MHC News
The next Historical Commission public meeting will be held on Monday, August 21 at 12:00 p.m. in the Community Room at Midtown Hills Police Precinct, 1441 12th Avenue South. You can find a full list of upcoming and previous MHC meetings on our website.
Our June 2023 meeting was the final meeting for Chair Lynn Maddox and Vice-Chair Linda Wynn, both of whom served a two year tenure. The MHC Commissioners and Staff would like to extend many thanks to Lynn and Linda for their service. Linda Wynn and Laura Rost began their tenure as Chair and Vice-Chair respectively in July 2023.
Be on the look out for two new historical markers in the near future! A marker for Warner Parks' 1811 House (also called the Hodge House) and a marker for Joseph "Yusef" Harris, founder of Alkebu-Lan Images Bookstore, were approved at the July MHC meeting. The 1811 House marker text will now go before the Metro Parks Board in September for their approval. We look forward to celebrating both of these markers in 2024!
Did you miss Dr. Adam Fracchia and MNPD's presentation on recent forensic efforts to Uncover the Battle of Nashville at Sunnyside? Thanks to Metro Nashville Network, you can watch it online!
Congratulations to all the family member and Frederick Stump descendants who gathered in Nashville in June 2023 to celebrate a new historical marker for Frederick Stump 1723-1820 (4949 Buena Vista Pike). This marker, originally placed in front of the Stump Tavern in 1975, was damaged in 2019 and a replacement marker had to be ordered. This gave us a chance to work with the family to add more information to the text, as well as work with the property owners to move the marker up the hill and away from the road and traffic. The family enjoyed a wonderful day of visiting cemeteries and local sites related to their ancestor, including a tour of the Stump Tavern!
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On July 11, over 40 participants attended a half-day cemetery preservation workshop at Nashville City Cemetery with some traveling from as far away as Ohio and east Tennessee. Instructed by Jonathan Appell of Atlas Preservation, participants learned proper techniques for gravestone cleaning and repair and gained an understanding of the different stones used for gravestones and how they weather over time. The workshop included hands-on cleanings and a full demonstration of the repair of a broken tablet tombstone. County Historian Dr. Carole Bucy presented a brief history of the cemetery to begin the day—thank you, Carole! Many thanks to staff members Caroline Eller and Russell LeStourgeon for their help in organizing the event and to the Nashville City Cemetery Association for providing refreshments during the day.
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Many thanks to Senator Brenda Gilmore and Council Member Zulfat Suara, the entire John Lewis Way March committee, Gordon Memorial United Methodist Church, and everyone who attended the marker dedication ceremony on Friday, July 14 for Ernest Rip Patton. Patton was a member of the Nashville Student Movement and participated in the Nashville Sit-Ins and Freedom Rides. He was one of fourteen students expelled from Tennessee A&I for taking part in an act of protest; he received an honorary doctorate from TSU in 2008. Known for his singing, especially while at Mississippi's Parchman Farm prison, a slideshow during the pre-unveiling reception featured Patton speaking--and singing!--about his experience as a Freedom Rider and lifelong civil rights activist. The dedication ceremony had a great turnout, including many of our MHC Commissioners, Executive Director and County Historian. Thankfully, the rain held off so we were able to celebrate and unveil the marker with members of both the Patton and John Lewis families. Afterward, everyone gathered inside and Mayor John Cooper, Senator Gilmore, and CM Suara introduced a panel discussion between Montgomery (AL) mayor Steven Reed, Dr. Bernard Lafayette, and Kayla Prowell moderated by Safiyah Suara.
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The rain couldn't stop the third annual John Lewis Way March on Saturday, July 15, 2023. After remarks from committee chair Senator Brenda Gilmore, Council Member Zulfat Suara, Henry Lewis (brother of the late Rep. John Lewis), Representative Gloria Johnson and Montgomery mayor Steven Reed, and a call to action by Representative Justin Jones and Rev. Dr. Kelly Miller Smith Jr., participants walked in the pouring rain from the Tennessee State Library and Archives (TSLA) to the Ryman Auditorium carrying signs provided by MHC. Music was provided by the Temple Baptist Church Choir and Stratford STEM Magnet School band.
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Metro officially commemorated its 60th anniversary with a reception on July 18. County historian Dr. Carole Bucy, pictured here with a Metro at 60 cake, has spent many months working with the Mayor's office on this momentous occasion. The consolidated city-county Metropolitan government became a reality on April 1, 1963, when the first Metro Council, Mayor, and Vice Mayor were sworn into office. The 1962 charter also gave more citizens the opportunity to participate in the governmental process through service on Metro's boards and commissions. Learn more on the Metro Nashville's 60th anniversary website.
