Preserving African American Historic Places

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Preserving African AmericanHistoric PlacesSuggestions andSourcesPrepared by the MTSU Center forHistoric PreservationFebruary 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction and Note on Sources. 2Collections Care and Other Topics Related to Preservation andMuseum Management . 5Heritage Tourism . 8Raising Funds and Visibility . 10Essays on Historical Resources . 16Businesses . 17Cemeteries . 20Denominational and Church History . 29Farms . 35Homes: Slave Housing . 37Homes: Tenant Housing . 39Homes: Public Housing . 42Homes: Neighborhoods. 44Lodges . 47Schools: Public Elementary and Secondary . 51Schools: Higher Education . 64Top: Sons of Ham Lodge CemeteryBottom: Bethel Primitive Baptist ChurchCover: Griggs Hall (American BaptistCollege) and New Zion Christian MethodistEpiscopal Church Cemetery (watermark)Table of ContentsPreserving African American Historic Places1

INTRODUCTION"Preserving African American Historic Places: Suggestions and Sources"reviews the varied historic resources that document the stories of AfricanAmericans in Tennessee from the antebellum period to the Civil Rightsmovement. In addition to providing historical context for these resources,this publication sets forth hands-on suggestions for their preservation andinterpretation.A forerunner of this publication was a 60-page booklet entitled PowerfulArtifacts: A Guide to Surveying and Documenting Rural African-AmericanChurches, which was published by the Center for Historic Preservation(CHP) in 2000 with partial funding from the National Trust for HistoricPreservation. Links to some of the materials from that publication, which isnow out of print, are included in "Preserving African American HistoricPlaces."We welcome information from the public on these significant andremarkable resources, and we will try to provide updates to thispublication when possible.Several CHP staff members and students have contributed to thedevelopment of this publication over the years. They include Dr. CarrollVan West, director; Dr. Antoinette van Zelm, assistant director; Leigh AnnGardner, Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area interpretivespecialist; Caneta S. Hankins, former assistant director; Anne-LeslieOwens, former programs manager; Cassandra Bennett, graduateassistant; and Jessica French, graduate assistant.Introduction & Note on SourcesContact UsThe Center for Historic PreservationMiddle Tennessee State UniversityBox 80Murfreesboro, TN istpres.org/Unless otherwise credited, theinformation and photographs in thispublication are from the collection of theCenter for Historic Preservation (CHP),a collection that has been compiled bystudents and staff over the past 30years.February 2016Preserving African American Historic Places2

A Note on SourcesThese online resources include in-depth material and primarysources about the history of African Americans in Tennessee: Historic African American Schools of West Tennessee: A DrivingTour Landscape of Liberation: The African American Geography of CivilWar Tennessee (Interactive Map Linked to Primary Documents) Shades of Gray and Blue: Reflections of Life in Civil WarTennessee (Web Site Highlighting Art and Artifacts, with LessonPlans) Southern Places (CHP Digital Database of Photos and Researchfrom 30 Years of CHP Field Work, including Rosenwald Schoolsand Rural African American Churches) Southern Rambles (CHP Blog) Teaching with Primary Sources--MTSU (Resources for Teachers,including Lesson Plans and Primary Source Sets on AfricanAmerican Topics) Tennessee Century Farms Web Site Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture Tennessee State Library and Archives (Guides to African AmericanResearch and Genealogical Resources) Tennessee State Museum: Tennessee4Me (Overviews ofTennessee History and Teacher Lesson Plans) Tennessee's African American Lodges (Leigh Ann Gardner's Blog) Tennessee's Historic Landscape (Dr. Carroll Van West's Blog) Tennessee’s Reconstruction Past: A Driving Tour Trials and Triumphs: Tennesseans Search for Citizenship,Community, and Opportunity (Digital Collection Focused on 18651945 and including Lesson Plans on African American Topics)Introduction & Note on SourcesThese model multiple propertynominations to the National Registerof Historic Places were completed byDr. Carroll Van West and graduatestudents at the CHP: "The Civil Rights Movement inSelma, Alabama, 1865-1972,"Multiple Property Submission,National Register of HistoricPlaces, 2013. "Historic Rural African-AmericanChurches in Tennessee, 18501970,"Multiple Property Submission,National Register of HistoricPlaces, 1999. "U.S. Public Health ServiceSyphilis Study, Macon County,Alabama, 1932-1973," MultipleProperty Submission, NationalRegister of Historic Places, 2010.Preserving African American Historic Places3

