Five Tennessee Sites Added to the National Register of Historic Places
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 | 05:13am
NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Historical Commission has announced five 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.
“These listings highlight some of the diverse places that tell the story of Tennessee's unique history,” said Patrick McIntyre, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission. "Our office is proud of its role in ensuring recognition of these time-honored places that help give Tennesseans a sense of pride in their communities."
Sites recently added to the National Register of Historic Places include:
- Hall-Harding-McCampbell House – Located in Nashville, the Hall-Harding-McCampbell House is a good example of the Federal style in Davidson County. The Federal style is seen in the entry with fanlight, a Flemish-bond brick pattern, paneled and reeded interior woodwork and fireplace details. Constructed around 1805 for William Hall, the two-story solid brick house appears to have originally been a hall- and parlor-plan house. After the Harding family purchased the house, changes were made to the interior plan giving the house two rooms and a hall on each floor. In the late 19th to early 20th century, the house was updated with a new principal door, new windows, sawn wood brackets and a porch that has since been removed. A one-story gable roof extension is located on the east / rear elevation and there is a one-story hip roof addition on the south – both are framed and from the 20th century.
- Hamilton-Tolliver Complex – A circa 1830s log residence is the centerpiece of the Hamilton-Tolliver Complex in Union County. The complex also includes a store, the remains of a tomato cannery, smokehouse, privy, farm acreage and woodlands. The varied resources and long history of the property are good examples of the commercial and agricultural development of this rural area. The complex also represents the various ways farmers diversified their business over the years, using both the farm and outside commercial activities to make a living. An example of this is what the Tolliver family called a “rolling” store – then a stationary store building, followed by its use as a garage and then rebuilding it in the 1950s. Canning tomatoes rather than just growing and selling them, is another example of the Tolliver family’s varied farm activities.
- Hotpoint Living-Conditioned Home – The house was built in the West Hills area of Knoxville in 1954 as a demonstration house for a program sponsored by General Electric’s Hotpoint brand and featured in the magazine Living for Young Homemakers. Designed by Knoxville architect Bruce McCarty and Knoxville builder Martin J. Bartling, it was one of four houses built in the country to show how a moderately priced, all-electric house could be easily built and lived in. The magazine was responsible for the interior decorations and for making the plans available to others. When the demonstration project ended, Bartling moved into the house. The one-story ranch house has a concrete core supporting a cantilevered truss roof and curtain walls of glass and wood paneling. The core contains the bathrooms and kitchen and divides the interior spaces into public and private areas.
- Strickland Place Farm – Established in 1903, Strickland Place Farm is located near White House in Robertson County. Consisting of about 99 acres of farmland, the property contains a circa 1915 concrete block farmhouse, milk house, shop/equipment shed, corncrib and barns. Several modern resources can also be found on the property. An interesting feature of the farm is the former airfield. The farmstead represents an important example of how an early 20th century Tennessee family farm embraced progressive agricultural programs such as dark-fired and burley tobacco production, while also diversifying the farm’s income by operating a general store that sold automobiles, tractors and electrical appliances. Operation of the airfield provided weekend entertainment with airplane rides and barnstorming stunts. In some ways the property is typical of historic family farms in the state, but the airfield and the use of concrete block for the farmhouse makes this property unique in Middle Tennessee.
- Wilkinson-Martin House – The circa 1835 Federal-style house is located in Pulaski in Giles County. Important design elements of the house include the symmetrical five-bay façade, entry door surrounded by sidelights and a transom, multi-paned double-hung windows and “end” chimneys. The main staircase and fireplace mantels are interior features that are essential features of the Federal style. Francis H. Wilkinson, who built the house, was a farmer and businessman in Giles County. After his death in 1875, the house was owned by his daughter Mary L. Martin and her husband David S. Martin. The house remained in the family until 1968, when it was sold.
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.
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