Tennessee's historic fabric is poised to gain new threads as the State Review Board assembles on January 23 to deliberate upon the inclusion of seven properties into the esteemed National Register of Historic Places. Slated to congregate at the Tennessee Historical Commission at 2941 Lebanon Pike, Nashville, as well as via virtual connection—because accessibility matters—the body will begin their assessment at 9 a.m. (CST). The meeting will not only be a medium of verdict but also of public spectacle, as per the THC State Review Board regulations; details of attendance are just a click away on their webpage.
From the industrious bones of Johnson’s Mill in Claiborne County to the musical heartbeat of Club Baron in Davidson County, from the architectural poise of the William T. Cheek House, also in Davidson County, to the commercial legacy preserved at McFerren Grocery and Oil Company in Fayette County, each site whispers a unique amalgam of story and stone, which also includes Flynn’s Lick Methodist Church in Jackson County, the Dr. C.B. Jones House standing firm in Knox County, and the sentinel-like Toll Gate House in Lincoln County, these are the properties on which votes will be cast, determining their destinies as landmarks recognized on a national platform, as detailed by the Tennessee Historical Commission.
The congregation will feature 12 individuals seasoned in disciplines such as American history, architecture, archaeology, with some representing the public to ensure a diversity of perspectives in their decision-making process—and it is these perspectives that will forward the voting outcomes to the National Register of Historic Places under the U.S. Department of the Interior, pending they meet the strict criteria that honor the nation's storied past, according to the press release.
Those who find resonance with the tales embedded in Tennessee's architecture, or seek to bear witness to the preservation rites that will be performed on January 23, may find engagement with the proceedings by reaching out to Rebecca Schmitt of the Tennessee Historical Commission at (615) 818-4476 or through the hallowed electronic pathways at [email protected].
