Patsy Cline Crash Site Memorial

The Pasty Cline Crash Site Memorial Brent Moore on Flickr (Creative Commons)

Beloved country singer Patsy Cline died on March 5, 1963 when the airplane she was riding in plummeted into the Tennessee wilderness, and the crash site is now remembered by a meditative boulder.

Along with fellow country musicians Cowboy Copas, Hawkshaw Hawkins, and Randy Hughes, Cline perished en route to Nashville after recently having described feeling a sense of impending doom. The site, located deep in the middle of the woods, is now marked with a cement plateau which culminates in an installed boulder with the names of the crash victims etched into the top. There is also a small gazebo with an informational collage about the singer. What the site lacks in grandeur it makes up for in an atmosphere of quiet reflection.

Know Before You Go

I-40 exit 126. Drive north on US Hwy 641 around 15 miles. Cross Hwy 391/1, and you'll see a McDonald's on the right. Just before you reach it, turn left onto Mount Carmel Rd. Drive a little over 2.5 miles. Memorial is on the right.