The Tennessee Historical Commission has awarded restoration grants to stabilize four historic landmarks across the Upper Cumberland region to preserve local heritage and drive economic development.
UCDD Public Historian Mark Dudney said the funding targets properties already listed on the National Register of Historic Places that require urgent structural repairs. Dudney said the four selected sites include the Overton County Courthouse, White Plains in Algood, the A.H. Roberts law office in Livingston, and the First Presbyterian Church in McMinnville.
“I’m very happy about it,” Dudney said. “I think it’s significant and it just sort of speaks to the unique heritage and culture that we have here.”
Dudney said the grants are specifically designed to address foundational issues such as leaky roofs, broken windows, and water damage. Dudney said the total project costs range from $25,000 to $30,000 for the smaller structures, while the courthouse project is valued at $50,000.
“In the Overton County Courthouse, they’ve got a water damage problem in the basement, so this grant is specifically to target that issue,” Dudney said. “They’ve got other grants there at the courthouse that they’re working on and so it’s an example of how different agencies, but the same people, if you keep at it and keep working together, you can keep these great cultural resources as sort of the flagship in your communities.”
Dudney said the A.H. Roberts law office serves as a connection to the history of women’s suffrage in Tennessee, while White Plains represents one of the earliest settlements in the region.
“It is economic development because, whether it’s tourism or retirees or quality of life generally in a community, community pride and civic knowledge, you know, teaching young people and all ages about the history of your community and that keeps it alive and then for economic purposes, keeping your culture alive and attractive and making it part of your future,” Dudney said. “You know, that that is a big part of heritage tourism is a is a big economic driver.”
Dudney said he authored three of the four successful applications while battling the flu to ensure the region secured the competitive funding. Dudney said the collaboration between the Upper Cumberland Development District, local governments, and civic organizations like the Livingston Civic and Garden Club was essential to the success of the applications.
“All history is local history, right?” Dudney said. “So so if you don’t think your small town has anything to do with the 19th Amendment or the Civil War or the civil rights movement or other large, you know, big national stories, then you you’re wrong. You need you need to find out about how your own community has a has a local connection to those national stories.”
Dudney said he plans to focus on projects related to the America 250 anniversary before identifying the next set of endangered historic properties in the region.
