, and the CAA is working to get some of that back.  For instance, the historical group plans to place historical markers around the community.  Some historical sites in consideration for marking include the Bumpas Road, which was the first road to Columbia; the place where Cherokee walking on Benges’ Trail of Tears route may have camped; and the site of a November 24, 1864, Civil War skirmish.
    How many remember that Campbellsville was once a thriving town that included Beeler and Allen Grocery Store, four to five general merchandise stores, a billet mill, a post office, a bank, and of course, the school?
    The CAA also is asking residents or former residents of Campbellsville to bring pictures and other historical artifacts.
    “Bring us your pictures that you’ve found in the attic or in a closet,” Woodard said,  “One day generations from now won’t know what or who are in the pictures and they’ll toss them.”
    Along the way, the CAA hopes to bring out the Campbellsville community’s strengths.
    “We want people who have never heard of us to want to come see what we have to offer,” Woodard said.