Oaklawn Garden

Oaklawn Garden Florist and Greenhouse, Oaklawn Farm

Nomination for National Register of Historic Places
7831 Poplar Pike, Germantown, TN

The City of Germantown, at Parks & Recreation Director Pam Beasley’s direction, contracted with Judith Johnson & Associates in 2020, to make an application to have Oaklawn Garden Florist and Greenhouse, Oaklawn Farm entered into the National Register with the United States Department of the Interior.  They were successful in obtaining this designation for the former nursery, florist shop, and family farm.  The following narrative provides the support documentation for obtaining this designation.

Oaklawn Garden National Register Form

Click on the photo to enlarge and scroll through the entire form

The First Jail

By Andrew Pouncey

Harry Cloyes wrote “that from 1938 to 1949, Mr. W. P. Sandlin was Town Marshall for Germantown.  He was also a barber and drove a school bus.”  Mr. Sandlin signed off on permission to use the photo of him below, “Reading the “Police Gazette” to illustrate A.H. Holden’s article on Shelby County’s Bookmobile” (which served Germantown up until 1953).  Whenever you got a haircut, he would be standing by you with his pistol on his hip.  According to Harry, W.P.’s first barbershop was in the old warehouse across from 2312 Germantown Road on the ground now owned by the Germantown United Methodist Church.

When Mr. Sandlin was Marshall, the old jail was in a tin building located below the water tower (erected in 1915) off Poplar Pike.  The jail is riveted together and has two bunks.  The Town Marshall would lock a person up, call the sheriff’s office, and transport him to the Shelby County Jail.

The jail was taken to the town hall (current Parks & Recreation Building beside Depot) in 1950 and used until 1967.  When they stopped using it, Harry asked to have it in order to “save history”.  The city gave it to Harry and today you will find it at Oaklawn Garden.

Oaklawn Gardens First Jail
Oaklawn Gardens First Jail
Oaklawn Gardens First Jail

Oaklawn Gardens First Jail

Oaklawn Garden Location on the Map

Map of the Oaklawn Garden within Germantown

Town Marshall W.P. Sandlin

Town Marshall W.P. Sandlin

Tin Building

Tin Building

Harry & Becky Cloyes

Harry & Becky Cloyes

April 17, 1942 Ad

April 17, 1942 Ad