The photos on the following page show two porcelain block insulators purchased in the Middle Tennessee area.

The insulator on the left is similar to a CD 1002 and is cobalt blue in color. Gary Short of Chapmansboro, Tennessee purchased it in an antique shop in Portland, Tennessee last January along with several other pintype insulators.

The insulator on the right is basically the same only a little bit smaller. The color is dark and light gray with some splashes of red in the glaze. It was purchased at an antique store in Guthrie, Kentucky on the Tennessee state line. I purchased this insulator a little over a year ago.

Supposedly, the block I purchased came from the Gallatin, Tennessee area. If the insulator on the left is a local find, these insulators could be from the line which ran from Louisville, Kentucky to New Orleans. These could possibly have been used along with the glass blocks which were found in Gallatin years ago.

The insulator on the left has been cracked in half and repaired, but there is no material missing. It also still has oxidation stains on each end indicating that it has been in use. The bottom of the wire groove on this insulator is rough with a gritty finish to the glaze to prevent line wire slippage. The insulator on the right has a smooth wire groove.

Any additional information on these blocks that you readers might share with me would me most appreciated.

TIM BAGGETT, 3030 E. Old Ashland City Rd.,
Clarksville, TN 37043-5506 (615) 645-5845