Here is a selection of the sources used to prepare this publication:Allen, Walter R., et al. “Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Honoring thePast, Engaging the Present, Touching the Future,” Journal of NegroEducation 76(3), 263-280.Ayers, Edward L. The Promise of the New South: Life After Reconstruction.Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. Reprinted 2007.Beito, David T. From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies andSocial Services, 1890-1967. Chapel Hill: University of North CarolinaPress, 2000.Ingham, John N. “Building Businesses, Creating Communities: ResidentialSegregation and the Growth of African American Business in SouthernCities, 1880-1915,” Business History Review 77, no. 4 (Winter, 2003):639-665.Kuyk, Betty M. “The African Derivation of Black Fraternal Orders in the UnitedStates,” Comparative Studies in Society and History 25 (October 1983):559-592.Lindsay, Inabel Burns. “Some Contributions of Negroes to Welfare Services,1865-1900,” Journal of Negro Education 25, no. 1 (Winter, 1956): 15-24.Skocpol, Theda, and Jennifer Lynn Oser. “Organization Despite Adversity: TheOrigins and Development of African American Fraternal Associations,”Social Science History 28:3 (Fall 2004): 367-437.West, Carroll Van. Tennessee's Historic Landscapes: A Traveler's Guide.Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 1995.West, Carroll Van, ed. Trial and Triumph: Essays in Tennessee's AfricanAmerican History. Knoxville: Univ. of Tennessee Press, 2002.Introduction & Note on SourcesAdditional online resources related toAfrican American history andgenealogy include: Ancestry.com (MembershipGenealogy Site, including SectionRelated to African AmericanGenealogy) Chronicling America (HistoricNewspapers from the Library ofCongress) FamilySearch (SearchableFamily History and GenealogyWeb Site, including section aboutAfrican American Genealogy) Fold3.com (Membership Site forMilitary Records) The Freedmen's Bureau Online(Selected Records from theFreedmen's Bureau) Guide to African AmericanNewspapers Mapping the Freedmen's Bureau(Maps Freedmen's Bureau FieldOffices, USCT Engagements,and Freedmen's Bank Branches) Visualizing Emancipation (MapsSlavery's End) Voices from the Days of Slavery(Audio Interviews from the Libraryof Congress)Preserving African American Historic Places4

COLLECTIONS CARE AND OTHER TOPICSRELATED TO PRESERVATION AND MUSEUMMANAGEMENTAcross Tennessee, many African American historic places,particularly former schools, have opened to visitors as heritage sites withdisplays and public programs. Managing a museum or historic site usuallyinvolves the collection and care of artifacts. One of the primary rules toremember related to your collection of historic artifacts is to try to makesure that any effort that you make to conserve an item can later bereversed if necessary. Many national and regional archives andconservation organizations have step-by-step guidelines available onlinefor you to follow so that your collection will be preserved for futuregenerations. Below are listed several of the best resources online for youto consult regarding the care for traditional artifacts, as well as thedevelopment of digital collections. Also included below are someresources to assist you in historic building upkeep and restoration, as wellas resources related to museum management and assessment.National Archives and Records / "What Do You Want to Preserve?" section has advice related tofamily archives, photographs, books and scrapbooks, digital media,and audiovisual materials.Library of Congresshttp://www.loc.gov/preservation/ Includes information about emergency management preparedness,finding a conservator and an appraiser, digital preservation, andbuilding digital collections, as well as FAQs.Collections Care & Other TopicsSmithsonian Institution MuseumConservation Institutehttp://www.si.edu/mci/english/learn more/taking care/index.html Offers hands-on advice on takingcare of a range of artifacts,including furniture, paper artifactsand documents, textiles,paintings, and dolls and toys;printed copies of brochures canalso be ordered.American Institute for theConservation of Historic and onservation/caring-for-yourtreasures#.Vl3X9l62psR "Caring for Your Treasures" isgeared toward the preservation offamily treasures and includeshands-on suggestions for avariety of artifacts, as well asinformation about when youmight need to consult aconservator.Preserving African American Historic Places5

