Six Tennessee Sites Added to the National Register of Historic Places

Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Historical Commission has announced six Tennessee sites have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is part of a nationwide program that coordinates and supports efforts to identify, evaluate and protect historic resources.  The Tennessee Historical Commission administers the program in Tennessee.

Sites recently added to the National Register of Historic Places include:

• A.R. Brown House – A.R. Brown purchased his new house in Erwin (Unicoi County) around 1894 and made additions as his family and stature in the community grew. Originally a one-story house, Brown added a second story in 1900 and enclosed the porch in 1910.  Additional rooms were added by 1916, and interior changes were made in approximately 1934. Situated just outside the business district, the house retains architectural features from all of these times and is a good example of Victorian-era and Craftsman design. Brown was an important individual in Erwin’s development. He was deeply involved in commercial, civic, political and religious activities in the community. The property continues to be owned by Brown’s descendants.
• Beech Grove – Located outside Nashville (Davidson County), Beech Grove was first settled in 1801 by Hugh Allison and was owned by the same family until 1975. Construction on the farmhouse began approximately 1850, and the home was updated to the popular Colonial Revival style around 1920. In 1990 and again in 2000, the farmhouse was modernized. The changes to the farm document how rural life and farming techniques changed from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century. In addition to the main house, a corncrib, historic barn, storage shed, field patterns, well house and garage/chicken coop represent one of the few remaining farms in Davidson County.
• Dunbar Public School – The circa 1923 school building was constructed in Loudon (Loudon County) with money from the Julius Rosenwald Fund.  Rosenwald, a Sears Roebuck president, set up the fund to help construct schools for African-Americans. This one-story frame school is an adaptation of the Rosenwald Plan #20 designed for two teachers.  Dunbar Public School served as the community’s only African-American school from the time it was built until the Civil Rights era in the late 20th century.   The building was frequently used as a community center, hosting a variety of events. According to local sources, the use of the school building for community functions was one reason the St. Peter Masonic Lodge bought the building after the school closed in 1965.
• Knickerbocker Apartments – Built in 1927, the Knickerbocker Apartments in Memphis (Shelby County) combine a two-story brick building with a central courtyard facing McLean Boulevard. With a large number of pre-World War II apartments, the city of Memphis prepared a document detailing the history of apartments and other multi-family buildings throughout the area. The Knickerbocker is an excellent example of a multi-family apartment designed to filter in light and air. Constructed with elements of both the Craftsman and Colonial Revival styles, the apartment building is important for its architectural design and representation of real estate developments in early 20th century Memphis.
• Pippin Roller Coaster – The structure more familiarly known as the “Zippin Pippin” was erected in Memphis (Shelby County) at the Mid-South Fairgrounds – later called Libertyland – in 1923 and rebuilt in 1928. It was designed by John Miller, a pioneer in roller coaster engineering, and built by the Lynn Welcher Company.  Miller used innovations, such as the “safety chain dog,” which served as an anti-rollback device, and an “underfriction track,” a device used to keep the cars in the track. Constructed of wood with steel tracks, the structure is 70 feet high and extends for nearly 3,000 feet.  Speed averaged about 21 miles per hour but could go as fast as 40 mph.  In 2005, Libertyland closed, and an organization called Save Libertyland now owns the Pippin and plans to resurrect the ride.
• Robertson Family Farm – The centerpiece of the Robertson Family Farm near Whiteville (Hardeman County) is the 1906 farmhouse or what the family calls the “Home House.” Started by a former slave, Crawford Robertson, the farm continues to be owned and farmed by his descendents.  In 1888, Robertson purchased his first tract of land, totaling 75 acres. He purchased two more tracts in 1896 and 1904. Along with the Home House, there is a tenant house, farm storage buildings, barn, a modern house and approximately 153 acres of farmland that comprise the present-day farmstead. The Robertson Family Farm is a rare example of a historic family-owned, African-American farm in Tennessee.

For more information about the National Register of Historic Places or the Tennessee Historical Commission, please visit the Web site at www.tdec.net/hist.