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MHZC News
The MHZC’s next public hearing will be held on Wednesday, August 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Sonny West Conference Center, Howard Office Building, 700 President Ronald Regan Way. View the MHZC meeting schedule and application deadlines on our website. Access archived videos of the MHZC meetings on the Metro YouTube channel anytime!
Don't forget, Thursday, August 3, 2023 is the Metropolitan General Election, TN House District 51 Special Primary Election, and TN House District 52 Special General Election.
MHC worked with Preservation Society of Nashville (PSN) and Historic Nashville, Inc. (HNI) to compile a list of questions for mayoral candidates relating to historic preservation issues facing the city. The questionnaire was sent to all 12 candidates; we received responses from 7 candidates (with one candidate since dropping out of the race). The full list of questions and candidate responses can be found in the News section of our website. For a side-by-side comparison of the candidates' answer, see PSN's latest blog post.
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Beginning this September, the Metro Historical Commission will offer its first Citizen Historic Preservation Academy. The course will consist of six weekly, two-hour meetings beginning September 11 until October 23 (there will be no class on October 9). The Academy is an opportunity for Nashville residents to learn more about Metro Nashville’s involvement in preservation, the related benefits and resources, and how citizens can participate in local processes. The Academy will meet at historic Metro sites with an opportunity to tour some of the sites. Class size is limited to 12, and the selection process is competitive. The application deadline is August 4. The ideal candidate will be someone who has the interest and the means to share what is learned with their neighborhood and be able to attend at least 5 of the 6 Monday night sessions.
Topics of discussion will include: local historic zoning, the Secretary of Interior Standards, recognizing historic styles, researching property, incentives for rehabilitation and designation, and introductions to local and state partners and programs.
Interested candidates should send answers to the following questions and a letter of recommendation from their councilmember or neighborhood/merchant association to historicalcommission@nashville.gov by August 4, 5:00 p.m. 2023.
- Why are you a good candidate for the Citizen’s Historic Preservation Academy? Please include what you would like to learn from and share with the Academy and any qualifications/special interests you believe are important.
- List any past or current community involvement.
- How do you plan to share information you receive in the Academy with your neighborhood?
In the spring and summer of 2023, the Vanderbilt Institute for Spatial Research (VISR) conducted GPR surveys of the City Cemetery and the yard area around the Sunnyside Mansion. It is important to note that geophysical survey method can identify potential anomalies that can be excavated to confirm their presence and extent. Dr. Adam Fracchia, MHC staff archaeologist, has provided a summary of their finding as follows.
City Cemetery: Geophysical investigation focused on four sections in the southwest corner of the City Cemetery. The purpose of this survey was to understand the extent of unmarked burials in these sections. Several man-made anomalies were identified including a road and subterranean anomaly which could be a drain systems or road. The smaller box-shaped anomalies found correspond with graves and match many of the visible gravestones. Additional anomalies and possible graves were noted where no gravestones were present. The bulk of anomalies consistent with burials were evident at depths from 50 to 90 cm (1.64- 2.95 ft.) The GPR results showed the direction of burials in relation to their headstones to be variable as well as the depth of the perceived burials. VISR recommend additional survey of the adjacent properties to the south to more thoroughly map this area and understand the large, linear anomalies.
Sunnyside: Geophysical investigation focused on the areas to the east and south of the Sunnyside Mansion. The goal of the survey was to better characterize the extent and locations of structures on the property and to use this information to build out interpretative information for the site. Due to ongoing construction, ten small grids were surveyed. The geophysical survey highlighted a variety of anomalies potentially associated with buildings/structures, agricultural areas, and geologic/natural features. Several potential coal deposits were located around the carriage house and possibly around the southwest and south sides of the house. Three to four anomalies that could be foundations were identified to the southeast of the main house. Additional survey is recommended of the adjacent areas to the east and south to look for outbuildings and Civil War entrenchments.
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Andrea Gutierrez and Natalie Robbins of the Vanderbilt Institute for Special Research collecting ground penetrating data at the Nashville City Cemetery.