The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield .aspx Provide "preservation fact sheets" on a range of artifacts, includinglog buildings and motorized vehicles.Partners for Sacred epair-and-maintenance-guide This repair and maintenance guide for churches and other sacredplaces includes checklists and tips for keeping your building in goodshape and making sure it is around for the next generation.National Park Service, Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, andMTSU Center for Historic Trail-Final.pdf While the first section of this booklet is focused on the Trail ofTears, the hands-on section about the restoration of log buildings ispertinent to any log structures, including slave and tenant cabins.National Park Service, Museum Management Programhttp://www.nps.gov/museum/ "Conserve O Grams" provide advice on a wide variety of topics,including museum collections, fire safety, insects and other pests,archaeological objects, and disaster recovery. A 3-part museum handbook is available and can be downloaded asa PDF.Collections Care & Other TopicsAmerican Association for State andLocal -of-technical-leaflets/ For more than five decades, theAASLH has produced technicalleaflets on numerous topicsrelated to the management andupkeep of museums and historicsites; some of the leaflets areavailable to download for free,while others are available todownload for a minimal cost.Subjects include blackgenealogy, historical markers,docent-training, walking tours,sustainability, and AfricanAmerican community history.http://tools.aaslh.org/steps/ For a fee, the AASLH'sStandards and ExcellenceProgram for HistoricalOrganizations (StEPs) assistssmall and mid-sizedorganizations with assessmentand management.Preserving African American Historic Places6

Center for Historic Preservationhttp://www.mtsuhistpres.org/ See "Appendix C: Basic Considerations for a Community Museum,"pp. 64-76, in Heritage Development Plan for West BemisRosenwald School (2014) for how-to information on establishing acommunity museum; collections care, management, and use; andprogramming. See also "Best Practices for Maintaining Artifacts" and "BestPractices for Archival Materials," pp. 32-37, in HeritageDevelopment Plan for Polk-Clark School (2013).Preservation of African American Cemeteries, Inc.http://www.paacarcemeteries.com/ African American group dedicated to educating people aboutcemeteries and preserving them.Chicora Foundationhttp://www.chicora.org This heritage preservation organization based in South Carolinahas a publication about preserving African American cemeteries,Grave Matters (1996), available meteries.pdf. The group also has a pdf for identifying different features (fencetypes, marker types, etc.) at cemeteries athttp://chicora.org/pdfs/ID%20Sheet.pdf and information on cleaningcemeteries at http://chicora.org/cleaning.htmlPixlr Express User-friendly digital photo editing site.Collections Care & Other TopicsPreserving African American Historic Places7

HERITAGE TOURISMHeritage tourists travel to learn more about history and culture. Studieshave shown that these visitors tend to stay longer at their destinations andspend more money. In Tennessee, tourism is a thriving sector of theeconomy, bringing in tens of billions of dollars annually and generatingmore than a billion in local and state sales tax revenues. Heritage tourismis an important part of the Volunteer State's overall outreach to travelers.The Tennessee Department of Tourist Development oversees the state'stourism efforts and works with communities throughout the state to attractvisitors. Contact the department via its Web site or by calling (615) 7412159. The department administers Welcome Centers located off theInterstates, and organizations can place brochures at the WelcomeCenters after receiving approval from the department. The department'sTennessee Vacation Web site (http://www.tnvacation.com/) also includesinformation about local sites across the state, as does the Vacation Guidebooklet that is available in print form. The History and Heritage section ofthe Web site includes a section on African American Heritage.Regional and local driving tours help communities and historic sites raisevisibility and attract new partners. The Center for Historic Preservation(CHP) and the Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area have workedwith many local organizations to produce driving tour brochures. Recentexamples that feature African American historic sites include HistoricOrange Mound: Past, Present, and Future: A Driving Tour of CommunityLandmarks, Tennessee's Reconstruction Past: A Driving Tour, and TheSelma Civil Rights Trail: 50 Landmarks for a 50th Anniversary. Contact usat the CHP if you are interested in developing a driving tour brochure foryour community.Heritage TourismPreserving African American Historic Places8

