Seven Tennessee Sites Added to the National Register of Historic Places

NASHVILLE - 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:

•  Abston Garage – The Abston Garage was built around 1922 on Kingston Avenue in Oliver Springs, Tennessee, in Roane County. Thomas F. Abston was responsible for constructing the load-bearing brick building at a time when more and more families could afford an automobile. From 1922, it was used as a commercial garage, selling and servicing autos and as a bus stop. Capitalizing on the proliferation of the automobile in the 1910s and 1920s, it represents early trends in combined automobile dealerships and service centers. Circa 1942, the building was converted into a movie theater and was used for movies, performances, a bowling alley and snack bar. In 1951, the building returned to an automotive use as an auto service/supply store. There were changes made to the garage as its uses varied, but the overall character remained and the building has been a local landmark. It is important historically and architecturally as an example of an automobile-related building. 

• Arthur J. Dyer Observatory –Built on a hilltop in the southern part of Davidson County in 1953, the Dyer Observatory property consists of the observatory, 1953 house and garage, and the 2006 Star Chamber. Chattanooga architects and amateur astronomers Clarence T. and R. Bruce Jones designed the observatory for Vanderbilt University. Arthur J. Dyer, head of the Nashville Bridge Company, had the dome built and was responsible, along with Carl K. Seyfert, for completing the observatory. Seyfert was a distinguished astronomer when he was hired by Vanderbilt University, in part, to build an observatory. The observatory contains a unique and versatile telescope called a Baker Reflector-Collector that was once the first of its kind. Seyfert conducted his own research at the observatory until his death in 1960. The facility continues to be used by Vanderbilt University for research and public outreach.

• Church Street Methodist Church – The church, located in downtown Knoxville in Knox County is important for its architecture and art. It is a fine example of a 20th century Gothic Revival Church. The building was designed by New York architect John Russell Pope, with Knoxville’s Charles Barber as the local architect. Built in 1930-31, the Crab Orchard sandstone building also contains stained glass windows designed by the Charles J. Connick studio in Boston. Pope, Barber and the Connick studio were all well known in their respective fields. In addition to the transparent stained glass windows, notable features of the church include pointed Gothic arch openings and windows, an impressive stone tower with carved stone trim, carved wood interior arches and historic lighting. As the congregation grew, additions were placed on the building in 1964 and the late 1980s.

• Forrest Park Historic District –The Forrest Park Historic District is comprised of 8.6 acres of park and recreation space in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. Kansas City landscape architect George Kessler designed the park for the Memphis Park Commission, as part of the city’s emerging park and parkway system around 1904. Sculptor Charles H. Niehaus’s bronze statue of General Nathan Bedford Forrest was a centerpiece of the park. Niehaus was a nationally known sculptor whose work has been catalogued as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Forrest Park is important in the area of landscape architecture and community development and planning, representing the evolution of park design in the city. The park began as a “passive” park and by the 1940s it changed to its present use and appearance by adding recreational uses. Even with these changes, the essential pattern and design of the park has remained as Kessler designed it. 

• Gammon House – The Gammon House is a 2 ½ story Queen Anne house in Bristol, Tennessee, in Sullivan County. Built around 1875 for William and Maggie McFarland, the house has the characteristic features of the Queen Anne style such as an asymmetrical plan, prominent tower, projecting bays and ornate woodwork. Unlike most brick houses of the late 19th century, which were constructed of balloon framing, the Gammon House was constructed of load-bearing brick.   It is believed to be one of the earliest houses of this style in Bristol. The house had several different owners in the late 19th century. In 1902, Dr. L. H. Gammon bought the house for $5,400 and lived there until his death in 1942. Recent owners, Frank Slaughter and Frank Slaughter, Jr., rehabilitated the house using the federal preservation tax incentives for use as a law office.

• Garrett House – The Garrett House is located in the Lawrence County seat of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, not far from the downtown square. James Garrett had the Queen Anne style house built in 1908 and its character-defining features make this a good example of the style in Lawrenceburg, including the house’s corner tower, wraparound porch, second story porch and turned woodwork inside. The house is the only example of a brick Queen Anne house in Lawrenceburg and is important not only for its architecture but also for Garrett, who was a local political leader, businessman and philanthropist. In addition to serving as mayor, Garret also served as city recorder and an alderman. During his career as a city leader, he also discovered well water that the city could use and was known for his community philanthropy and volunteerism. The current owners are rehabilitating the house using the federal preservation tax incentives.

• RiverView MoundsArchaeological Site – RiverView Mounds is a 25-acre Mississippian period mound complex that is part of a large farm in Montgomery County. The site is part of the Western Highland Rim and includes two mounds – one is a mortuary mound and the other is a flat-top substructure, with stone box cemeteries. The property is a significant prehistoric archaeological site that has the potential to yield information on Mississippian life (A.D. 900 –1450), and answer important research questions such as internal site organization, construction techniques, stone box cemeteries, life expectancy and trading patterns.   Most research on the Mississippian period has been in the Central Basin and not the Western Highland Rim, making this a very important site. 

Links to each of the completed nomination forms can be found in the site descriptions listed above. For more information about the National Register of Historic Places or the Tennessee Historical Commission, please visit the Web site at www.tn.gov/environment/hist.