UCDD Receives Historic Preservation Funding

The Upper Cumberland Development District has received funding to continue historic preservation efforts.

Mark Dudney said the $40,000 federal historic preservation grant allows him to continue serving as the UCDD Historic Preservation Planner.

“Different planners across the state focus on different things. I focused on grants to restore national registry properties for adaptive reuse for a public purpose,” Dudney said. “So these places are a part of the fabric of the identity of these communities to leverage the past to sort of help shape the future is an important thing to me.”

Dudney said the White Plains House in Algood is a good example of a properly preserved building. He said providing public access to the house became a priority after it landed on the national registry in 2009.

“I and others in the community worked for several years and Algood acquired White Plains.,” Dudney said. “And they are now using it for community events. And I mean everything from egg hunts to showcasing historic furniture and stuff like that.”

Dudney said he is grateful for the $40,000 grant and the opportunity to continue his work.

“I am from Jackson County and I consider the whole Upper Cumberland my home,” Dudney said. “And it is very personal to me, yes.”

The Tennessee Historical Commission and the State Historic Preservation Office provides funding for the position annually.