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Please join the Metro Historical Commission at the 44th Annual Preservation Awards! The awards program will be held Thursday, May 9th at 4:30 p.m. at the Nashville Public Library (615 Church Street), followed by a reception at Dream Nashville (201 4th Avenue North). The event is free to attend and there is ample parking in the library garage.
MHC's preservation awards recognize projects including restoration, rehabilitation and infill that are historically sensitive and appropriate. Past awards have gone to projects across six categories: residences, commercial buildings, religious properties, educational and institutional buildings, engineering and industrial structures and infill construction. Additionally, the Commission recognizes individuals and groups with special leadership and achievement awards.
We hope you can attend the awards ceremony!
Lorenzo Washington receiving the acheivement award (2018). Credit: MHC.
Exterior of Dream Nashville. Credit: Dream Nashville.
MHC News
Marker Project: On April 16th, a new marker for Rev. William Gower and the Centenary United Methodist Church was dedicated in Bellevue. This marker recognizes a Methodist minister, one of the area's earliest settlers, and the church he built on his farm in 1805. A large crowd of Gower descendants and supporters gathered at the Gower Cemetery behind the church for the dedication and a ceremony of remembrance. Dr. Lea Williams (TSU professor and member of the Metro Historical Commission Foundation) gave a speech commemorating the lives of the enslaved Africans buried there. Thanks to Marsha Fagnani and the Friends of Gower Cemetery for their work restoring this important site and their support of this marker!
The marker reads:
[side 1] REV. WILLIAM GOWER
1776-1851
On April 24, 1780, William Gower, age 3½, arrived with his family at the Bluffs settlements, now Nashville. In 1800 he settled near Overall Creek and in 1802 married Charlotte Garland. They had fifteen children, many of whom became prominent community leaders. A Methodist minister for over a half century, William founded Gower’s Chapel on his own farmland. Gower Cemetery was established in 1816, with the burial of William’s mother, Obedience Blakeley Gower.
[side 2] CENTENARY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Rev. William Gower built the first Gower’s Chapel on his farm in 1805. A larger chapel, erected in 1850 on Gower land, also served as the local schoolhouse. On Oct. 5, 1884, the newly named Centenary Methodist Church was dedicated by Bishop Holland McTyeire. In 1922, the church relocated again. The new building was destroyed by a tornado on March 11, 1923, but was rebuilt within the year. Centenary United Methodist Church continues to worship at the same location on Gower Rd.
(L to R) Tim Walker and Jessica Reeves (MHC), MHC Commissioners Chris Cotton and Lynn Maddox, and Dr. Lea Williams.
A large group of Gower descendants, supporters and members of the Friends of Gower Cemetery gathered for the ceremony.
At the April MHC meeting, a new historical marker for Hillsboro High School was approved. District 25 Council member Russ Pulley selected this as his district's new marker, funded by the Marker Project. The first school building was constructed in 1939 to serve rural students between Bellevue and Antioch. After it burned, a new school was built in 1954 (designed by Edwin Keeble) and expanded in 1958. The iconic clock was added in 1958 in memory of one of its students.
1952 fire at the first Hillsboro High School. Credit: Metro Archives.
The Commission also approved a new privately-funded historical marker for Reverend Bill Barnes. He was a pastor, civil rights leader and teacher often called the "conscience of Nashville" by legislators. Barnes passionately agitated for legislation that would help those marginalized by race, social class, sexual orientation, incarceration or homelessness and founded multiple organizations devoted to those causes. The marker will be placed near Edgehill United Methodist Church.
Former Nashville Mayor Megan Barry with the Rev. Bill Barnes in 2016. Credit: NPR.
MHZC news
The MHZC’s May public hearing will be on Wednesday, May 15th at 2:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Center. The application deadline was April 29th at noon.
View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines here.
In case you missed this year's Nashville 101 history lecture series with Davidson County historian Dr. Carole Bucy, you can now view the lectures online! This extremely popular series sold out with nearly 200 attendees at this spring's sessions. We want to extend deep gratitude to Dr. Bucy for donating her time to these classes and encouraging such widespread interest in the history and culture of Nashville. Thanks to Metro Nashville Network for creating these videos!
The videos for each of the four Nashville 101 sessions can be accessed via the MHC website.
A packed house for Nashvile 101 at the Bellevue Library. Credit: MHC.
A recent news interview with Brigette Jones, the Director of African American Studies at Belle Meade Plantation, highlights the new Journey to Jubilee tour. The tour focuses on the African American life experience on the plantation and how vital these people were to the property and family. The first African Americans were brought to Belle Meade Plantation in 1807. This one-hour tour follows their journey from enslavement to eventual freedom over nearly a 100-year span.
Interior of slave cabin at Belle Meade Plantation. Credit: NewsChannel 5 YouTube.
In mid-April, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce at the Greater Nashville Regional Council (GNRC) announced the launch of a new place-based program called the Greater Nashville Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZ). The program connects local communities with investors who want to make a positive impact in underserved areas of Middle Tennessee. Incentives through this program spur new investment in local real estate or commercial development and are expected to boost jobs and economic conditions. Interactive online maps and demographic data are available to assist potential applicants.
For more information, visit the Greater Nashville QOZ website.
Map of Nashville's Qualified Opportunity Zones. Credit: www.greaternashvilleqoz.org.
Applications are now being accepted for the Tennessee Arts Commission's Arts Build Community (ABC) grants. Project must occur between August 16, 2019-June 15, 2020. The ABC grants support arts projects that broaden access to arts, enhance community quality of life, or help to make asset-based cultural enterprises more sustainable. Metro Arts will host an ABC grants workshop May 28th from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Learn more about the online application and workshop.
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