Episode 3824

- [Narrator] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by.

- [Narrator] Some of our biggest checks, have also made the biggest difference. The Tennessee lottery. Proud to have raised more than $7.5 billion for education. Now that's some game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Narrator] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history and more made in Tennessee experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Narrator] The Co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops, driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee, and in five neighboring states. More at OurCoop.com.

- [Narrator] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.

- [Miranda Cohen] This week we lend a hand to an unusual artist, soak up some sun in Tullahoma, wind up in prison on the plateau, and find a lady who carves fruit into friends. How about them apples? I'm Miranda Cohen. Welcome to "Tennessee Crossroads." It is an ancient form of art dating back thousands of years. It is said that even Cleopatra herself was a fan. We are talking about the beautiful art of Henna painting. In our first story, we meet a unique artist who uses hands and feet as her canvas. Devanshi Patel is a young woman practicing an ancient craft. The intricate art of painting the body with Henna paste has origins in the ancient cultures of Egypt, Babylon and India.

- They would just take the leaf off, crush it, make a paste out of it, and then put it on their hand. And it was just like a red stain all over your hand, and eventually they started grinding it. And from there they use the toothpick to design it. And then now it's to the cone where they can do more intricate work.

- Henna actually comes from a tree, and she will get it shipped in all the way from India. It will come in as a fine powder, and she will pour into this small Henna cone, and that will become her artist brush. And with tiny cone in hand, this skilled artist will delicately freehand magnificent and ornate designs.

- [Devanshi Patel] I make paste out of it. I use oil, water, sugar and mix it up. You have to let sit for 24 hours before you can use it, and before the stain can come.

- [Miranda Cohen] The ancient ritual of decorating hands, feet, and ankles for weddings and bridal parties has different meanings to different cultures. And the exquisitely detailed body decoration is now more popular than ever.

- Her work is very beautiful. She's very talented, fast. That's really important. But she's really good, and the color comes out great. Her work is really good.

- [Devanshi Patel] I was thinking since today is Ginmashi, I'll do something related to that.

- [Customer] Okay.

- [Devanshi Patel] Is that okay?

- [Miranda Cohen] Devanshi will quickly, and effortlessly draw complex designs of peacocks, elephants, rare birds, perfect rows of flowers, and much more.

- It takes about 20 to 30 minutes to dry. And once it's dry, I tell people to keep it for two hours at least. If you can keep it for longer, that's good, it will be darker.

- [Miranda Cohen] And for the brides, there is one old legend about the darkness of the paste.

- They say that the darker the stain for the bride is that the more their husband would love them. It's a myth. Let me tell. It's a myth, but everyone believes in it.

- [Miranda Cohen] And the modern brides are adding unique twists to their designs, like requesting hidden names, even favorite sports teams and logos.

- I like that the new brides are coming up with this new idea. I've done the soccer team, the basketball team, and the college logos and the games they love. So there is a lot of variety. And some of them are just traditional. That's just something meaningful to them.

- [Miranda Cohen] Today, the rich hues of Henna are applied for birthday parties, baby showers and festivals, or for anyone who wants to celebrate.

- Lot of other culture, people are doing it. They actually love it and they love seeing it. I've even done where none of the bridal groom were Indians and the bride still wanted to do it.

- [Miranda Cohen] No matter how intricate the design, Henna is only temporary. Once the paste is dry and flaked away, the stain will last anywhere from one to two weeks. Henna has become so popular, many use it as a way to try on a temporary tattoo before they commit to permanent ink.

- That's my job as an artist, to incorporate it in a design in a way and what they want. It's my job to make it stand out, to making it beautiful, and giving them what they like.

- [Miranda Cohen] Devanshi Patel will create every design by hand. No stencils and no stamps. She can be found on social media through Henna Dreamworks Tennessee. Her business named in part because it is her dream to be adding so much beauty and happiness to her client very special occasions.

- It makes me feel happy. I actually absolutely love it. And really truly does. And when they like what I've done in their hand, and the smile on their face, it just shows that it was worth it. But just the design on their hand, their face says it all. When they're happy, it makes me happy.

- Now, if you grew up in the South, chances are you've had a few Sundrop sodas, the taste will take you back to your childhood. Well, Cindy Carter found a great little place in Tullahoma that will take you back as well. They are all about Sundrop. It is even in the name.

- [Cindy Carter] Sundrop the Golden Cola. It's a citrus-flavored soda beloved by those who are familiar with it. And in Tullahoma, Tennessee, that's pretty much everybody.

