About Us:

The city of Guthrie was chartered on June 2nd 1879. The city was an overnight boomtown brought on by the L&N Railroad Company. The L&N placed a stop in the small city for access to other cities in Todd County by rail. The town was a direct stop on the way to or from Nashville making the population soar very quickly. When local merchants saw the people coming in droves, they soon set up shop in the city and were very successful. The city was truly on its way to greatness.

Named after John James Guthrie, L&N Railroad President at the time, the city flourished for many years acquiring and Opera Hall, several groceries, many downtown shops, blacksmith shops, etc. Many mansions dotted the city and churches with towering steeples lined the sky. Day and night the city was alive with people everywhere, a far cry from downtown areas today. When the railroad left, so did the people. Guthrie's population decreased by half in one year. The staggering population drop made Guthrie fall into a hibernation. No new buildings were constructed, home building slowed down, the Opera halls closed, and the downtown area generally failed to bring in profit.

Guthrie was the light on the dark slow economy of Todd County and now the hope of economic structure had ceased. Without Guthrie, the cities of Elkton, Claymore, Sharon Grove, and Clifty had no hope of bringing in surplus population. Slowly the county dwindled while surrounding areas grew more powerful. While Elkton was still on the map due to "all roads lead to Elkton", Guthrie was sort of off to the side and an inconvenience for travelers. It would not be until the city of Clarksville sprawled out to touch hands with Guthrie that Guthrie would again flourish. Today the city is again rebuilding, restoring, and re-inventing itself to construct a new city of opportunity.