Portion of Hwy. 45 South to be named for Noah Chamberlin

PINSON, Tenn. — After months of grass-roots efforts and help from West Tennessee lawmakers, a portion of a local highway will soon be re-named.

It will soon bear the name of the two-year-old who almost five months ago captivated this area as friends and strangers searched the woods of Pinson for him. Now officials hope Noah Chamberlin’s legacy will live on.

Noah would have been three-years-old, Thursday, so it is fitting local lawmakers chose that day to announce a portion of Highway 45 south in Pinson be named after him.

“I almost want to break down and cry when I even talk about it because it’s such an emotional thing,” State Representative Jimmy Eldridge said. “Because I have little grand kids that are like that too.”

Noah’s life touched thousands and soon will touch thousands more with a portion of that highway named in his honor from Bear Creek Rd. to Wilson School Rd.

It has been a remembrance months in the making on the smallest of levels.

“I just kind of threw it out on Facebook and I got such a response that I was like well we could actually do this,” organizer Paul Lindsey said.

Lindsey said within a few weeks an online petition gained thousands of signatures, grabbing the attention of local lawmakers who helped make it a reality.

“It’s a beautiful story of a remembrance of this little fella that lost his life,” Rep. Eldridge said. “But his life now goes on.”

During the week long search for Noah, thousands from across the country came together and never gave up hope.

“A little guy like that, whose life didn’t even get started had such an impact on us through his death,” Lindsey said.

And now organizers hope this new memorial will allow Noah’s legacy to live on for years to come.

“I believe there will be people even from other states that will come through and see that and they’ll remember,” Lindsey said.

The Pinson community is now looking to raise money to help purchase signs for the highway which cost $300. There will be a benefit at Pinson Baptist Church on June 18 for the community to come together.

The bill to name the section of Highway 45 south in honor of Noah was sponsored by Representative Jimmy Eldridge and Senator Ed Jackson. It was signed by the governor late last month.