Orme is rooted in a coal mining community known as Needmore, which was established in the early 1890s. Orme is the birthplace of Jimmy Outlaw, baseball player.
- CountyMarion County
- Population87 (2020 U.S. Census)
Orme, Tennessee gifts and souvenirs: 20 designs made from Orme's own map, landmarks and history, from $16 to $95. Printed to order and shipped free in the USA.
| Popular | Price |
|---|---|
| Orme Hometown Ornament | $23 |
| Orme Vintage Travel Poster | from $40 |
| Orme Varsity Crewneck | from $57 |
| Orme Est. Tee | from $33 |
| Orme Town Line Mug | from $26 |
| Orme Market Tote | $37 |
Ceramic keepsake, gold ribbon
Its landmark photo in a classic travel-poster layout
A local landmark photo as a gallery print
The town's story in dates, from its own records, for home or classroom
Map of local landmarks, washable fabric
Heavy-blend fleece, street map printed on the back
Soft Bella+Canvas jersey
Kids' Bella+Canvas jersey, youth sizes
Bella+Canvas toddler jersey
Bella+Canvas baby bodysuit
Glossy ceramic, dishwasher safe
Weatherproof, for the front walk
24″×16″, printed coir-look fibers, rubber back
12″×12″ printed wood, ready to hang
Soft-touch, zip cover
A local landmark photo with the town name, 18″×18″
Sturdy all-over-print tote
Glossy top, cork back
Soft fleece, 50″×60″
20 oz, double-wall stainless
Orme is rooted in a coal mining community known as Needmore, which was established in the early 1890s. Orme is the birthplace of Jimmy Outlaw, baseball player.
Orme is rooted in a coal mining community known as Needmore, which was established in the early 1890s. Mining operations in the valley were slow to develop, however, due to the area's remoteness and lack of adequate means of transportation for the coal. In the late 1890s, Chattanooga businessman Frederick Gates purchased the Needmore mining operations, and began negotiating with the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railway to build a branch line into the valley. After some hesitation, this railroad agreed to build the line in 1902.
After negotiating the construction of the branch line, Gates sold the Needmore operation to Richard Orme Campbell (1860–1912), who renamed the operation the "Campbell Coal and Coke Company". He renamed the town of Needmore after his son, who was also named Richard Orme Campbell (the name "Orme" was the maiden name of the elder Campbell's mother, Virginia Orme). Along with mining facilities, Campbell built a commissary, an office building, workers' cottages, schools, and a hotel. Within a few years, the town had grown to several thousand residents.
Campbell sold the Orme operation in 1905, and the new owners renamed the company, "Battle Creek Coal and Coke Company." By 1912, the operation consisted of four drift mines, some reaching high up the walls of the Cumberland Plateau. Mule-drawn rail cars carried the mined coal to the mine entrances, where it was transferred to a locomotive. The locomotive then carried the coal to an upper tipple, which in turn transferred it to a lower tipple. At its height, the mining operation was shipping 1,000 tons of coal per day out of the valley. The operation was known for its "good coal, inaccessibility, irregular stratification, and consequently difficult mining."
Following a miners' strike in 1939, major mining operations in Orme were shut down. The railroad company removed the rails, and the metal was used for ongoing World War II efforts. Afterward, Orme declined. The hotel closed in 1945, the school closed in 1961, and the post office closed in 1970. The wooden railroad depot is one of the few buildings remaining from the town's mining heyday.
In 2007, Orme was one of the hardest-hit communities in the drought-ridden southeastern United States, due to its dependence on two vulnerable water sources: a waterfall-fed creek and a natural spring that delivered up to 60,000 gallons/day (227,000 liters/day). These sources dried up to only 5,000 gallons/day (19,000 liters/day), not enough to pressurize the supply lines to the town's residents. A temporary solution was arranged whereby a truck would haul water to the town providing enough water to keep the system running for three hours each evening. The mayor of Orme, Tony Reames, arranged a permanent solution in the form of a connection to the municipal system of the nearby town of Bridgeport, Alabama. In his words: "It's not a short-term solution. It is THE solution." The connection would be via a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) pipe between the two towns, paid for by an emergency grant of $377,590 from the USDA. The project was hoped to be completed by the end of November 2007.
Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Orme, Tennessee, revision 1374783722 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
We share a part of every Orme sale with local partners, and we'd love to print from your collection. Old photographs, maps and postcards make the best keepsakes.
Partner with usA favorite landmark, your street, a school or team, an anniversary gift, a different product. Tell us and we'll get back to you by email.
1 free coloring page of Orme, each traced from a photo of a local landmark. Print them at home, at school or for story hour.
Orme's population was 87 in the 2020 U.S. Census, down from 126 in 2010.
A view of Orme