The Tennessee Historical CCommission, Nashville,OURIER Tennessee Summer 2020 In This Issue Preservation Fund Grants Awarded Cemetery Preservation Program News State Historic Sites Update Nashville’s African-American Community in the 1960’s 35 Federal Historic Preservation Fund Grants Awarded in 2020 by Claudette Stager Historic Preservation Fund (HPF) grants totaling over $839,000 have been awarded by Williamson County the Tennessee Historical Commission for historic preservation and archaeological proj- African American Heritage Society of Williamson County ects throughout the state this year. Programmatically competitive, THC staff reviewed $25,000 for McLemore House restoration 50 applications with a total request of approximately $1.7 million. Grant priorities City of Franklin (CLG) include projects that are in the Certified Local Governments program. HPF grant recip- $6,000 for City Cemetery ient properties must be listed in the National Register and grant recipient programs must ironwork restoration meet the objectives of Tennessee’s Historic Preservation Plan. As matching grants, City of Franklin (CLG) 60% of project funds are provided by the HPF, 40% come from the grantee. Listed by $14,700 for Harlinsdale Farmhouse county, grant recipient projects are: window restoration Carroll County, City of McKenzie (CLG) Jefferson County, Glenmore MULTI-COUNTY GRANTS $6,000 for design guideline updating Preservation Society, Inc. $25,000 for Glenmore Mansion Middle Tennessee State University Clay County, Clay County masonry work $6,000 for Clay County Courthouse $3,539 to Dept. of Sociology & window restoration Lawrence County, Anthropology, Tennessee Archaeology City of Lawrenceburg (CLG) Week posters Coffee County, Tennessee Division $30,000 for Crockett Theater restoration of Archaeology $50,000 to Fullerton Laboratory for Spatial $6,000 for archaeological survey of Old Maury County, Columbia Academy Technology, survey data digitization Stone Fort State Archaeological Park $2,850 for iron fence restoration at Development District Columbia Academy Davidson County, Preservation Specialist Staffing Andrew Jackson Foundation Monroe County, Monroe County $42,000 to East Tennessee $30,000 for Jackson tomb laser cleaning at $25,200 for Monroe County Courthouse Development District The Hermitage masonry restoration $35,000 to First Tennessee City of Belle Meade Moore County, Metropolitan Lynchburg/ Development District $14,000 for survey of historic resources Moore County (CLG) $10,200 for design guidelines and updating $25,000 to Greater Nashville Cheekwood Estate and Gardens Lynchburg survey Regional Council $40,000 for historic stone step restoration Morgan County, Morgan County $25,000 to Memphis Area Association Metro Historical Commission (CLG) Tourism Alliance of Governments $17,400 for restoration of historic resources $14,000 for Tanner Store restoration in Centennial Park $36,000 to Northwest Tennessee Putnam County, City of Algood Development District Gibson County, Mt. Zion Worship Center $22,500 for White Plains Museum $24,000 for Mt. Zion School restoration $50,000 to South Central Tennessee restoration Development District Greene County, Blue Springs Historical Shelby County, Association, Inc. $54,000 to Southeast Tennessee Central Gardens Association $28,548 for foundation restoration at Blue Development District $15,000 for survey and Central Springs Church $40,000 to Southwest Tennessee Gardens Historic District National Development District Hardeman County, City of Bolivar (CLG) Register nomination $21,000 for United Sons & Daughters of $40,000 to Upper Cumberland Town of Collierville (CLG) Charity Lodge Hall restoration Development District $15,000 for town survey Hawkins County, Town of Sumner County, City of Gallatin (CLG) Rogersville (CLG) $14,000 for city survey $26,250 for restoration of the Powell Law Office THE COURIER 2 SUMMER 2020 Tennessee Wars Commission by Nina Scall This summer the Tennessee Wars Commission, the Tennessee His- Native American soldier with the Cherokee troops that fought under torical Commission program devoted to preserving the state’s signif- Col. Gideon Morgan in the War of 1812, is now well known and icant military history, will have a hand in saving a highly threatened honored. nine-acre historic site. Known as the Brown’s Ferry Tavern Tract, Today Brown’s Tavern is a stop on the Trail of Tears National it is located in the Wauhatchie (Chattanooga) Civil War Battlefield Historic Trail and is listed on the National Register of Historic area and richly layered with American history. For two hundred Places. Yet the historic integrity of this site and its surrounding area and sixteen years, Brown’s Tavern has stood on this land. The remain vulnerable to development taking place in the