Bell Buckle, TN

Bell Buckle is a Bedford County town at the crossroads of Tennessee Routes 82 and 269, about seven miles north of Shelbyville and within reach of Interstate 24. The 2020 census counted 410 residents. The downtown historic district holds Victorian homes, shops, churches, and the Webb School campus, while the town's chamber, Main Street businesses, antiques, quilts, crafts, and food vendors keep the center in daily use.

A.D. Fuggitt donated land for the railroad in 1852 and opened the first general store, helping Bell Buckle become a livestock shipping point between Nashville and Chattanooga. Webb School moved to town in 1886, and the school and railroad left a mark on the buildings that remain. The RC Cola-MoonPie Festival arrives each June with a 5K and 10-mile run, craft and food booths, cloggers, parade, games, and a giant MoonPie; the Webb School Arts and Crafts Fair adds another major weekend. Bell Buckle is a tiny railroad town whose calendar turns its historic center into a working community gathering place.