Seven Tennessee Sites Added to the National Register of Historic Places

Nashville, Tenn. – The Tennessee Historical Commission has announced seven 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:

• Anderson Presbyterian Church – The Anderson Presbyterian Church in the community of Madison Hall in Madison County was built in 1894 and was unaltered until it was modernized in the 1950s. It was listed in the National Register for its local architectural importance. The exterior design of the building is characterized by its gable front vestibule and symmetrically placed double-hung windows. Unusual incised detailing is found on the raking cornice and exposed rafters. Inside, the vault-like ceiling, wood trim and original pews are important design features. The church has a small but active membership, some of whom are related to the church’s founding fathers.
• Clear Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church – The Clear Springs Cumberland Presbyterian Church near Calhoun in McMinn County was built around 1860 and has had few changes since that time. The one-story gable front church building, a cemetery and a baptismal pool were all included in the National Register listing. Stylistic features of the church include the multi-light windows, wide board wood walls, the original steeple and wood shutters. The baptismal pool is no longer used, though the adjacent cemetery does still have occasional burials.
• Port Royal Road – Port Royal Road in Montgomery County is a remnant of a Native American trail and later an early nineteenth century stagecoach road that provided access to the Ohio River. The 300-yard segment was listed in the National Register for its significance as part of the Trail of Tears in Tennessee. Almost 12,000 Cherokee who were forced to head to the western United States utilized this part of the road in the fall of 1838 and the winter of 1839. A portion of this road is part of Port Royal State Park, a satellite of Dunbar Cave State Park, and is owned by the Department of Environment and Conservation.
• Post Oak Springs Christian Church – The Post Oak Springs Christian Church in Post Oak (Roane County) was built in 1876 and is the third building to house the church’s congregation since it formed in 1812. The church provides a significant representation of late nineteenth century settlement patterns and the development of the Christian Church in rural East Tennessee. From the church, evangelists went out to spread the gospel and help settle the region. Currently the building is not used, but a local civic organization called Rockwood 2000 hopes to work with the congregation to reuse the church for special occasions.
• Promise Land School – Promise Land School is one of only two older buildings that remain from the once thriving community of Promise Land in Dickson County. Constructed around 1899 when Promise Land was settled, with additions made circa 1915 and 1935, the school represents the historic settlement patterns, educational history and social history of African Americans who settled in the area during Reconstruction. As with many rural schools, the building was both an educational and social center for the community. Today, the building continues its use as a social center and is owned by the Promise Land Community Club.
• Riverside Farm – Riverside Farm near Walter Hill in Rutherford County is a farm complex dating back to 1831, when construction of the farmhouse begun. The complex includes 13.6 acres of land and continues to be farmed today. The Greek-Revival style farmhouse was enlarged in the 1870s and the 1970s. A two-story house with a two-story, one bay pedimented portico, the house is a fine example of what is often called a Tennessee I-house. In addition to being an example of this important vernacular style, the farm is also representative of Middle Tennessee’s historic agricultural and settlement patterns.
• Rucker-Mason Farm – The Rucker family began the 314-acre Rucker-Mason Farm in Cannon County around 1800. The farmland and farm buildings continued to develop and change through the 1950s, as the land continued to be farmed, as it is today. The property was listed in the National Register for its importance to the agricultural and architectural history of the county. It represents the changing farming methods over 200 years, with special emphasis on the changes between the 1920s and 1950s when the farm went from traditional row crop farming to more progressive farming trends, such as corn and grain production and livestock farming. Architecturally, the complex is important for the Federal influences seen in the main farmhouse and the collection of farm outbuildings.

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.

For more information contact:

Tisha Calabrese-Benton
Office (865) 594-5442