Free Hill, Tennessee
Free Hill, Tennessee | |
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UTC-5 (Central Time Zone) | |
Area code | 931 |
GNIS feature ID | 1284872[1] |
Free Hills Rosenwald School | |
Location | Free Hills Rd., E of TN 52, Free Hill, Tennessee |
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Coordinates | 36°33′45.5″N 85°29′12.7″W / 36.562639°N 85.486861°W |
Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
Built | 1929 |
Built by | Samuel L. Smith |
Architectural style | Rosenwald School Plan |
NRHP reference No. | 96001360[2] |
Added to NRHP | November 15, 1996 |
Free Hill (also called Free Hills) is an
History
The original inhabitants were the freed slaves of Virginia Hill, the daughter of a wealthy North Carolina planter.[3] After purchasing 2,000 acres (8 km2) of isolated hilly land, Hill freed her slaves and turned the property over to them. Folklore suggests that the original residents included Virginia Hill's own mulatto children.[4]
At its peak, the community had about 300 residents and included two grocery stores, three clubs, two eating establishments, two churches, and a school.[4] Today, Free Hill's population is approximately 70.[3]
Free Hills Rosenwald School
The settlement's
Recent years
A small number of residents remain in Free Hill, whose population has declined since the 1960s. In September 1993 the state of Tennessee placed a historical marker on Tennessee State Route 53 to identify the community and commemorate its history.[4]
References
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Free Hill, Tennessee
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ a b Garrison, Joey (July 9, 2016). "Tennessee community founded by freed slaves fights extinction". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- ^ a b c The Free Hills Community, an African-American heritage area