Free Hills Rosenwald School: history and property description

              Free Hills Rosenwald School, Clay Co., TN
VII. Description
The Free Hills Rosenwald School lies in the middle of the rural
African-American village of Free Hill, along the Free Hill Road,
in the vicinity of the county seat of Celina, in Clay County,
Tennessee. Built in 1929-30, the school is an original three
room, T-plan, asphalt-shingle gable roofed, frame building, wi th
a brick and concrete foundation. Its Craftsman-like roof
brackets are the primary decorative feature of the school. The
interior floor plan of three rooms, closets, and restrooms
remains almost totally intact, with several kitchen appliances
from the early 1960s still installed in the "industrial" room
used for the teaching of domestic homemaking, crafts, and
industrial arts. The original wooden walls, flooring, stage, and
ceiling also exhibit a high degree of historical integrity.
In circa 1980, a TVA community development program provided .
funding and labor to cover the exterior with vinyl siding. The
pattern of siding matches that of the original weatherboard,
which remains intact under the siding. At the time of the
siding, however, some exterior windows on the west side were
covered over, but not removed. Community members are now working
with officials at the Upper Cumberland Development District to
restore the schoolhouse into a community heritage center.
Preliminary plans include removing the vinyl siding and following
the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation in the
restoration work. An architectural firm has been brought in as a
consultant on the project. After consulting with staff at the
Tennessee Historical Commission in March 1996, community members
have begun to remove the vinyl siding. Wooden protective panels
remain over the covered windows at this time in order to keep
them protected during the remainder of the restoration process.
The removal of the remainder of the siding, and the restoration
of the building according to the Secretary's Guidelines, are
planned for the summer of 1996. Nomination of the property to
the National Register, according to local residents who have
taken the initiative to plan for the restoration, will encourage
and enhance the efforts of this low-income community to preserve
and reuse this school as a community landmark.
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The front, or east, facade shows the T-plan nature of the school.
The projecting center room is the industrial room, with two six-