area, that two-story dogtrot log home with huge stone bookend fireplaces was is, until the American Battlefield Trust purchases the property this constructed in 1803 and witnessed the defeat of the 4th and 15th Ala- summer with financial support from the Tennessee Civil War Sites bama regiments by the 23rd Kentucky and 93rd Ohio regiments in the Preservation Fund and a conservation easement is established for Battle of Wauhatchie. This is the Union victory that reestablished the Tennessee Historical Commission to hold in perpetuity. Since the “Cracker Line” to supply troops further south at Moccasin Bend. the conception of the Civil War Sites Preservation Grant Fund in 2013, this matching fund program has helped preserve over 850 acres of battlefield land. Other properties acquired in 2019 with support from this fund were: PATRICK MCINTYRE The Stones River Battlefield, (O’Reilly Tract, Murfreesboro, Ruth- erford Co.) Grant contribution $1,827,502.38. The forty-two-acre parcel at Stones River is where Maj. Gen. William Rosecrans and Gen. Braxton Bragg faced off. This tract is the location of George Wagner’s troop position during the battle. The Battle of Shiloh, (Brown Tract, Shiloh, Hardin Co.) Grant con- tribution $23,260.00. The Brown Tract, an eight-acre parcel, marks the location of Brig. Gen. Adley H. Gladden’s battle line during the initial phase of the first day of the battle on April 6, 1862. The Battle of Salem Cemetery, (Yarbro Farms Tract, City of Jackson, Madison Co.) Grant contribution $345,336.95. The 120- Increasing real estate development surrounds the Brown’s Tavern site. acre parcel surrounds the Salem Cemetery on three sides where on December 18, 1862, Col. Nathan Bedford Forest’s Confederate Prior to its conscription into Civil War service during the 1863/64 forces attacked Col. Adolph Engelmann. winter encampment at Chattanooga, the tavern witnessed an earlier The Battle of Franklin, (Spivey Tract, Franklin, Williamson Co.) travesty—one steeped in Native American history. The tavern is Grant contribution $630,000.00. The 0.72-acre tract is adjacent to named for John Brown, a Cherokee businessman who owned 640 the main Federal defensive line manned by Gen. Thomas Ruger’s acres of land in Chattanooga. His property included the tavern and Division who faced off with Confederate troops led by Gen. States a ferry that connected Moccasin Bend to the east bank of the Ten- Rights Gist and Gen. George Gordon. nessee River along Old Federal Road. Brown operated the tavern until 1819. He returned in 1830 to resume tavern operations, but, The Battle of Franklin, (Appalachian Cultivation Tract, Franklin, was forced out by the infamous Cherokee Removal in 1838. Brown Williamson County) Grant contribution $40,000.00. The 1.5-acre negotiated federal permission to return with his family to their home parcel is far right of Lt. John Bell Hood’s Confederate assault forces in the tavern. There he died in 1847. To date, the exact location and is about 200 yards from the Federal line where troops posi- of this war veteran’s grave is unknown. However, his legacy as a tioned 10 guns. PAUL HENRY / ELK VALLEY TIMES Groundbreaking ceremony of Phase I construction at Camp Blount. August 2019. THE COURIER 3 SUMMER 2020 STEVE MCDANIEL Patrick McIntyre and Nina Scall at the agreement signing that established a formal affiliation between Parkers Crossroads, Shiloh National Military Park, & THC. In 1994, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted legisla- Alvin C. York State Historic Park, Fentress Co., was awarded tion to create the Tennessee Wars Commission (TWC). Since $1,810.00 to expand the park’s narrative to include the interpretation then, the TWC has helped acquire and permanently protect over of Camp McGinnis, an early Confederate training camp. 7,000 acres and support over one hundred projects that preserve, Parkers Crossroads Battlefield, Henderson Co., was awarded protect, and interpret Tennessee’s military heritage—which $48,800.00 in grant funds to purchase a replica Civil War artillery includes property associated with the French and Indian War caisson, limber with munitions box, and wayside signage. (1754-1763), American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), War of 1812 (1812-1815), Mexican-American War (1846-1848) through Battle of Franklin Trust, Franklin, Williamson Co., was awarded the American Civil War (1861-1865) and Underground Railroad $50,000.00 to assist in the purchase of interpretative panels and sites. This mission is achieved in part through the administration graphic displays for the new Carter House State Historic Site Visitor of two grant funds: the Tennessee Historical Commission Civil Center, a Tennessee Historical Commission capital project slated War Sites Preservation Grant Fund