Murfreesboro’s Old City Cemetery, where the Tennessee General Assembly once met, is fourth on a list of the state’s endangered historic places released last week.
Since 2001, the Tennessee Preservation Trust has annually announced a list of Tennessee Most Endangered Historic Places” based on nominations received from the public.
The list highlights urban and rural sites across the state to elicit public support for saving threatened historic resources.
The Tennessee Preservation Trust is a member-supported, non-profit, statewide historic preservation advocacy and educational organization based in Nashville. The trust is the statewide partner for the National Trust for Historic Preservation based in Washington, D.C.
The “Ten in Tennessee” for 2008:
1) Clarksville Historic Districts, Montgomery County. Historic properties in the Historic Downtown area and the Emerald Hill and Dog Hill historic districts are threatened by a newly enacted downtown development ordinance that encompasses over 1,300 acres, utilizes “blight” designations, and allows the city to use eminent domain to condemn property for demolition and speculative private development. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has acknowledged that this is possibly the largest eminent domain case affecting historic structures in the country.
2) Tipton-Rosemark Academy, Millington, Shelby County. The Rosemark School, built in 1912, is the centerpiece of the Rosemark community in northern Shelby County. It later became a private academy. The school has constructed a new high school and plans to demolish the historic structure as early as this June. Community activists and school alumni are seeking to save the structure for community use.
3) Fleming Hall at Battle Ground Academy, Franklin, Williamson County. The largest educational building in Williamson County, Fleming Hall was the centerpiece of the private school, successor to Harpeth Academy dating back to 1811. The 1912 structure is now owned by Williamson County, which has failed to maintain it and is considering its demolition. Williamson County's active preservation community wants to see the historic structure adapted for offices or other continuing use.
4) Old City Cemetery, Murfreesboro, Rutherford County. Dating to the early 1820s, this was the first cemetery in the city of Murfreesboro and the site of the original First Presbyterian Church, which also served as the state capitol building during the 1822 legislative session. The graves and architectural elements in the historic burying ground are suffering from neglect and improper care, and professional conservation work is needed to maintain this hallowed landscape.
5) Kimsey Junior College, Ducktown, Polk County. The only architect-designed structure in Tennessee's Copper Basin and a rare rural example of Collegiate Gothic Architecture, Kimsey Junior College, designed by architect Reuben H. Hunt, was built in 1932-33 for a state college, but was never used for its intended purpose, and became a vocational and general school for Ducktown. Though now vacant and beginning to suffer from deterioration, the City of Ducktown has shown an interest in acquiring the property for a community center.
6) Shofners Chapel Lutheran Church, Thompsons Creek, Bedford County. This small frame church was home to not only the oldest Lutheran congregation in Tennessee, but to the first Lutheran congregation west of the Allegheny Mountains. The landscape setting for the historic temple-form Greek Revival chapel is threatened by the widening of adjacent U.S. Highway 41-A. Church representatives are working with the Tennessee Department of Transportation to try to protect historic viewsheds and landscape elements.
7) Geist Blacksmith Shop and Residences, Nashville, Davidson County. John Geist & Sons was a key part of Nashville’s historic Germantown community, and when the company closed its doors two years ago, was Nashville’s oldest operating business. The stone shop and accompaning residence are rare surviving original Victorian buildings on Nashville’s bustling Jefferson Street and are suffering from neglect. The chief threat is demolition, as the land has incredible value for future development.
8) Beth Salem Presbyterian Church, The first African-American church established in the three-county area of McMinn, Meigs and Polk counties was organized in 1866, just after Abolition. The present church, a small frame chapel, was erected in 1925. Services were discontinued in the 1950s but regular pilgrimages continue. The structure suffers from some deterioration, but the community has formed a restoration fund and hopes designation will attract more support.
9) S. S. Eaves House, Decatur, Meigs County. This excellent and rare surviving example of “Steamboat Gothic” architecture suffers from serious neglect. The owner has little interest, and it is hoped that designation will draw attention to this wonderful structure and possibly lead to acquisition by a buyer or group that would save the structure for future use.
10) Franklin P. Blue Municipal Building, McMinnville, Warren County. A former antebellum mansion converted to a public school, the structure remained a school until 1977, and has served since as a municipal building. The City of McMinnville has purchased another structure and plans to move its offices, and has not been maintaining the structure, which may face demolition. It is considered one of the most important structures in the community,
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