University of Louisville professor Dr. Maegen Rochner and one of her graduate students, A. J., were at Sunnyside in late June for three days of collecting core samples from all three log structures at the site: the two log structures within the ell as well as the smoke house. They took four or more samples with each wall and will be analyzing the samples over the next few months to determine the year and season in which the log was cut down. This information will be valuable as we continue our research to gain a better understanding of the changes that have occurred to Sunnyside since it was first settled. We look forward to sharing more about this exciting process soon!
Note: Dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, is the science that assigns accurate calendar dates to the yearly growth rings produced by trees. Samples are obtained by means of an increment borer, a simple metal tube of small diameter that can be driven into a tree to get a core sample. The core is split in the laboratory, the rings are counted and measured, and the sequence of rings is correlated with sequences from other cores.
Collecting a sample from the log structure inside the ell at Sunnyside.
The Metro Historical Commission has been awarded a $57,963 grant to fund a study about mid-20th century African American districts in Nashville and Davidson County. Funding for this project comes from the Underrepresented Communities Grant Program, through the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
Over the next two years, MHC will work with a consultant to complete archival research and field survey activities, with a focus on documenting Nashville’s mid-20th century districts created by and for African Americans. Survey findings will be used to create a National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) countywide context document and at least one new or amended associated NRHP district nomination. MHC will provide matching funds through staff time spent on a variety of administrative and public outreach activities.
Commission staff have noted several residential neighborhoods that may qualify to be surveyed as part of this project, including areas like Enchanted Hills, Gardner’s Gold Coast, Gardner’s Meadow, Haynes Meade, Hillhurst, Clintondale and others. Many of these areas are concentrated in North Nashville and the Haynes Area, but African American districts anywhere in Davidson County may be addressed by the project as time and budget allow. Survey data can help neighborhoods determine if they want to pursue honorary designation through the NRHP or a more protective preservation tool like local historic zoning. These historical designations can also enable access to other preservation programs and financial incentives. As rapid development and a lack of affordable housing continue to impact Nashvillians, this project aims to document African American historic neighborhoods in a way that can help with the long-term preservation of both their architecture and their history.
For more information on the Underrepresented Communities Grant Program, please visit the National Park Service website. To learn more or provide comments about Nashville’s Underrepresented Communities grant project, please contact Caroline Eller at (615) 862-7970 ext. 79780 or Caroline.Eller@Nashville.gov.
As the oldest institutions created and controlled by African Americans, Black churches are a living testament to the achievements and resiliency of generations in the face of a racialized and inequitable society.
To preserve and uplift America’s historic places, Lilly Endowment Inc. and the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund are investing in a $20 million initiative to help historic Black churches and congregations reimagine, redesign, and redeploy historic preservation to address the institutions’ needs and the cultural assets and stories they steward.
Grants from Preserving Black Churches are intended to preserve historic Black houses of worship (with either active or non-active congregations) and advance ongoing preservation activities. With grants ranging from $50,000 to $200,000, the funding will strengthen capacity for historic congregations, preservation organizations, and community groups to better steward, manage, and use their historic structures. Applications are due by August 23, 2023.
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The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) has released a joint Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) programs, which will combine two major discretionary grants into one NOFO. Together, this combined program will be known as the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program. While they remain separate programs for the purposes of award, the programs share many common characteristics, including:
- Prioritizing disadvantaged communities;
- Aiming to improve access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and recreation;
- Fostering equitable development and restoration;
- Reconnecting communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development.
Under the combined RCN Program, USDOT offers three grant types: Capital Construction, Community Planning, and Regional Partnerships Challenge. Applications are due by September 28, 2023.
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The National Park Service announces availability of grant funding through African American Civil Rights Grant Program (AACR). The program will document, interpret, and preserve sites and stories telling the full story of the long struggle for African American civil rights from the transatlantic slave trade onwards across two separate grant funding opportunities. The NPS 2008 report, Civil Rights in America, A Framework for Identifying Significant Sites, will serve as the reference document in determining the appropriateness of proposed projects and properties.
AACR Grants are funded by the Historic Preservation Fund (HPF), administered by the NPS, and will fund a broad range of preservation projects including survey and inventory, National Register nominations, oral histories and more. Grants are awarded through a competitive process and do not require non-Federal funding match. Congress has appropriated $24 million in FY2023 funding for History and Preservation projects. Applications are due by October 10, 2023.
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Don't forget about the Centennial Park weekly History Tours and monthly Architecture Tours.
Enjoy free admission for Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) students, staff, and faculty— and their entire families--on August 8 during MNPS STEAM Night.
Explore the rich history of Fort Negley on the Fort Negley Park Guided Walking Tour on Saturday, August 5 from 9:30-11:00 a.m.
Who was Cornelia Fort? Learn all about her on the Cornelia Fort Walking Tour on Friday, August 11 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. Registration required.
Tour the Nashville City Cemetery on their Second Saturday Free Walking Tour: The Women's History Tour with Carolyn Gregory on August 12 from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Dig in with Fossil Finders at Fort Negley on Saturday, August 12 at 9:30 a.m.
Have a tea party with friends at Two Rivers Mansion on Saturday, August 12 from 2:00-4:00 p.m.
Join the Nashville Civil War Roundtable as they discuss "Rosecrans' Campaign for Chattanooga 160th Anniversary" at Fort Negley on August 15 at 7:00 p.m.
See Moments from the Movement about Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood's experience desegregating Stratford High School in 1963, on display in the second floor gallery of the Main Library until August 31.
Take an exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Library 101 tour of the Main Library with the Nashville Public Library Foundation on August 2 from 9:15-10:30 a.m.
Catherine Burks was born near Selma, AL on October 8, 1939, and spent her youth in Birmingham. From a very young age, she developed a sharp tongue, a critical eye, and a strong sense of justice. She used these tools to speak out against the injustices of racism and segregation. Her first acts of protest occurred when she was only 11 years old, while walking down the Birmingham sidewalks. When white pedestrians approached from the opposite direction, Catherine always refused to step out into the street to allow them to pass, defying both local customs and city law.
While attending Tennessee A&I (later Tennessee State University), in between attending classes and modeling for Jet magazine, Catherine joined the Nashville Student Movement and participated in more organized protests like sit-ins and picket lines. When she joined the Freedom Rides in 1961, she had the opportunity to put her commitment to nonviolence to the test. Catherine and the Freedom Riders from Nashville were met by Birmingham Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene "Bull" Connor and driven to the state line and left in the middle of the night. The Freedom Riders made their way back to Birmingham and continued on to Montgomery where they were met with more violence. Safely back in Nashville, Catherine was one of fourteen students--including Ernest Rip Patton--expelled from Tennessee A&I for taking part in an act of protest. She continued her work with the Freedom Rides and was even jailed in Mississippi's Parchman Farm prison.
In 1962, Catherine married fellow Freedom Rider Paul Brooks and they moved to Mississippi to continue fighting for justice. They participated in voter registration efforts, were the co-editors of the Mississippi Free Press until 1963, and helped lay the groundwork for the Freedom Summer project in 1964. Catherine later worked as a social worker, entrepreneur, and substitute teacher. In 2008, Tennessee State University awarded her and the other expelled Freedom Riders an honorary doctorate. Until her death on July 3, 2023, she continued to share her story at the Freedom Riders Museum in Montgomery and other venues. (Adapted from Catherine Burks Brooks family bio, read the full bio here)
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**Broadway Bridge/ State Route 1 (US 70) Broadway Viaduct closure through September 7**
Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage--History Uncorked: Whiskey Edition--August 3
National Museum of African American Music--Soles with Soul: A Celebration of Hip Hop & Culture Sneaker Ball--August 11
Tennessee State Museum--TN Writers|TN Stories: Rachel Louise Martin--August 12
Bellevue Harpeth Historic Association--Bill Carey, True Tales of Tennessee: Earthquake to Railroad--August 14
Tennessee State Museum--Music for Seniors: A Vote of Her Own--August 16
Tennessee State Museum--Lunch and Learn: Young Women's Education in Tennessee--August 17
Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage--Hermitage Trivia Night--August 17
Cheekwood Estate and Garden--Black Arts Bash--August 19
Andrew Jackson's The Hermitage--Painting with the President--August 27
Frist Art Museum--Storied Strings: The Guitar in American Art--closes August 13
Tennessee State Library and Archives--Founding Tennessee: The Landmark Documents exhibit--closes August 15
National Museum of African American Music--Nissan Free Wednesday--free admission on the first Wednesday of each month courtesy of Nissan
Cheekwood Estate and Gardens--Thursday Night Out--each Thursday at 6:00 pm
Frist Art Museum--Architecture Tours--each Saturday from 3:30-4:30 pm
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum--Historic Music Row: Nashville's Creative Crossroads--online exhibit
Check out our online newsletter archives!
Have a preservation-related event that you want us to include? Send a message to Jessica.Reeves@nashville.gov
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