Historic and Cultural Preservation and Environment Funds
African American Museum Endowment Fund
Established 2007Lucius Burch, Jr. Wildlife Habitat Fund
Established 1996Lucius Burch, Jr. helped improve the quality of life in this state for all its citizens. At Burch, Porter and Johnson law firm in Memphis, he argued landmark cases, defending Martin Luther King, Jr. among others. In addition to his love for the law, Lucius was “mindful of the generations that follow us and their just claim upon this good earth that is our heritage,” as he put it. This Fund was established in his memory by Shirley Caldwell-Patterson to ensure that his lifelong commitment to the earth became a portion of his legacy.
The Clement Railroad Hotel Museum
Established 2010The Clement Railroad Hotel, located in historic downtown Dickson, was constructed in 1913 and is one of the few remaining examples of a railroad hotel in a small Tennessee town. Reopening in 2009, the museum features exhibits and programming involving the Civil War, railroading, and local and regional history. This fund will permanently endow this historic site and its many artifacts and items once belonging to Tennessee Governor Frank G. Clement and his family.
Lucille Courtney Memorial Fund for St. John’s Church and Cemetery
Established 1995Alyne Massey and Elizabeth Queener established this Fund to ensure the ongoing architectural and historic integrity of St. John’s Church and Cemetery and to commemorate the life of their sister, Lucille Courtney. The cemetery, known as The Bishop’s Graveyard, is the final resting place of many noted Episcopal bishops. Founded in the 1840s by the family of Leonidas Polk, the Bishop of Louisiana, the church is remarkable for its Gothic structure. Following the Battle of Franklin, five Confederate Generals were buried there.
Fort Campbell Historical Foundation, Inc. Endowment Fund
Established 2007Friends of Warner Parks Endowment Fund
Established 1994The Friends of Warner Parks was organized to preserve, protect and exercise stewardship over Percy and Edwin Warner Parks. It advocates protection of the natural integrity of the Parks; promotes educational programs; provides a wide range of recreational programs consistent with the Parks’ natural and historical integrity; and maintains and enhances the beauty of the Parks and their historic structures.
The GAIA Community Fund
Established 1992The GAIA Fund is a Field-of-Interest Fund established by Shirley Caldwell-Patterson, the LifeWorks Foundation, and Elizabeth Queener to endow environmental enrichment of the Middle Tennessee area. Named for Mother Earth, this Fund has initiated several seminars and educational fora.
Historic Mansker’s Station Endowment Fund
Established 2000Mansker’s Station Historic Site is a staffed, living-history locale maintained by the City of Goodlettsville. The site is a reproduction, built at one-third scale, of the station developed by Kasper Mansker in the late 18th Century as a respite for weary pioneers traveling west. To make sure this educational site is maintained for all time, the Historic Mansker’s Station Endowment Fund was established in 2000.
Historic Nashville City Cemetery Endowment Fund
Established 2007Historic Zion Cemetery and Church Preservation Fund of Maury County
Established 1994Alyne Massey established this Fund to ensure the ongoing architectural and historic integrity of Zion Presbyterian Church. The property, established in 1802 by rice and indigo planters from South Carolina, includes the church, the cemetery, an outbuilding used originally as a school, and a slave cemetery. Among the boxwoods are the remains of 11 Revolutionary War veterans, 11 from the War of 1812, and 107 from the War Between the States. In addition, a monument marks the grave of Ben, an African Prince and colonial slave who, although he was hanged three times by the British, lived to be almost 100 years old. For his loyalty in not betraying the Colonials, he was awarded a gold doubloon by the British and is included in the Maury County Roster of Revolutionary Soldiers.
Robert M. Jones Designated Fund
Established 2000Robert Jones was born and reared in Fentress County, but like several of his brothers, he ended up in Toledo, Ohio, where he was a successful carpenter and builder. When Robert died in 1998, as he wished, he was laid to rest in the beautiful countryside near Jamestown in the Range Cemetery, along with many of his ancestors and a host of Fentress Countians. Prior to his death, Robert provided in his Will for the establishment of this Fund, which finances the upkeep of the Range Cemetery, so it will always be a beautiful place and a testament to rich tradition.
Make Your Community Flower Fund
Established 2001To celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Community Foundation, and to give back to the generous people of Middle Tennessee, the Make Your Community Flower Fund was established in 2001. This Fund truly makes Middle Tennessee flourish by providing the means to plant flowers and to beautify the place we all call home. Gifts of any size are welcome.
