For Tennessee's African-Americans, there are no more important places associated with community, history, and identity than their churches. Especially in the countryside, rural churches, often with adjacent historic cemeteries and/or schools, are extremely valuable places to study and document African-American culture and heritage. In 1997-1998, the Center for Historic
Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University conducted a statewide survey of rural African-American churches for their possible listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's honor roll of significant historic properties. With special funding from the Tennessee Historical Commission and from MTSU's Sponsored Programs, in addition to a match of time, expertise, and resources from the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, the project developed a contextual history of the significant events, people, and architecture associated with Tennessee's rural black churches in addition to preparing nominations of eleven churches to the National Register of Historic Places and a typology model for survey. Graduate and undergraduate students at MTSU were part of the research team who gained invaluable experience and knowledge about this neglected aspect of Tennessee history. To date, over 300 churches in Tennessee have been surveyed, many of which are eligible for listing in the National Register. The recent pattern of vandalizing and burning rural African-American churches has led scholars, the media, and political leaders to recognize the real threats faced by these key places of religious freedom, community, and identity.
In 2000, based on the survey and National Register nomination, the Center produced, with the support of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Powerful Artifacts: A Guide to Surveying and Documenting Rural African-American Churches in the South.
For a copy of this publication, please contact the Center.
Project Staff:
Carroll Van West, Project Director
Caneta S. Hankins, Co-Director
Contributors to the project include:
Nancy Tinker
Teresa Douglas
Heather Fearnbach
Rebecca Smith
Anne-Leslie Owens
Susan Besser
Advisory Committee:
The staff of the Tennessee Rural African-American Church Project is assisted by an advisory committee of distinguished scholars and preservation activists of African-American history and heritage.
- Adonijah Bakari, Middle Tennessee State University
- Cynthia Griggs Fleming, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Jimmie L. Franklin, Vanderbilt University
- Kenneth Goings, University of Memphis
- Dorothy Granberry, Tennessee State University
- Wali R. Karif, Tennessee Technological University
- Bobby Lovett, Tennessee State University
- Reavis Mitchell, Fisk University
- Sharon Norris, Nutbush Heritage Productions, Brownsville
- Thad Smith, Middle Tennessee State University
- Earlice Taylor, Memphis
For further information, a copy of Powerful Artifacts: A Guide to Surveying and Documenting Rural African-American Churches in the South, a project brochure, or an application for a church in your community, please contact:
