News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
The Fentress County Courthouse is rounding the corner on completion after beginning work in October.
County Executive Jimmy Johnson said that they are 85-90 percent complete on the project. Johnson said an emphasis has been put on keeping the historic feel to the building.
“We’re losing so much history in the country nowadays,” Johnson said. “After it all gets torn down and replaced nobody is going to know, the next generation is not going to know the histories of the country. So we’re trying to expose some of the stuff that came through in Fentress County.”
Johnson said everything from turn of the century photos from the community, to original blemishes carved into the wall from citizens waiting for court have been preserved. He said during the renovation process they decided to leave original stone and brick uncovered in the building.
“We have snow scenes of our old depot here, we have one of just a tractor sitting out in an open field,” Johnson said. “We have different graphics of the county, the Polk Hollow, one of just an old farm barn sitting out in a field just different things like that. It just tells a lot of the history and the beauty of Fentress County. It also has upstairs in the ECD room we have a lot of pictures of the early 1900’s, late 1800’s, the 50’s, the 60’s.”
Johnson said they hope to hold an open house in the next few months to showcase the completed project. Johnson said they are still working on wrapping up the final ADA compliance components to the court house renovation.
