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VISITORS
Library: 4340
Museum: 12
S E P T E M B E R 2 9 - O C T O B E R 0 3 P A G E 0 5
The Smyrna Museum is currently displaying the City’s original charter, a six-page document from
1872 written in elegant calligraphy by the Secretary of State. This charter outlines the state act
that officially incorporated Smyrna as a city. One notable provision established the city limits as
extending one mile in every direction from the Smyrna Academy building. Built around 1840
(prior to the Civil War) the Academy once stood near today’s Market Village, roughly between the
Corner Taqueria and Stout Brothers restaurants. The two-story brick structure, later expanded
with a wooden addition, served many roles over the years: a private school, an early Baptist and
Presbyterian church, a Masonic lodge, and a gathering place for fundraisers and lectures.
Because the first city limits were drawn as a mile in every direction from this single point,
Smyrna’s original boundaries formed a perfect circle!
LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
THE 1872 CHARTER THAT BUILT SMYRNAS E P T E M B E R 2 9 - O C T O B E R 0 3 P A G E 0 6