Blog no. 44

James Polk “Jim” Odil was born on February 21, 1888, in Spring Hill, Maury County, TN, to Andrew Polk Odil and Mary Elizabeth “Mollie” Blackburn. He had 5 siblings and their names were Susan Elizabeth “Bessie” (Odil) Jackson, William Fountain “Will” Odil, Dr. Guy Blackburn Odil, Mary Alvira Odil, and Eva Rose (Odil) Giles.

On August 15, 1936, in Maury County, TN, Jim married Carrie Ethel Jones. It is believed that Jim and Carrie never had children together, but it’s for sure Jim had three stepchildren. Before marrying Jim, in the very early 1920’s, Carrie married a man named Robert Cassius Roberts and had three children with him. Their names were Evelyn (Roberts) Morton, Robert Cassius “R.C.” Roberts II, and Lawrence Jackson “Jack” Roberts. 

Jim and his family owned the home at 5323 Main Street, in Spring Hill, TN, as did his parents before him. He was the owner of the home during the 1963 tornado in Spring Hill, TN when the home’s roof was badly damaged. The home in which Jim had lived his entire life until his later years is now the location of Ghostlight Books. 

In 1895, Jim’s father and his cousin, John Stephenson Odil, created a general store on Main Street, in Spring Hill, TN, which they named Odil & Odil General Store. The store was eventually given to Jim and his brother Will to run and I believe they did until 1940. The Odil & Odil General Store had a delivery service by covered-top delivery wagon and was a gathering place for everybody in Spring Hill, TN.

In 1935, Jim became the mayor of the then small town of Spring Hill, TN. As mayor, in 1939, he became the first person in Spring Hill, TN to use the then newly invented telephone. He placed the first call from his home on Main Street to the Columbia, TN mayor, Eldridge Denham. Jim’s term as mayor ended in 1942.

Sadly, on January 25, 1981, at the Columbia Nursing Facility, Jim died. He was buried in Spring Hill Cemetery, in Spring Hill, Maury County, TN.