Bell Buckle, Tennessee, is known for its Victorian homes and quaint downtown. Painters interested in traveling to the town, located in Middle Tennessee, should mark October 26 on their calendars.
The Bell Buckle Arts Council is hosting its first annual plein air event and show that day in downtown Bell Buckle. “The artists will be setting up in a couple of places: directly across from the row of shops in Depot Square, and in the parking lot of the post office, which faces the old railroad car, the train tracks, and a couple of beautiful old houses and buildings,” says Tori Taff, a board member with Bell Buckle Arts.
“1954 Chevy Truck,” by William Brison, one of the participating artists
Incidentally, the town got its name from a message left for visitors back in early 1800s, but the legend is remembered two ways: Some say early white settlers discovered a carving of a cow bell and a belt buckle on a tree, others say the two items were hung on a tree. It is unclear what the message meant, but the settlers named a nearby creek Bell Buckle Creek, and the town took its name from that stream. Also, the town is home to the RC Cola & Moon Pie Festival, held in June.