Historic and Architectural Survey of Bledsoe County, Tennessee

Summary: "With funding from the Tennessee Historical Commission (THC), the Bledsoe County Government contracted with Thomason and Associates (Consultant) to conduct a country-wide historical properties survey. There has been no previous survey to date of Bledsoe County historic architectural resources. The Contractor agreed to complete field surveys of a minimum of 200-250 properties built in 1968 or earlier within the county. The Consultant surveyed 205 historic resources in the county. Bledsoe County is historically a rural, agriculturally-oriented county with some industrial development from mining in the early twentieth century. The count has retained its predominately rural character, and the county seat of Pikeville is the only incorporated municipality. The rugged terrain of natural ridges along the northwestern and southeastern borders limited the majority of settlement to the more inviting and productive river valley. This settlement pattern influenced the survey methodology and the architecture available for survey. An unfortunate, notable trend in the county indicates a tendency of wholesale replacement of historic materials for occupied and maintained dwellings; conversely, abandoned, unoccupied buildings display largely intact historic materials. The Consultant surveyed the available resources that reflect historic trends in vernacular architectural form, property size, construction materials, settlement patterns, and historic use of the landscape. An important goal of the survey project was evaluation of buildings for eligibility for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The evaluation was conducted on an individual basis at each primary resource site in rural areas. Several agricultural farmsteads are extant on the landscape and are eligible for listing under Criteria A and C. Additionally, Bledsoe County retains significant historical resources representing architecture, education, medicine, and commerce and industry. Two traces of the historic Trail of Tears are present in Bledsoe County, as well as a ca. 1935 Fire Lookout Tower. These resources reflect Bledsoe County's development from the early nineteenth to mid-twentieth century. Collectively, the 205 resources surveyed in the county are the best extant examples representing the county's history from the settlement period to 1968." Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the Tennessee Historical Commission, administered by the State, Tribal, Local Plans and Grants division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior (grant number P17AF00055).

Historic and Architectural Survey of Bledsoe County, Tennessee

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