Title	Matt Gardner House: side view
Creator(s)	West, Carroll Van, photographer
Date	1995
Coverage	1990-1999
Property name	Matt Gardner House
Property type	House
National Register Reference	95000942 listed July 28, 1995
Community Name	Elkton, Giles County, TN
Description	Color photograph of a side view of a white house; left side is two-story with covered one-story porch and right side is one-story addition, both with gable roof
Historical Notes	The Matt Gardner Homestead, one of seven Century Farms in Tennessee that was established by an African American, is significant for African-American ethnic heritage, commerce, and architecture. Matt Gardner was born a slave on a North Carolina plantation belonging to a family named Gardner, one of six children born to house servants. His birthdate is believed to be July 18, 1848. After the death of his father, his entire family was sold to a family named Vasser in the Elkton community of Giles county. After emancipation, in 1870, he married and began to build a life as a preacher, businessman and farmer, having initially acquired approximately 300 acres. Unlike many freed blacks, Gardner was able to hold on to his property through the Jim Crow era. By 1896 he owned 500 acres and was able to build a two-story frame house as well as essential outbuildings, including a storehouse from which he sold goods to his neighbors. Gardner was influential in his community as pastor of the New Hope Primitive Baptist Church and for his leadership in establishing a local school for African Americans ca. 1920 and later for helping to secure funds needed for a four-room Rosenwald school. Rev. Matt Gardner died in 1943 and is buried in the nearby Union Hill cemetery. The farm has continued in the family through ownership of his son, John, and grandson, James. At the time of its listing as a Tennessee Century Farm, the property was owned by Gary Gardener, great grandson of Matt Gardner, Jewel Bailey and Carla Jones.
Collection Name	Tennessee Century Farms
Subject-LCSH	African Americans -- Dwellings -- Tennessee -- Elkton Historic buildings -- Tennessee -- Elkton
Subject-TGM	Houses
Type	Still image
Genre	Photograph
Medium	Slide
Extent	35 mm
Copyright status	Copyright of the creator. Reproduced with permission
Contributing Institution	Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University
Conditions for use	Credit Center for Historic Preservation, Middle Tennessee State University Reproduction permitted for non-profit educational and research purposes only
Digital Publisher	Digital Initiatives, James E. Walker Library, Middle Tennessee State University

Matt Gardner House: side view

Description