Clark Shaw’s legacy honored with dedication
JACKSON, Tenn. — City leaders are honoring the legacy of a Jackson business owner.
“We miss him every day,” said Old Country Store Owner Brooks Shaw. “It’s constant reminders that he’s, he’s not here, but it’s also constant little blessings of new stories that we haven’t heard before of guests coming in and saying these are my memories of Clark, getting to share those with us.”
It’s almost been a year since Clark Shaw’s death. To honor his legacy, his family, friends, and local leaders gathered at Casey Jones Village, the tourism destination Shaw created.
“Clark Shaw was a visionary, but was also a dreamer, about what he wanted to do and how he wanted to bring tourism to Jackson,” said City of Jackson Mayor Scott Conger. “In all honesty, probably this, this entire interchange out at I-40 would not have been done, this work would not have been done without the Old Country Store, and the Casey Jones Village being here.”
Now Clark’s name will be attached to the village forever. The city is changing former Casey Jones Lane to T. Clark Shaw Memorial Lane.
“He would say, ‘You know, let’s let’s focus on on something else besides me.’ That’s just who he was. But he, he would be secretly very happy to be here,” Shaw said.
The Casey Jones Village was left to Shaw’s family and employees to carry on his legacy.
“No one’s ever gonna be able to fill Clark’s shoes by themselves and really just, it’s going to take all of us, it’s going to take a team of people around Jackson and around the Old Country Store and Casey Jones Village to, to feel that impact that he that he left. So it’s an encouraging challenge,” Shaw said.
Together, they hope to continue and ensure the service and hospitality Shaw represented.
“We miss him, but very, very, very, very honored and humbled at the same time,” Shaw said.
Congressman David Kustoff was one of many officials who attended the dedication, and said many think of the Old Country Store and Casey Jones Village when they think of West Tennessee, thanks to Shaw’s work.
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