Jerry Summers
Located near the southeast corner of the State is the little unincorporated community of Delano in Polk County. (Population 1561- 2010 Census). The area is near the junction of U.S. Route 411, Tennessee State Route 30 and Tennessee State Route 163, which is approximately 4.3 miles south-southwest of Etowah, Tennessee. It is the home of the Delano Community Farm Market and includes produce raised by the Mennonite Farm and Market.
Ample information about the available produce of the market can be obtained by googling Mennonite Farm and Market. A large number of complimentary reviews by satisfied customers may make the journey to Delano worthwhile and interesting from several points of interest. To persons not familiar with the area it is the home to an Old Order Mennonite Community which operates the produce market.
When I started research on this article I thought I would go into some historical background about the various practices allowed in the Old Order Mennonite religion. However, the more I read the more I got confused because of so many variations between different groups of faith. For example, some Mennonite groups restrict travel to horse and buggy carriages while others allow their members to travel in black automobiles. Some members speak in Pennsylvania German while other groups use English.
Conflicts over the introduction of such modern practices as Sunday Schools, revival meetings and English language preaching is what led to the formation of Old Order Mennonite Churches. Other causes of splits into new groups arose out of the issue of the wearing of the most traditional form of plain dress among all Mennonites.
Therefore, I make some distinctions between the various branches but I am hesitant to get into any personal analysis but respectfully suggest that any reader interested in reviewing the history of the Amish, Mennonite, Quaker religions delve into the wealth of material available on the subjects from many sources. However, I readily arrived at the conclusion from many published reviews that the Old Order Mennonites living in Delano, Tennessee are deeply religious, friendly, family oriented, reject certain technologies and produce high quality produce and livestock for sale at reasonable prices.
If you would like to have your family take a trip back to the time when farming was done the old fashioned way that your parents or grandparents have described it was like living on a farm without all the conveniences, a trip to Delano will be a history lesson to both young and old brought up in today’s world. To say that the Delano farmers market would be different from the Chattanooga Market or the Dayton Strawberry Festival in their county would be a great understatement.
All three merit a visit during the summer and fall growing seasons to demonstrate how fortunate local citizens are to be able to obtain home grown produce. The scenery in Polk County is another benefit to be enjoyed on a family outing.
Question: What is the origin of the community name of Delano?
One constant opinion from all of the reviews printed about the farms in Delano was the friendly and courteous attitudes of the local inhabitants and their willingness to assist customers in making their selections and purchases.
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Jerry Summers
(If you have additional information about one of Mr. Summers' articles or have suggestions or ideas about a future Chattanooga area historical piece, please contact Mr. Summers at jsummers@summersfirm.com)
Rural community of Delano