Maury Heritage Land Trust Endowment Fund
Established 2001With roots in Maury County going back six generations, sisters Alyne Massey and Elizabeth Queener have always been concerned with preserving land as nature intended. To ensure that significant parcels of land will be kept in pristine condition, they set up a Fund to support the Maury Heritage Land Trust’s plans to purchase land for conservation, in conjunction with the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation. It is the hope of Elizabeth and Alyne that other individuals, organizations and corporations will add to the Fund, to enable it to preserve as much of this precious resource as possible.
Nashville Music Garden Fund
Established 2009A collaborative effort to beautify Music City and acknowledge the music and artists synonymous with it, the Nashville Music Garden is part of the public Hall of Fame Park in downtown Nashville and home to over six dozen roses and daylilies. The garden is funded by LifeWorks Foundation and supported by the Metropolitan Nashville Parks Department and the Nashville Rose Society, along with several park neighbors and community partners. This Fund was created to endow the care and support of the garden and its trademark collection of flowers, in recognition of its relationship with Nashville’s music and entertainment industry.
Oral History Fund
Established 1995This Fund was established by the board of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to collaborate with agencies and individuals in Nashville and Middle Tennessee to preserve the past and present for the future. One critical aspect of life here is our rich historical tradition and the tapestry of personal contributions that have given it strength, complexity and meaning. Copies of the individual oral histories are shared with the public through the Nashville Room at the Public Library and the Tennessee State Archives.
Pitcher Spring Fund to Benefit the Land Trust of Tennessee
Established 2002The very reason many people live in Tennessee — its rich history, green rolling hills, scenic landscapes, open farmland, and rural back roads — must now actively be preserved or these precious characteristics will be lost. The Land Trust works with willing landowners to find ways to preserve the scenic and natural value of their land. The Land Trust allows a landowner to achieve three important goals: retain ownership of the land, preserve the important assets of the land through customized restrictions on future development, and obtain certain tax advantages.
The Elias Skovron Fund Designated to Benefit The Cordell Hull Museum and The Friends of Cordell Hull
Established 2004Through the intervention of Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Elias Skovron was one of 250 people from Poland to enter the United States in 1938. Hull, at the request of his personal friend Judge John Gore, wrote to the American Ambassador in Poland asking that Skovron receive a visa, which was granted immediately. This Fund is a lasting tribute to the intercession of Cordell Hull and benefits the people of Pickett County, Tennessee.
The Elias Skovron Fund Designated to Benefit Jackson County Historical Society and the Memory of Judge John Gore
Established 2004As a personal friend of Lillian Glean Bogatzky, the donor’s aunt, Judge John Gore played an integral role in the immigration of Elias Skovron from Poland to the United States on the brink of World War II. This Fund was established to honor Judge Gore as one of the benefactors who helped this man escape the realities of wartime Poland and enjoy a very long and happy life in Nashville, Tennessee.
Tennessee Beautification Fund
Established 1999We Tennesseans spend a lot of time extolling the virtues of our state and the quality of life we enjoy here, and former Governor Don and Martha Sundquist wanted to help ensure that we always have those same bragging rights. The goal of the Tennessee Beautification Fund, which they established, is to create a mechanism to encourage and enhance protection of our environment. Projects may include the planting of wildflowers, the collection of litter, the beautification of town squares, the involvement of civic clubs and school children, and the planting of trees to shade future generations.
Tennessee Fund for Sustainability
Established 2006Tennessee Fund for Sustainability promotes the advancement of sustainable design principles and technologies that deliver greener built environments, more effective manufacturing processes, and more equitable community development initiatives.
Tennessee Parks and Greenways Endowment Fund
Established 1999The Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation is a statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Tennessee’s natural treasures.The Foundation believes the identification, preservation, and protection of the most ecologically rich, historically significant, and incredibly beautiful places in Tennessee are vital to protecting wildlife, improving water and air quality, providing close-to-home recreation opportunities, and creating sustainable communities and regions.
Ellen Wemyss Fund
Established 2001During her very long and happy life, Ellen Wemyss (1895-2000), beloved Nashville native and Sumner County resident, rallied forces to preserve many irreplaceable architectural treasures. They included President Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, Gen. James Winchester’s Cragfont in Sumner County, and the preservation of properties in rural historic Smith and Trousdale Counties. The loving care she and her husband, Will Wemyss, gave their home, Fairvue, resulted in its National Landmark recognition. Established in fond memory of a remarkable and inspiring woman, this Fund provides promotion and continuation of historic preservation.
