It looked like a simple property transaction. Buyers and sellers were seated around a table, passing papers and pens around as they signed stacks of papers. Checks for large amounts of money were handed from one party to the other. People around the edges quietly made small talk as the transfer took place.
But this was no ordinary real estate deal.
On May 14 at the offices of Monteagle Sewanee Realty, the future of the original Highlander Folk School site was secured by a group of people who care deeply about its importance, described by some as “hallowed ground.”
The Tennessee Preservation Trust (TPT) purchased 4.2 acres of land and three buildings, including the original Highlander Folk School Library. The property is located in the Summerfield community between Monteagle and Tracy City.
During the 1930s and 1940s, the Highlander Folk School’s main focus was labor education and the training of labor organizers and organizations. In the 1950s, issues of civil rights and desegregation were addressed, and in the 1960s and 1970s, Highlander added worker health and safety in the coalfields of Appalachia to its agenda.
“It is our intention to piece this back together as a historic site for education and tourism,” said David Currey, chairman of the TPT, which is based in Nashville.
“This is one of the first places where you see African-Americans and whites congregating to talk about social issues in a segregated South, to talk about the meaning of American democracy in the mid-20th century and give voice to the community of poor whites and blacks in the region,” he said. Getting this piece of property, Currey said, will allow the story of Highlander to be told in its original setting.
“This site has national and international significance,” he said. “We are delighted to have this come to fruition.”
Easements and covenants will protect the property in perpetuity, he said.
The other key partners in this deal were Brenda and David Gordon, whose nonprofit organization Sports and Cultural Exchange International has owned the property since 1999; Madeline and Howell Adams of Beersheba Springs and Atlanta, who made a loan to help with the property’s purchase; and Jeanette Banks and Ray Banks, who are realtors with a passion for preserving this historic piece of property.
“By putting this property in the hands of the Tennessee Preservation Trust, we are returning it to its original mission: to support economic and social justice for Appalachia,” said Jeanette Banks. “And, it supports the ongoing redevelopment of the Plateau, especially with the history projects in Grundy County, the recreational opportunities such as the Mountain Goat Trail, and the many other exciting things happening around us.”
The Gordons’ nonprofit organization used the space as a retreat center for its sports evangelism missionaries. As their work has become more focused on Central and Latin America, they are moving their headquarters to South Florida. They also lived on the property for some time.
“For years we have had busloads of people drive up to the old library to come see where Myles Horton and Rosa Parks learned about non-violence,” Brenda Gordon said. “Others would come alone and tell us about the time they spent at Highlander Folk School as young people. It is a very special place, and we are delighted that it is going to be preserved.”
Ray Banks said he was grateful to the Gordons for seeing the vision of the property as a protected historic site. “They could have sold it years ago to people who might have torn the buildings down,” he said. “Their commitment to this project has been key.”
During the closing, Currey turned to Mr. and Mrs. Adams and offered his expression of appreciation.
“We could not have done this without you. Thank you so much,” he said.
“This money is a gift from God,” Howell Adams said. “We just share it with others. It is so fun to be a part of this project. People who have means should learn to give to others. It is such a joyous experience.” The Adamses brought along their dog, Wilhelmina, who roamed the conference room so people could pet her between swapping folders and papers.
“This site is hallowed ground,” Adams said. “We can now be sure that it is protected for the future.
The Highlander Folk School was begun in 1932 by Myles Horton. Horton’s plan was to open a place for training for Appalachian people to confront forces that oppressed them. In its early days, Highlander worked on teaching life skills to rural residents, then moved to helping miners in the area secure safer working conditions and better pay.
In 1952 Highlander’s focus expanded to include civil rights issues. Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy were among the many leaders who came to Highlander.
The late Scott Bates of Sewanee began attending Highlander workshops in 1956, and he worked with Septima Clark and Horton to bring an NAACP chapter to Franklin County, an eight-year struggle that eventually led to a lawsuit desegregating Franklin County public schools.
The school moved to its current location in New Market, Tenn., east of Knoxville, in 1971. Known today as the Highlander Research and Education Center, officials at the school are in close conversation with Currey and TPT about the future of the site.
TPT will now evaluate the property and develop plans for a capital campaign to restore the site, not as a museum, but as a place of learning and education. Currey said he has been in contact with labor and civil rights attorney George Barrett, John Seigenthaler (chairman emeritus of the Tennessean, founding editorial director of USA Today and founder of the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University), former director of the National Endowment for the Arts Bill Ivey and music producer Dub Cornett.
The Tennessee Preservation Trust is the state’s only statewide partner of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is a membership-based organization that focuses on promoting preservation across Tennessee through education and advocacy. It supports individuals and communities across Tennessee who want to protect, restore and promote their historic and cultural resources.
Headquartered in Nashville, TPT works to monitor and promote preservation-friendly legislation at the local, state and federal levels, and assist Tennesseans with advocacy issues pertaining to specific historic sites, historic districts and pertinent zoning issues.
“This is a dream come true,” Ray Banks said. “We’ve known the importance of this property for a very long time, and it has finally found its way to the right owners. We are all delighted.”
—Reported by Laura Willis
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