In the digital age, outreach via the Internet and social media is essentialfor educating your partners and potential visitors about your historic siteand your community. Advances in technology have resulted in lower costsand more user-friendly platforms so that smaller organizations can moreeasily develop and sustain a Web presence. Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram are cost-free and just require you to take the time to marketyour organization clearly and uniformly. Some Tennessee AfricanAmerican historic sites with active Facebook pages include the PromiseLand Heritage Association (search for Promise Land on Facebook) andthe Gibson County Training School/Polk-Clark School Alumni Association(search for GCTS Polk Clark on Facebook). Learning more about socialmedia for non-profits is a good way to get started.Historic markers can also help generate interest in your site. The statehistoric marker program is administered by the Tennessee HistoricalCommission. Although the commission itself can only afford a few newmarkers each year, markers can also be sponsored locally. State markersare a recognizable feature along Tennessee's roads and help informvisitors about state and local history. Some urban areas also have theirown historic marker programs to highlight local sites. The MetropolitanHistorical Commission of Nashville and Davidson County administers onesuch program, as does the Shelby County Historical Commission.If your organization would like to know more about how to best prepareyour site for heritage tourists, you may want to contact the CHP to discusscreating a heritage development plan. A few examples of recent heritagedevelopment plans that the CHP has produced in partnership with historicAfrican American schools are listed to the right.Heritage Tourism--See Also:Brown, Aleia. "Reimagining Owingsville,Kentucky: The CHP's HeritageDevelopment Plan," Southern RamblesBlog.Finch, Rachael. "Tales, Trails, andTourism: Discover Tennessee's CivilWar History," Southern Rambles Blog.Heritage Development Plan for WestBemis Rosenwald School (2014).Polk-Clark School HeritageDevelopment Plan (2013).Wynn, Linda T. Journey to Our Past: AGuide to African-American Markers inTennessee (1999).Heritage TourismPreserving African American Historic Places9

RAISING FUNDS & VISIBILITYThere are many resources available for small- and medium-sizednonprofit, educational organizations interested in raising funds for ongoingexpenses or special projects. Before soliciting funds, however, be surethat you have established your organization as a nonprofit, tax-exemptentity (meaning that you have applied for and received 501 (c) (3) statusfrom the Internal Revenue Service and tax-exempt status from the state ofTennessee). The Web site of the Center for Nonprofit Management, listedon p. 13 under "Sources for Research, Instruction, and Assistance inDeveloping Grant Proposals," can help you get started if you still need toestablish your organization as a nonprofit.Before fundraising, also be sure that you understand the rules governingnonprofits (see A Guidebook for Tennessee Nonprofits developed by theTennessee Attorney General's Office) and have a clear idea of yourorganization's mission and goals.The following information is divided into sections on Tennessee grantfunders, grant funders from outside Tennessee, fundraising research andplanning resources, and suggestions for community-based fundraisersand "friendraisers."A Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing, by Oryx Press, is a helpfulonline resource. Also, African American museums and historic sites inTennessee might want to consider joining the Association of AfricanAmerican Museums, the Tennessee Association of Museums, and/or theSoutheastern Museums Conference to benefit from the support they offerto their members.Raising Funds and VisibilitySelected Grant Funders in TennesseeTennessee Historical Commission(THC)Clover Bottom Mansion2941 Lebanon Rd.Nashville, TN t/article/thc-federal-preservation-grants The THC administers federal historicpreservation grant funds inTennessee. Priorities arearchitectural and archaeologicalsurveys, design guidelines forhistoric d

Artifacts: A Guide to Surveying and Documenting Rural African-American Churches, which was published by the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP) in 2000 with partial funding from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Links to some of the materials from that publication, which is . African American Genealogy) .

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