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The Metropolitan Historical Commission is now accepting nominations for the 44th Annual Preservation Awards program. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, March 8, 2019. To learn more about the awards program and to download the nomination form or complete the online nomination form, please visit Preservation Awards or email Scarlett Miles.
Preservation awards plaques. Credit: MHC.
MHC News
Marker Project: On March 19th, a new historical marker for the Nashville Porter and Ale Brewery was dedicated near the corner of 19th Avenue North and Charlotte Avenue. Local entrepreneur and brewery historian Scott Mertie worked to recognize this history and led the dedication. This marker recognizes some of Nashville's earliest brewery history that began nearby in 1815, when T.M. Burland opened a small brewery 1.5 miles west of Nashville along Cockrill Spring. The brewery used water from the nearby spring and barley purchased from local farmers. J.T. and W.B. Smith operated the brewery from 1834 until it was purchased by P. Jonte and J.B. Bergerot in 1838. The brewery closed in 1841. Coincidently, S. Weins and K. Taylor co-founded the Blackstone Brewery near the marker location in 1994, on the same tract of land as the Porter and Ale Brewery. The marker was privately-funded by the Mertie family. Thank you to the Mertie family for supporting the MHC marker program!
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Josephine Holloway saluting with Girl Scout member. Credit: Girl Scouts blog.
At the February MHC meeting, a new privately-funded historical marker for the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee/Josephine Holloway was approved. This marker will be placed near the Girl Scouts headquarters at Granny White Pike and Battery Lane. Josephine Holloway, a Fisk graduate, was instrumental in organizing the first African-American Girl Scouts troops in Middle Tennessee. Her efforts led to the establishment of Camp Holloway, a Millersville, TN camp for African-American girls, in 1951. The Nashville Girl Scout Council formed in 1927 and built their first headquarters at 830 Kirkwood Avenue in 1964.
Thank you to all who supported and attended this year's Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture! This was once again a very successful event, with nearly 300 attendees. The Metro Historical Commission would like to thank Tennessee State University for providing the space for the conference and staff assistance during the conference. We look forward to seeing you at next year's event!
MHZC news
The MHZC’s March public hearing will be on Wednesday, March 20th at 2:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Center. The application deadline is March 4th at noon.
MHZC Design Guideline Consolidation Project
The Metro Historic Zoning Commission is undertaking a project to consolidate all Neighborhood Conservation Zoning design guidelines into one document and to create a plans book and new design guidelines for outbuildings. The purpose of the project is to provide clarity to users and the Commission and to improve the guidance for outbuildings. Each district will retain its own chapter in the consolidation to ensure that guidelines specific to that district are retained. Existing neighborhood conservation design guidelines are very similar, so significant changes are not the goal, except for the outbuilding section.
The project will take place between January and September 2019, a firm timeline in order to meet grant-funding requirements. Council Members will appoint stakeholders from each overlay that will meet monthly to discuss the project and keep their specific neighborhoods updated on the progress. The MHZC will be working with a consultant to create a plans book for outbuildings that will allow for more flexibility in sizes and forms and new design guidelines for cases where the plans book may not be relevant. Community meetings and a public hearing are anticipated for Fall 2019.
More information can be found at the Metro Historic Zoning Commission’s Design Guideline Consolidation Project page. The project is funded by the Tennessee Historical Commission and the Metro Historical Commission Foundation, in partnership with Council Members and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.
MHZC Intern
Victoria Hensley is currently interning with the MHZC. A current PhD student at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in the Public History Program, she received her M.A. in History with a concentration in Historic Preservation from MTSU in May 2018 and her B.A. in History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015. At MTSU, she serves as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Historic Preservation. Her main fields of study include historic preservation, urban history, and material culture. Victoria is currently assisting on the Design Guideline Consolidation and DADU project, which is aligning with her dissertation project on the history of housing, historic zoning, and the abatement of displacement in Nashville. She has previously completed projects in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, North Carolina, Memphis, and Portland, Oregon. Welcome Victoria!
