Five Tennessee Sites Added to the National Register of Historic Places

NASHVILLE – The Tennessee Historical Commission 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.

“The National Register honors places that help Tennesseans understand our heritage and what makes our communities unique and enjoyable,” said Patrick McIntyre, executive director of the Tennessee Historical Commission.  “We are confident this recognition will help retain these unique sites for future generations to know and appreciate.”

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

Allendale Farm – The Allen House in Montgomery County was listed in the National Register in 1978 with less than four acres of land, known as the domestic complex, around the main house. The expanded nomination includes 310 acres and additional information on the agricultural importance and settlement history of the farm. The Allen House is an 1858 Federal-style residence with a 1919 extension that connects to a circa 1800 log building. Other historic resources on the farm include servant’s quarters, tenant houses, ponds, a stock barn and the agricultural landscape. New information documents that by the mid-20th century, Allendale Farm was involved in statewide farm demonstration programs with Austin Peay State College (now University) and the University of Tennessee, making the Allen family leaders in agricultural innovation.

Bodenham Mill – The Bodenham Mill was built around 1930 on the ruins and foundation of a mill built nearly 100 years earlier. The 2.5-story frame building, with a Fitz overshot wheel, was the center of the Bodenham community in Giles County for 25 years. The grist and flour mill was constructed at a time when commercial patterns were changing in rural parts of the state. The first mill on the site drew customers from far away, but by the 1930s as transportation improved in the 20th century, most farmers traveled to cities like Pulaski where there were larger mills that were more efficient. The Bodenham Mill then served the local region, providing more specialized and personalized service. Operated by water power, the basic technology of the mill did not change from the 1830s, but the milling equipment inside was updated. The mill ceased operating in 1955.

Moye Boarding House – Constructed between 1878 and 1892, the Moye Boarding House was originally a one-story frame Cumberland plan house with two rooms. The Cumberland plan is characterized by two front entrances, now visible on the south elevation of the house. A 1.5-story central hall plan house was added to the west end in 1882, becoming the front of the house, and in 1892 the rear porch was partially enclosed and the wood porches and additional decorative woodwork were added to the house giving it the current Folk Victorian styling. The house is a good local representation of the early Cumberland plan, the later central hall plan, and the turned and sawn woodwork that give it a distinctive architectural character in Portland. Today, the property is known locally as the Moye-Green House and is important as an early commercial enterprise in this Sumner County community.

Oak Hill Farm – Oak Hill Farm spans Tipton and Haywood counties in West Tennessee. The centerpiece of the 213-acre farm is the 1834 Taylor farmhouse. Other historic resources on the property include a barn, dairy parlor, hog house, tenant houses, granary, smoke house, well house, chicken house, pond, cemetery and the agricultural fields. The Taylor family began farming here in the 1830s and the land continues to be farmed. The changes to the resources and addition of buildings on the farm reflect the evolution of agricultural trends, such as changes in crop production and sharecropping. The farm is an important part of the agricultural and architectural history of Tipton and Haywood counties. The house is a fine example of a Federal I-house and the farm itself is representative of pre-WWII progressive farming and post-WWII agricultural innovation.

Thomas P. Kennedy Jr. House – The Thomas P. Kennedy Jr. House was listed in the National Register in 2003 for its architectural importance. This revised nomination expands the boundaries from 25.7 acres to 166.6 acres in order to document how the property represents a country estate of the early 20th century. The Colonial Revival style house was designed by Nashville architect Donald Southgate and built in 1937 on the outskirts of Nashville. In addition to Kennedy’s house, stock barns and farm outbuildings were built on the property and several 19th century features such as stone walls, a historic cemetery, springhouse and sunken roadbed were incorporated into the landscaping. The Thomas P. Kennedy Jr. House is one of the few historic estates like this in the Nashville area.

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 website at www.tnhistoricalcommission.org.

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