- [Ashley Davis] And this is the Sundrop place. I mean, everybody grew up with it.

- [Cindy Carter] Ashley Davis is the General Manager of the Sundrop Shoppe and Lunchonette, a local eatery fashioned in the style of an old drugstore soda fountain and cafe. And of course the soda at this soda fountain that is revered above all, Sundrop.

- [Ashley Davis] So we do the Sundrop Flow, we do a Cherry Sundrop Float, and we do a Sunkist Orange Cream Soda Float. And those are to die for.

- [Cindy Carter] More on those delicious desserts in a minute. As for the highly caffeinated drink that inspires them, Sundrop was created in St. Louis in 1949 and primarily bottled, and distributed across a few Southern states, including Tennessee. Tullahoma's Prescott Bottling. and Distributing Company bottled Sundrop until 1991, and continues to distribute the soft drink in five middle Tennessee counties. Paige Prescott Moore opened the Sundrop Shoppe and Lunchonette in 2019, an extension of her family's longstanding connection to Sundrop.

- The response has been insane. Insane people that come here love it. And they come here often. The people that grew up with Sundrop, grew up in the soda fountains, you know and these two ideas merging, I think immediately made people feel like this was home.

- [Cindy Carter] A home that is open from eight to three and serves breakfast all day. Check out the Queen City Platter. Or how about a T-town Special?

- [Ashley Davis] I probably make a hundred pancakes a day at least.

- [Cindy Carter] The restaurant's lunch menu also offers savory soups and salads, as well as hot and cold sandwiches that are Prescott family favorites like Granddaddy's Pimento Cheese or Aunt Emmy's Chicken salad.

- [Ashley Davis] I always tell people to try the chicken salad. We hand make everything. I cut up everything for that chicken salad myself with my own two hands. French Dip is one of our most popular sandwiches. We do a pot roast instead of steak, which really sets us apart. I always tell people to try the White Chicken Chili.

- Here is the thing. Sundrop isn't just a brand, it's not just history. Here it's the secret ingredient. You'll find it in everything from the obvious Sundrop float to the not so obvious chicken salad, and nothing satisfies that sweet tooth like settling in at the counter for those soda fountain favorites, like a Sundrop or Cherry Sundrop float, milkshakes and malts, ice cream sundaes or a big old banana split.

- [Ashley Davis] Some of the biggest, most beautiful banana splits that the waitresses love those because it's a chance to get creative. We have the best ice cream. I personally taste tested every ice cream I could find until-

- [Cindy Carter] That's a tough job.

- Yes, very tough job to do. I taste tested until we found the things I thought were perfect.

- [Cindy Carter] And the whole experience inside this Sundrop Shoppe and Lunchonette pays homage to that iconic lime green, and bright yellow brand. Shelves and shelves of memorabilia, and merchandise for sale, honor the Golden Cola, and customers seem to appreciate not just the food, but the trip down memory lane.

- [Ashley Davis] Because it is a smaller cafe, it makes people sit a little closer. You're able to lean back to the table behind you, and chit chat. I think it's a meeting place for the community,

- [Cindy Carter] A place, a piece of history, and a southern tradition. If you know Sundrop, then you know. But even if you don't, the Sundrop Shoppe and Lunchonette is a sweet introduction.

- [Ashley Davis] When people like it, they really like it. They don't just like it, they love it. It's something that everybody recognizes around here. It's their childhood.

- Thanks Cindy. Great story. Now we've all heard the phrase, "It's a nice place to visit, but you wouldn't want to live there." Our next story takes us to just such a place on the Cumberland Plateau. That's where Joe Elmore went behind bars to a haunted jailhouse.

- [Joe Elmore] It was built in 1904, and for more than a century it housed some of the worst inmates in Scott County. Some people swear their spirits still reside here. Today the Scott County Jail is a museum, one that attracts curious visitors to this remote East Tennessee community.

- We've had numerous people come in, and say they're on a jail tour or a historic jail tour. And so we really welcome those individuals because this jail is unlike any that you've seen. It did literally a castle here in the middle of Sky County. The day tours allows you to really experience the history. The after dark tours allows you to experience the paranormal. And we can honestly say that this is a very haunted building. We were just ranked as one of the top 10 haunted locations in Tennessee. And we think that the spirits here just love to tell their stories.

- [Joe Elmore] Kristy Sumner, and close friend, Miranda Young, have shared a passion for history, and paranormal research. So in 2021, they made a deal with the local mayor to unlock the jail in the name of tourism.

- [Kristy Sumner] Because what can go wrong with opening a museum in the middle of a pandemic?

