NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced Tuesday one of the latest rounds of recipients for Tennessee Historic Development grants, which included several communities across the mid-state.
The program will ultimately provide over $6 million to projects aiming to renovate and preserve historic buildings across Tennessee, encouraging communities and private developers to invest in buildings that have contributed to communities' histories. Additionally, the state's investment is expected to leverage more than $13 million in private investment.
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Recipients included the following, with those in Middle Tennessee bolded:
- Rhea County government – $250,000 to rehabilitate the Rhea County Courthouse in Dayton, which is the site of the historic Scopes trial regarding the teaching of evolution in classrooms
- Bledsoe County government – $460,894 to rehabilitate the Bledsoe County Courthouse in Pikeville
- Hamblen County government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Hamblen County Courthouse in Morristown
- Meigs County government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Meigs County Courthouse in Decatur
- N6GH Investments, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Greyhound Bus Lines Complex in Memphis
- Greene County government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Greene County Courthouse in Greeneville
- Sterling Hedrick, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Sterick Building in Memphis
- Henry County government – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Henry County Courthouse in Paris
- Lewis County government – $350,000 to rehabilitate the Lewis County Courthouse in Hohenwald
- Bethel University – $196,000 to rehabilitate the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church building in McKenzie
- Morristown Corner Development, LLC – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Whittaker-Holtsinger Hardware Co. 113, 115, 117 North Cumberland in Morristown
- City of Dickson – $60,000 to rehabilitate the Dickson War Memorial Building in Dickson
- Montgomery Alumni Association, Inc. – $50,000 to rehabilitate the Montgomery High School Building in Cunningham
- Haywood Historical Foundation – $500,000 to rehabilitate the North Washington Historic District, 127 N Lafayette Avenue in Brownsville
- City of Cleveland – $500,000 to rehabilitate the Cherokee Hotel, 44 Inman Street E in Cleveland
![Hamblen County Courthouse]()
The Hamblen County Courthouse was built in 1870-74 with the designs of architect A. C. Bruce of Knoxville, Tennessee. It is a first generation courthouse, meaning that it is the only courthouse Hamblen County has had since its organization. ![Rhea County Courthouse.]()
DAYTON, TENNESSEE - JULY 19: Rhea County Courthouse. (Stacy Kranitz for The Washington Post via Getty Images) ![Rhea County Court]()
(Original Caption) The Rhea County Court room in Dayton, Tennessee, in which Prof. John T. Scopes, biology teacher in the Dayton High School, goes to trial July 10, when 12 good men and true must decide if he is guilty of violating the Butler law, drawn by a farmer-legislator who pleads guilty to a total of 21 months' schooling, that makes it a crime to teach the theory of evolution in the schools of Tennessee. Scopes admits he is a biology instructor and that it is impossible to teach biology without teaching evolution; so he expects the jury to find him guilty. The case will then be carried to higher courts to test the constitutionality of the so-called "monkey law." (Photo by George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images) ![Greenville War Memorial]()
Saturday afternoon in front of the courthouse. Greenville, Tennessee. [War memorial erected in memory of the Union soldiers who enlisted in the Union Army from Greene County, War 1861-1865]. Artist Dorothea Lange. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
Eligible properties had to meet specific requirements set forth by the TNECD and applicants had to be the people or entities that owned those properties.
"Through the Historic Development Grant Program, we are helping restore and revitalize some of Tennessee’s most historic buildings so that they once again can flourish, attracting further economic opportunity across our state," TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter said. "Thank you to the Tennessee Historical Commission for partnering with TNECD on this program. We look forward to seeing the growth and prosperity that will follow in our communities."
The TNECD partnered with the Tennessee Historical Commission to help structure grant application requirements and review applications. The agencies worked to make sure that each proposal would improve structures while still maintaining historical integrity.
"We are honored to participate with TNECD in this successful program that revitalizes historic buildings and energizes communities across our state," Tennessee Historical Commission Executive Director and State Historic Preservation Officer, Patrick McIntyre, said. “This round of funding will help restore iconic properties – such as county courthouses – as well as activate formerly vacant historic spaces for new and creative uses."