Victoria Hensley at a speaking engagement. Credit: Victoria Hensley.
One of the earliest settlers in this area, William Gower (1776-1851) arrived in 1780 at the Bluffs settlement, now Nashville. He and his wife Charlotte Garland settled near Overall Creek in 1800 and had fifteen children, many of whom became prominent community leaders. A Methodist minister for over half a century, William founded Gower's Chapel on his farmland. A larger chapel, erected in 1850 on Gower land, served as the local schoolhouse. Also on his original farm, The Gower Cemetery was established in 1816 with the burial of William's mother, Obedience Blakeley Gower.
In early 2017, the Friends of Gower Cemetery initiated efforts to restore and preserve the cemetery with the help of historian Fletch Coke and Tim Walker, Executive Director of the Metro Historical Commission. Metro Nashville Public Works did an initial cleaning and continued to maintain the grounds while work was in progress. Archaeologist, Dan Sumner Allen IV was hired to oversee the restoration; completed in 2018. Mr. Allen has identified 115 burials which include Gower family members and 6 enslaved Gower and Woodward African Americans. There are 13 tombstones for 14 burials. An incredible amount of history for this family, the land, original Gower's Chapel and present Centenary United Methodist Church has been located by the Friends group.
Randall Ireland at Gower Cemetery before the site was cleared, October 2016. Credit: Glenda Ireland.
First Meeting of Descendants and Friends at Gower Cemetery, May 2017. Credit: Chasity Jackson Spann.
Gower Cemetery with new fencing, February 2019.
The Gower Cemetery Restoration Project was instrumental in establishing a new pilot program, the Historic Cemetery Maintenance Plan, in late 2018. In less than two years, over $27,000.00 was raised to cover all expenses, a feat that was made possible through the assistance of the Metro Historical Commission Foundation. New commercial-grade ornamental fencing was recently installed and the dedication for a new MHC historical marker is planned at the site on April 16th, 2019 at 2:00 p.m. Donations to help preserve the Gower Cemetery can be made through the Metro Historical Commission Foundation. Read much more about the site and preservation efforts on the Gower Cemetery blog.
The Tennessee Historical Commission (THC) is seeking input on Tennessee's Plan for Historic Preservation that will guide statewide efforts to protect Tennessee's cultural heritage through 2028, as well as bolster the state's efforts to preserve underrepresented and diverse resources. As the state preservation office (TN-SHPO), the THC develops, publishes, and periodically updates this plan. This iteration will guide statewide efforts to protect Tennessee's cultural heritage through 2028. The survey, with link to the current statewide preservation plan, can be accessed here until March 31st. We hope that you will take this opportunity to share your thoughts with the THC!
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Two Rivers Mansion has an opening for someone to assist with guiding summer tours of the historic property. Three years ago the Board agreed to fund a grant to the Parks Department to pay for two part-time docents to conduct the tours. We have been fortunate to have two ladies who shared a passion for the Mansion and who do an outstanding job. One of these ladies, however, will not return this season. That means there is an opening for someone to take her place.The position can be filled by either a male or female willing to work four (4) hours, three (3) days a week (total of 12 hours a week) beginning June 7th and ending August 30. There would also be 12 hours of docent work during the second week of December when holiday tours are offered. Tours are approximately 1 hour in duration and follow a written script that the docent would commit to learn. Anyone interested can contact Phil Claiborne with Friends of Two Rivers Mansion here for further details about the position.
In Episode 12 of the Nashville Retrospect's podcast series, host Allen Forkum interviews 94-year-old Mary B. Williams, who was a presenter in the early years of Nashville television. The episode also features MHC Commissioner Don Cusic, Curb Professor of Music History at Belmont University, who tells the story of Nashville's first big hit record, "Near Your" in 1947 and the beginnings of Music City U.S.A.
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