Lester Flatt June 19, 1914 - May 11, 1979

Lester Flatt June 19, 1914 - May 11, 1979 is a Tennessee historical marker in White County.

White Co, US 70, east of Sparta city limits

Get directions ↗Start a road trip Historical trails

He was born at Duncan's Chapel near the boundary of Putnam and Overton counties and moved to Sparta at an early age where he made his permanent home. A bluegrass music pioneer and composer, Mr. Flatt was also a member of the Grand Ole Opry, and star of radio, television, and the movies. He performed at Carnegie Hall and entertained audiences around the world as the "Baron of Bluegrass Music." He is buried in the Sparta Oaklawn Memorial Cemetery.

Maps this old were drawn largely by eye, so places on them can sit miles from where they really are. The pin is ours and marks the marker's location today.

TodayHistorical map

Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.

David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

Historical maps covering this location

1796 · Map of The Tennassee (sic) Government. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1797 · Tennassee Government. (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1862 · Johnson's Kentucky & Tennessee (1862) (Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1864 · Kentucky And Tennessee (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries)
1895 · Pikeville, Tennessee (USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection)

Example

For example, one family's tree showed the Articles of Confederation marker in Pennsylvania standing under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s.

What that marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years there.

From one family's 77-marker roster

Upload your family tree and TreeAlive finds the markers near where your own ancestors lived.

See your family's markers

Start with a tree file, a FamilySearch sign in, or a WikiTree ID.

Report a problem with this page

The marker isn't at this spotOur pin may be off. If you know where it stands, tell us.I couldn't find the markerWe record what the source recorded. We have not been to look.The sign reads differentlyThat would be an error, and we can pass it to the program.The historical map looks wrongThe period map behind the pin, not the marker itself.Something else

We may pass what you report to the state's marker program. Please don't include personal details.

Marker text and location from the Tennessee Historical Commission, as the Commission publishes them on its marker map.

Lester Flatt June 19, 1914 - May 11, 1979

Historical maps covering this location

More markers nearby