Lora Blevins Farmstead Cultural Landscape Report, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

WLA Studio

Management Summary Lora Blevins Farmstead is a 52.6-acre cultural landscape of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area in Scott County, Tennessee. Between 1927 and 1974, Lora Blevins and his wife Tealie Ann Blevins owned and operated a self-sufficient farmstead on the tablelands surrounding the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River The farm’s layout and operation reflected the vernacular traditions of the Upper Cumberland Plateau region. Such traditions included the use of mules for plowing, the production of a wide variety of food and textile goods from farm-derived sources, and the use of local materials for construction. Of note, three of the remaining buildings at the Lora Blevins Farmstead—the log house, barn, and corn crib—reflect the construction techniques of Appalachian settlers of the nineteenth century, although the family constructed them nearly three decades into the twentieth century. The Blevins family worked and lived at the property until the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) acquired the property in 1980 as part of the creation of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (BISO). In 1991, the National Park Service assumed management of BISO. National Register Information While the NPS drafted a National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Lora Blevins Farmstead, the draft was not submitted, and the site is not currently listed in the National Register. However, previous research found that the site’s surviving resources meet the eligibility requirements for listing. Therefore, the NPS manages the resources as contributing to the historic character of the site in accordance with the NPS management category “should be preserved and maintained.” This report proposes a 1927-1974 period of significance for the site. 1927 corresponds to the property’s initial purchase date by the Lora and Tealie Blevins, and 1974 pertains to the Lora’s selling of the property as well as the creation of the park. Summary of Findings The US Army Corps of Engineers acquired the Lora Blevins Farmstead in an effort to preserve its contribution to the cultural and physical development of the Big South Fork region. This mission continues today under management by the NPS. An assessment was made of character-defining landscape features to inform future management decisions that may impact significant cultural landscape features. Treatment recommendations will guide future management decisions related to the Lora Blevins Farmstead’s landscape resources. This section articulates a treatment philosophy that preserves and rehabilitates the landscape character as it developed through the end of the Blevins family residency at the site. This report recommends rehabilitation as the most appropriate choice for the site’s overall treatment. Rehabilitation was selected to preserve historic features, improve features that are in decline, and allow compatible changes at the farmstead. This treatment ensures the site can continue to operate as a historic site and interpret the role the Blevins family had in the retention and reflection of local cultural traditions. With rehabilitation selected as the treatment, the Treatment and Use section of this report addresses specific recommendations for landscape features, organized by landscape characteristics. The intent of this approach is to preserve and enhance the historic character of the site. The plan calls for removal of some non-historic site features and the replacement of missing historic landscape features to enhance the NPS’ ability to interpret the site.

Lora Blevins Farmstead Cultural Landscape Report, Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area

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