- [Joe Elmore] Undeterred, they were soon busy gathering artifacts that reflected the uncanny history of this building.

- [Kristy Sumner] We've had a lot of donors donate different items, put things on loan. So anywhere from detectives, former inmates have given us items.

- [Miranda Young] Several of the weapons were made here. Several of the shanks. The others came from Brushy Mountain Prison as well as Morgan County Correctional Facility.

- [Joe Elmore] So they could make a weapon out of just about anything then?

- Absolutely. Everything from toothbrushes to spoons to pieces of glass. You know one of my favorites that's in there is the plaster balls.

- [Joe Elmore] Miranda had a successful marketing, and graphic arts career in Chattanooga before coming back to help revive this hometown landmark.

- [Miranda Young] You know, I've always been interested in history, and buildings and so I can remember looking over and and really wondering what it looked like on the inside, and honestly wondering if there was any paranormal activity over here from a very young age. So these are the original jail keys, and they all have these really cool notches that's on the top of 'em. The notches here, they correspond with the notches in each of our cell doors. And the jailer was able to fill the keys, and unlock the door without having to take the eye off his inmate.

- There was four of us trying to get out.

- [Joe Elmore] The prisoner cells are all upstairs with the second floor reserved for the trustees.

- [Kristy Sumner] So trustees were inmates who were essentially trusted to do things. So pick up road trash, work on deputies cars, different construction projects. So they had a little bit more leeway than those that were up on the maximum security level. Those more violent offenders would be housed up in the maximum security levels. So murderers, rapists, violent criminals, those that were either awaiting their day in courts or awaiting to be moved to a maximum security facility like Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary or Morgan State Correctional Facility. There are several design mechanisms that are implemented to ensure the jailer's safety. So for example, each of these doors actually swing this way, and they're stopped by the table. And that ensures that the jailer has enough time to get back to the main door without the inmates rushing them. Now this cell would've been the women's cell. So you can see it's segregated from the men's cell block. A design originally to hold for inmates. Not uncommon to have 10 or 12 ladies in here. Summer you're hot, the winter you're cold, bugs, snakes, bats, rats. You know this is not a place you want to be.

- This was a popular room in the old days, the drunk tank. Believe it or not, all drunk tanks in the country were painted drunk tank pink. It was supposed to calm the prisoner down. Trust me, I'm sober as a judge. So what about all that supernatural activity? Well, it's attracted numerous paranormal researchers. Miranda and Kristy say it's just part of an average day or night in their jailhouse.

- It is very routine for us to be sitting here, and you'll hear somebody walking upstairs or you'll hear a whistling after dark when Miranda and I just wanna kind of sit upstairs, and see if we can talk to some of our spirits, we'll actually hear men's voices when she and I are the only two people in the building.

- I was locking up, and I ended up hearing somebody humming on the stairs. It was just this deep rich male hum. I wasn't sure what I was hearing until all of a sudden it cleared its throat. And I reached out to my business partner and I said, "Hey, could you check the security camera footage?" When she checked the footage, we didn't catch the hum, but we did catch two voices. One said, "There she is." And the other said, "Not so loud next time."

- [Joe Elmore] Well, if you should travel here, there's no guarantee of any ghostly encounters, but you're likely to enjoy a hauntingly entertaining visit. You'll meet Silly, the celebrator jailhouse mascot, and you'll vicariously discover what it was like to spend some involuntary time in this landmark jail.

- [Kristy Sumner] We've had several former inmates who spent time in here just come in and want to take a day tour, and really reminisce about what they did here or the time they spent here. And yeah, we're really excited to have 'em.

- For the most part, the craft of making dolls by hand has gone by the wayside. And making those dolls out of apples is even more of a rarity. But Tammi Arender found a lady in Giles County who is keeping the art alive.

- [Tammi Arender] Sally Swor swears apples are the best, not just for snacking, but relaxing while she carves the fruit into a work of art.

- Well, you can use Granny Smith, but I eat the pieces that I cut off, and I don't like sour apple, so I don't use 'em. Simple as that. I use Galas and Golden Delicious. And I really like the way the Golden Delicious works.

- [Tammi Arender] Sally shapes and shaves the juicy flesh into a face.

- [Sally Sore] It's just one thing in the other. You know, just the ideas just come up. I never know you know when I start, what I'm gonna end up with,

- [Tammi Arender] When she's happy with its facial features, it's submerged in salt and lemon solution. This helps to keep them from turning brown. Then the little heads are hung out to dry.

- [Sally Sore] So don't come in my house when I'm not here, and walk down in the dark and flip on a light because you'll see shrunken heads hanging everywhere.

