National Teacher's Normal and Business College Administration Building

Henderson, Tennessee's National Teacher's Normal and Business College Administration Building was constructed in 1908 along the Main Street in Henderson. The building is a mixture of the Renaissance and Italianate architectural styles. The building was designed by noted Memphis architect Hubert T. McGee. The building is constructed primarily of sandstone with three dormers on the facade and a cupola, housing a bell, at its top. The National Teacher's Normal and Business College was incorporated in 1907 and replaced the West Tennessee Christian College. By 1919 the school was renamed Freed-Hardeman College and in 1990, Freed-Hardeman University. In 2012, the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and continues to serve as the administration building for Freed-Hardeman University.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

Martin Cheairs House

Spring Hill, Tennessee's Martin Cheairs House was constructed in the 1850s in the Greek Revival style. The home is patterned after the nearby Rippavilla House, built by Martin Cheairs brother Nathan. The Cheairs family had come to Spring Hill in 1810 and quickly began buying up land in the area. Martin Cheairs' house was built much like Rippavilla, with full height entry porticos on two of its four elevations, sheathed in red hewn brick, fired on the property. The house features a central hall, open air floor plan with an equal number of rooms on each story. The house is perhaps most known for what happened inside of it during the Civil War. In 1863, Confederate general Earl Van Dorn was murdered in the front room of the Cheairs house. Van Dorn was using the house as his headquarters, and was confronted by Spring Hill physician Dr. George B. Peters. The two got into an argument and Peters shot and killed Van Dorn. The argument was believed to have been about a rumored romance between Peter's wife and Van Dorn. In 1891, the Cheairs house was sold to the Spring Hill Male College. The house was named "Ferguson Hall," and dormitories were built on the property to house students. In 1934, the property was sold to the Tennessee Children's Home, sponsored by the churches of Christ. Five additional dormitories were constructed along with a kitchen and dining hall.  Today, the Martin Cheairs House is still owned and is a part of the Tennessee Children's Home. In 1976, the house was listed in the National Register of Historic Places for its historical and architectural significance.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

Readyville Mill

Cannon County, Tennessee's Readyville Mill is located in the Readyville Community on the eastern bank of the Stones River. The mill building is constructed in the crib style, sheathed in metal, and sits on a wood foundation, reinforced by steel "I-beams." Milling operations in Readyville began in 1812 by Charles Ready. The original mill was burned during the Civil War and the current one was constructed shortly after the war. In 1889, the mill was sold out of the Ready family and purchased by W.B. Haynes and his son Samuel. Around the turn of the century, Samuel Haynes' brother-in-law, Arthur McFerrin developed an ice plant and an electric plant to power it. This electric plant provided power for the entire Readyville Community. At the time, Readyville was one of the first rural communities in Tennessee to have access to electricity. In 1973 the Readyville Mill was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its overall historical significance. According to the mill's National Register nomination, as of 1973, the mill was still operational.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

Belle Vue

Nashville's Belle Vue House was constructed as a log cabin in 1818 by Abraham DeMoss. While on a business trip to New Orleans, DeMoss's wife and slaves enlarged the log cabin into a Colonial design. The house and surrounding plantation was given the name "Belle Vue" as this is the French term for "beautiful view." The interior of the house contains French elements, such as wallpaper. The interior of the house is also equipped with large fireplaces, and wood trim cut from native trees. In later years the exterior has been covered with weatherboard siding and a front portico has been added. In addition to their farming operation, the DeMoss family operated a grist mill and saw mill on the Big Harpeth River. Just prior to the Civil War, the Nashville and Northwestern Railroad setup a station near the DeMoss plantation known as "Belleview Station." Following the Civil War, the granddaughter in law of Abraham DeMoss purchased a nearby general store and rented it for use as a post office and dry goods store. These post-war commercial entities contributed largely to the development of the present day community of Bellevue. Belle Vue remained in the ownership of the DeMoss family until 1972 when the last descendant passed away. In 1973, Belle Vue was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its overall history and Criterion C for its architectural significance. Today the house remains privately owned and is at the center of the Bellevue community.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

