Roof repair and replacement in Smithville.

Smithville was laid out in 1838 on fifty acres donated by Bernard Richardson, cut into 92 lots around a public square, and named for Samuel Granville Smith. In 1967 the federal Model Cities program came to DeKalb County with help from Congressman Joe L. Evins, paying for a new courthouse, parks, schools, and the Smithville Airport. Every Fourth of July weekend since the early 1970s, the Fiddlers’ Jamboree has filled the square with musicians and visitors.

Center Hill Lake reshaped the county when the dam on the Caney Fork was finished in 1948 and farm families along the river had to move. The lake now runs about 64 miles with some 415 miles of shoreline, and developers have been building vacation homes and condos around it. Near Edgar Evins State Park the ground is knobby, with limestone cliffs above the water. A house on a slope like that takes wind off the open lake and can be hard to reach with a material truck.

From Murfreesboro the drive runs out Highway 96 through Auburntown, then along U.S. 70 into Smithville on Broad Street, about an hour in all. That is too far for one off visits, so DeKalb County work is booked in blocks, with inspections and installs grouped on the same days. Call with your address and we will give you the next date we expect to be in town.