- [Tammi Arender] After about four weeks at room temp or four days in a dehydrator, the fruits of her labor are revealed. The natural shrinkage has turned the apple into something resembling a person.

- [Sally Sore] It's just fun. It's fun to watch how they develop. And then they'll have their own characteristics. It seems like once they're done. And I can look at 'em, and try to figure out what I need to make out of it or want to make out of it. And then sometimes it'll let me, and sometimes it won't. It's like they have their own little personalities or something.

- [Tammi Arender] And Swore has made hundreds of these apple dolls, each one with its own persona. There are grandmas and grandpas, witches and warlocks. Now they do age and grow darker over time, but can last for years. One of her favorites is this group of Christmas carolers.

- [Sally Sore] So I had to figure out how to make their mouth to look like they're singing. Now some of 'em look a little funny, but anyway, their mouths are open like they're singing. And so I wanted those to be less money, you know and less work. And so that people could spend less on them. So I started using thread cones, those big cardboard cones, and just wrapping fabric around, and something to look like a shawl or a coat for a man. But they don't have any arms or anything.

- [Tammi Arender] Part of the craft is creating the body out of fabric scraps, and handmade caps. Or some bodies come in the form of glass bottles.

- [Sally Sore] And there's some, I started out years ago putting some on bottles. So a a Clorox bottle, an old brown Clorox bottle, might be a cleaning lady, depends on the theme of the bottle.

- [Tammi Arender] Sally's love of sewing, and doing anything by hand was something she fell in love with as a little girl growing up on a farm in east Tennessee.

- So I grew up with a lot of traditional values, and watching my older siblings, and my grandparents and my parents make things the old way and do things that way. So I've always been influenced by that, and enjoyed it.

- [Tammi Arender] Sore has even done a couple of commission pieces. One was for an artist friend named Bill who wanted his likeness done in Apple perpetuity. He was thrilled with the result. Plus she says the hippie dolls have been very popular.

- [Sally Sore] The hippies, for instance, I make hands and feet out of apple. And so they're kind of interesting sometimes, and they're kind of hard to do. It's kind of hard to get to that match.

- [Tammi Arender] But not everyone thinks the dolls are adorable.

- [Sally Sore] The response from the people is who see them is what's funny. Now, some people think they're creepy and they will not look at 'em and that's okay. I understand they don't appeal to everybody. All art doesn't appeal to me.

- [Tammi Arender] Once known as the soap lady because Sally would make the cleansing bars from scratch, and did demonstrations at the Tennessee Agriculture Museum for years. But these days she just wants to get all dolled up. So she says, even though she's been doing this for two decades, it never gets old because the response she gets from people at arts and craft shows is priceless.

- [Sally Sore] People will walk up, and they'll look, and even though I have signage, and I have artificial apples sitting around here and there, with them they'll look, and they can't get it for a few minutes. You know, they can't figure out how they're made or what they're made out of. And they'll see me sitting there peeling apples and they'll look at 'em, and then all of a sudden the light bulb go off, and you see the expressions on their faces. Oh, that's what they are. And then they start asking questions. So that's really interesting.

- [Tammi Arender] So when many afternoons, Sally settles into her sofa ready to grapple with an apple, hoping that a doll face will emerge. And one thing is for sure, as long as she has a desire to carve, she'll never starve.

- [Sally Sore] No matter how I carve it, it's gonna change. And I always say too, I get to eat the scraps, the wood carvers, and the stone carvers can't do that, can they? So.

- Well, that's gonna do it for us this week. Remember to check out our website at TennesseeCrossroads.org and download that handy PBS app while you're there to watch us anytime. Take care everybody. We'll see you next time.

- [Narrator] "Tennessee Crossroads" is made possible in part by.

- [Narrator] Students across Tennessee have benefited from over seven and a half billion dollars we've raised for education, providing more than 2 million scholarships, and grants. The Tennessee Lottery. Game-changing, life-changing fun.

- [Narrator] Discover Tennessee Trails and Byways. Discover Tennessee's adventure, cuisine, history and more made in Tennessee experiences showcased among these 16 driving trails. More at TNTrailsAndByways.com.

- [Narrator] The Co-op system in Tennessee consists of independently owned co-ops driven to serve farmer owners, rural lifestyle customers, and their communities throughout Tennessee, and in five neighboring states. More at OurCoop.com.

- [Narrator] Middle Tennessee State University College of Liberal Arts helps students explore the world, engage minds, enrich lives, and earn a living. More at mtsu.edu/cla.