Winstead Hill

Located just south of Franklin, Tennessee, Winstead Hill, played a vital role during the Civil War in Middle Tennessee. The 840 foot tall hill was once part of the Samuel Winstead Farm. The hill is 200 feet higher than the City of Franklin. In November 1864, Confederate General John Bell Hood set up an observation post on top of the hill. This allowed Hood to maintain his position during the battle. From this post, Hood was able to watch his Army of Tennessee charge and get thrown back thirteen times by the Union forces. By the time the battle was over, the Confederates had lost 6,000 of the 18,000 they started out with. This marked the beginning of the end for the Confederate Army in Middle Tennessee. Historians have labeled Winstead Hill as the place where the Battle of Franklin began. Following the Civil War, the hill became used for agricultural purposes once again. In 1948, approximately nine acres of the Winstead Farm were given to the local United Daughters of the Confederacy Chapter. This group installed interpretive materials on the property and today Winstead Hill is part of the City of Franklin Park System. In 1974 Winstead Hill was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A for its historical significance.

   View from the top of Winstead Hill today.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

Harrison House

The William Harrison House located in southern Franklin, Tennessee, was built in 1848. William Harrison and his family settled in Williamson County after leaving Virginia. Harrison served as the sheriff of Williamson County from 1836-1842. The house replaced a structure that had been built on the property around 1810. This structure and the newer structure have been able to coexist, as the older one now serves as additional living space at the rear of its newer counterpart. Both structures are sheathed in brick, with the older one being built in the Federal architectural style and the new one built in the Colonial Revival style, with a Greek Revival style full height entry portico. Inside the house features include an open air, central hall floor plan with a total of ten rooms. While carrying out a renovation, a secret room in the upstairs portion of the house was discovered. The room was unfinished and no one knows its purpose. Like so many historic houses in Franklin, the Harrison House witnessed combat during the Civil War. Due to the house's location between the cities of Franklin and Spring Hill, the Harrison House was often used as a headquarters by both sides. In 1864 a small skirmish occurred at Perry's Station. The wounded were taken to the Harrison House, due to its close proximity to the skirmish site. Among the wounded was General John Herbert Kelly. Kelly was the youngest Brigadier-General in the Confederate Army. Kelly was tended to inside the Harrison House for two days before succumbing to his injuries. He was buried in the front yard of the house, but was exhumed a few years later and moved to a cemetery. Later in 1864, General John Bell Hood used the Harrison House as his headquarters during the Battle of Franklin. After surveying the city from the top of Winstead Hill, Hood gave the order to attack Franklin from the front parlor of the Harrison House. Following the war, the house was owned by several members of the William Harrison family, until eventually being sold. In 1975, the Harrison House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion A and C for its significance in history and architecture respectively. Today the house remains privately owned. The Harrison House is yet another key component of the City of Franklin's history and their great efforts in the field of historic preservation.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.

The Cedars

Jackson, Tennessee's The Cedars was constructed in 1930 by automobile executive William H. Collier. Collier was responsible for the design of the Marathon Automobile that was assembled at a plant in Nashville. Collier also served as the vice president of the Southern Engine and Boiler Works Company in Jackson. Collier purchased the Adam Huntsman Home and Farm making Jackson his permanent home. On Christmas Day, 1929, the Huntsman House burned. In its place Collier built a Colonial Revival style house. The unique thing about this new house was that Collier labeled it "fireproof." Upon examining its construction elements, one can see why he labeled it as such. The house features concrete walls fourteen to eighteen inches thick, load bearing, reinforced with steel, railroad rails in the footings, concrete floors, and a slate roof. The house features an open air central hall floor plan, a full height entry portico, and a dogleg staircase. The house was dubbed "The Cedars" because of the cedar trees lining the driveway up to the house. Legend says that David (Davy) Crockett planted these cedar trees to pay off a gambling debt owed to Adam Huntsman. Collier never completed The Cedars due to an increasing amount of debt. Finally in 1942, the property was foreclosed on. For the next few years the house was owned by a variety of people. In 1999 The Cedars was listed in the National Register of Historic Places under Criterion C for its significance in architecture. Today the house remains privately owned and based on pictures and Google Street View, appears vacant.

At Moore Historical Consulting my #1 priority is historic preservation. Do you own a historic home, commercial building, or farm? If so contact me today to learn more about the historic preservation strategies I offer. These include nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, nominations for a Permanent Conservation Easement, nominations to the Century Farms program, and writing text for historic makers. At Moore Historical Consulting I make exploring and preserving your past fun and easy.